Naka City Builds Non-Stop Network with Automated Security
Naka City, Japan gets an industry-leading combination of security, ease of use, automatic threat isolation, and device remediation with an Allied Telesis AMF Security solution.
Threat Detection & Security Citywide
Naka City is in the Kanto region of Japan, northwest of Tokyo, and is famous for its rice paddy fields. The area is rich in local culture and history, and very popular with tourists.
Naka City Hall manages the public computer network for schools, local government offices, and public buildings, providing both wired and wireless access for the city’s residents. This network allows users to access personal data such as their social security and tax information.
Our network had become old and outdated, our maintenance costs had increased, and there were concerns about our emergency response capabilities.
Principal Manager,
Health & Welfare Department of Naka City
In 2015, the Japanese government issued guidelines for cities to strengthen their network security after a cyber-attack of the Japan Pension Service resulted in the leak of 1.25 million personal records. As a result, Naka City had to review their network security policies, and find a robust security solution that was effective and easy to use.
Naka City needed a robust and secure city-wide network that would protect sensitive information. It had to do more than just detect known threats—it had to proactively detect malicious behavior, and instantly block attacks.
Alongside this required network complexity, Naka City also needed simplicity. It was essential that the new network be easy to use, simple to configure and economical to run.
We received many high-level proposals, so the additional value in the Allied Telesis proposal was key in our selection. We were impressed by the infrastructure elements, as well as by other areas outside of the proposal, such as regular meetings and workshops, and generous operational and maintenance support services.
Principal Manager,
Health & Welfare Department of Naka City
At the Heart of the Network
After a public tender process in which solutions from major vendors were considered, Naka City selected a proposal from Osaki Computer Engineering that included a state-of-the-art network management and security solution from Allied Telesis. At the heart of this solution was Allied Telesis’ Autonomous Management Framework™ (AMF), which provides automated and simplified network management, and AMF Security which detects network threats and isolates any suspect devices. Allied Telesis also offered exceptional support and ongoing maintenance with our comprehensive Advisory Services.
A SwitchBlade x8100 Series chassis switch provides a resilient network core in the main city office. x510 Series edge switches have been installed in the main building, and at each of the city’s branch and field offices, as well as encompassing Naka City’s 14 elementary and junior high schools. TQ4600 wireless access points provide wireless network connectivity across all locations.
The SwitchBlade x8100 acts as the AMF Master, automatically backing up the entire network, and allowing remote management of many, or all, devices at once. AMF supports easy upgrades and zero-touch device replacement for plug-and-play networking, greatly reducing administration overhead.
An Allied Telesis AMF Security controller partners with a Trend Micro, Inc. Deep Discovery Inspector (DDI) to identify any security threats or other malicious behavior. The intelligent Isolation Adapter engine built into the AMF Security controller responds immediately to isolate the affected part of the network and quarantine the offending device, stopping the spread of infection.
With AMF, we can manage and operate all our devices remotely, enabling a swift maintenance response. AMF Security lets us implement internal security measures including behavior detection and anti-proliferation of security threats, which is a major advantage.
Infrastructure Engineering Department Manager,
Osaki Computer Engineering
Centralized Management
Naka City now enjoys centralized management with AMF, reducing the time and effort required to manage their distributed network. AMF security fully protects the new solution with leading-edge internal network security.
The new Naka City network is a prime example of a highly successful Software Defined Networking (SDN) deployment. The system was rolled out in 39 locations over a two-week period, and was officially commissioned after a successful one-week trial.
The network is running smoothly, without any device faults or breakdowns, and AMF has greatly reduced our expenditure and man-hours. In the future, high-level security features such as AMF Security will be integral to our core mission-critical network systems.
Principal Manager,
Department of Naka City
Naka City is very satisfied with the new secure network and proud to be a pioneer for SDN in enterprise organizations.
Plans for the Future
AMF Security allowed Naka City to implement a unique security system to secure the internal network and keep public records safe, and has met all of Naka City’s requirements. However, AMF Security will soon do much more—Allied Telesis has plans for an automatic remediation process to fix a device and allow it to re-join the network. This will not only remove threats, it will also reduce disruption by making services available again as quickly as possible.
Naka City is considering using this feature to further simplify network security and lower operating costs. The city is also planning a wireless LAN for IoT devices, and wants to eventually integrate all of its network systems, including the core network, using AMF network automarion and AMF Security.
