Press Release
Stonesoft Ensures Secure Remote Network Access for Antargaz
Antargaz selects StoneGate to guarantee secure service provision and offer VPN to its providers
Helsinki, 19th March 2007 - Stonesoft Corp., an innovative provider of integrated network security
and business continuity solutions, announces that Antargaz, the leading French independent LPG
(gas) distributor, is the latest reference customer of Stonesoft´s flagship StoneGate.
Antargaz has over 60 years experience serving customers in the propane and butane industries,
and leads the French market. The company is a pioneering provider of liquefied petroleum gas (LPG),
and controls all aspects of the LPG chain, from supply and conditioning, to distribution.
With established positions in both industry and agriculture, Antargaz is a leading supplier
for all customer segments, including the important LPG/C market for private vehicles and bus
fleets. The company currently employs more than 1,200 people conducting a wide range of activities.
Since 2004, Antargaz has belonged to UGI, an American company that was founded in 1882. Its
business focuses on propane, natural gas, electricity and services linked to the energy industry.
This partnership has enabled Antargaz to consolidate its presence on the global energy market.
Antargaz has almost 60 sites in France, running a total of 80 servers and 1000 extensions, of
which 250 are roaming connections linked by private WAN. This extensive organic decentralisation
has inevitably left the company’s information system somewhat vulnerable, compromising the overall
security of Antargaz as an organisation.
Reinforcing security effectively
Conscious of this serious drawback, Antargaz realised it had to secure its information
system. The company decided that by isolating the Internet from the network as a whole, it could
protect the business from attack and corruption as effectively as possible. In order to do this,
Antargaz chose to set up a firewall in collaboration with Stonesoft.
Contacted initially through a Stonesoft dealer, the company was selected largely for its
competitive pricing as well as the powerful functionality of its StoneGate appliances, particularly
with regards load-balancing and service continuity. Antargaz has been using Stonesoft products for
four years, and has been entirely satisfied with performance results from the StoneGate
implementation at further sites which include Courbevoie, a secondary back-up site
Stonesoft’s flagship product StoneGate incorporates a unique high-performance firewall that
operates in real-time. StoneGate is EAL4+ certified and employs exclusive Stonesoft developed
firewall technologies including clustering, multi-link, multi-homing and server load distribution.
The installation project was conducted with Stonesoft in collaboration with a local partner
that assisted with any questions over configuration and standardisation. This installation began on
the company’s Saint Etienne site in France, implementing two firewalls configured for
load-balancing with specific rules for the creation of a DMZ infrastructure. This operation
required the specialised training of an employee at Antargaz for vital knowledge transfer, but was
still completed in less than two days.
Secure VPN access for service providers
Antargaz also uses the VPN functions offered by StoneGate, particularly on its Courbevoie
site. These functions make it possible to offer secure network access to service providers and
users with a simple login and password.
Antargaz has also conducted intrusion and malevolent attack tests on its network, further
demonstrating the reliability and resistance of StoneGate which allows the company network to
remain open without vulnerability to even the heaviest of attacks.
Overall, Antargaz is extremely satisfied with Stonesoft products, which have fully met the
company’s security and network accessibility requirements. Laurent Godineau, security and network
director for Antargaz said: “The flexibility and manageability of the platform were a bonus.
Moreover, the reliability and high-quality of the StoneGate platform, coupled with its lower cost
in comparison to the competition, were of the utmost importance in the selection of Stonesoft
solutions.”
About Stonesoft
Stonesoft Corporation is an innovative provider of integrated network security and business
continuity. Stonesoft is a global company focused on enterprise level customers requiring advanced
network security and always-on business connectivity with low TCO, best price-to-performance ratio,
and highest ROI. StoneGate™ Security Platform unifies firewall, VPN and IPS, blending network
security, end-to-end availability and award-winning load balancing into a unified and centrally
managed system for distributed enterprises. Founded in 1990, Stonesoft Corporation has corporate
headquarters in Helsinki, Finland and Americas headquarters in Atlanta, Georgia. www.stonesoft.com
For more information:
Press contact:
Pauline Moreau
Open2Europe – Press Relations
Tel.: 01 55 02 14 52
p.moreau@open2europe.com
Monday, March 19, 2007
