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IBM Unveils New Security Offering for Travel & Transportation Industry

Software and services suite will close vulnerabilities of systems that safeguard corporate assets as well as customer data for hotel chains, airlines, car rental agencies, commercial freight and others

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ARMONK, N.Y. - 24 Oct 2014: IBM (NYSE: IBM) today introduced a new Analytics software and services offering aimed to help companies in the Travel & Transportation industry mitigate IT security risks and address a growing volume of advanced threats and data compromising incidents faced by the industry. Utilizing counter fraud and security technologies and services, IBM will help hotels chains, airlines, car rental agencies commercial freight and other industry companies not only assess their current security posture but resolve any potential threats or incoming vulnerability.

Travel is one of the top products bought and sold on the Internet, generating volumes 50% greater than retail averages, making it a primary target for hackers. The ever-rising usage of credit and debit cards by airlines, travel intermediaries and hospitality companies, coupled with having passenger data stored in frequent flier and rewards programs, have the industry rightly bracing for cyber attacks and breaches of their corporate and customer data.

Airlines, for example, have hundreds of systems that need to be safeguarded, including operational systems, passenger information databases, and inventory records or pricing systems. Global hotel chains on the other hand, have to not only secure themselves at the corporate level, they must also protect customer information at the property level. IBM’s new security offering is specifically designed to analyze data both inside and outside the company firewalls, to provide continuous protection and complete end point management to Travel & Transportation companies.

The new offering will use IBM’s QRadar Security Intelligence Platform to create a unified architecture that will integrate security information, anomaly detection, incident forensics and configuration, as well as event, log and vulnerability management. IBM’s Security AppScan software will enhance web and mobile application security; improving security program management while strengthening regulatory compliance, through Security Assessment Services and Industrial Controls Cybersecurity Consulting Services, helping leverage the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) framework to reduce cyber risk.

“At United, we have developed a comprehensive security strategy to vigorously protect our assets and our customer data,” said Michael Kennaugh, Vice President of Information Technology for United. “IBM has been a valued partner and we are excited to leverage QRadar to assist in managing United’s IT security.”

The new offering follows a proven plan that covers six main security strategies: Understanding the current security posture and defining an incident response plan, followed by creating an infrastructure to protect critical data and enhancing visibility into possible flaws, then executing an approach to safeguard transactional systems and securing applications. This plan will help Travel & Transportation companies quickly identify corporate and customer data as ‘crown jewels’ and ensure they are adequately protected.

Moreover, if a company is currently under attack, the plan will include access to an Emergency Response Team, which designs and reviews current incident response plans, and gives 24/7 access to IBM security experts in the case of an ongoing breach. The Emergency Response Team will also provide access to key resources that can enable faster recovery and reduce business impact from ongoing incidents.

“Security is not a ‘project,’ and needs continuous, rigorous discipline to deal with incoming threats. The only economical, practical, and viable way for Travel and Transportation companies to protect themselves is to layer themselves in protection, adopting both defensive and proactive approaches,” said Marty Salfen, General Manager, IBM Global Travel & Transportation Industry. “Many security solutions are largely defensive, leveraging advanced security analytics as a weapon will allow Travel & Transportation companies to detect, react, remedy and go on offense quickly.”

For more information about IBM travel and transportation solutions, visit www.ibm.com/travel