OpenBlockS 266 Case Study: Softcreate

Unauthorized Access Prevention Appliance "L2 Blocker" based on OpenBlockS 266

The development of the L2Blocker

Softcreate has achieved Information Security Management System (ISMS) certification in September 2005 (*2). Which means they know something about the difficulties of information asset management. As in any company with many engineers and developers, many employees brought their own hardware when they weren't content with the provided PCs. Many unauthorized machines were used inside the company network before the company embraced ISMS. Many of the developers used their individual development environments, and it was difficult to bundle all ressources in one Active Directory.

In this situation, Softcreate was looking for ways to block unauthorized PCs from access to the internal network. After they were unable to find a suitable product on the market that met their requirements, they decided to develop it themselves. This is how the L2Blocker was born.

As the name suggests, the L2Blocker monitors layer two of the network (Ethernet). A network with the L2Blocker can only be accessed by devices if their MAC address is registered. It automatically detects unauthorized machines on the network, such as laptops brought from home, and blocks access. The basic blocking mechanism was easy to develop, so a lot of work went into the administration and operation interface. As a result, the L2Blocker evolved from an inhouse project to a real product. It is easy to use with plugins to application management and resource administration tools.

Using the OpenBlockS 266

The Linux-based L2Blocker was planned as an appliance from the start. The developers were already familiar with the OpenBlockS, and thought "wouldn't it be nice to run it in such a small box." When they tried, it turned out the implementation was easy and straightforward, and the OpenBlockS266 was used for the final product.
"We had other candidates for the hardware, and also cheaper ones. But considering adoption and OS implementation costs, the OpenBlockS provided a solution that was already running, and it fulfilled all our requirements.", reports Mr. Mori, representative director and COO of Softcreate.
For appliance hardware, units can be purchased in single quantities, which has merits for a small scale start.

Changes brought by the internal rollout

After the internal rollout of the L2Blocker, users could not connect their private PCs to the network any longer without aquiring a permission from administration staff. This has effectively stopped the practice. Moreover, all PC applications are now centrally managed on each PC, to quickly apply patches and enforce internal policy.
As Mr. Mori tells us, "Security measures are not about locking everything down. It is about striking a balance between usability and an appropriate level of security in the given framework. In the case of Softcreate, the L2Blocker has created this balance.

Business evolution

Recently, the competition between system integrators that offer quarantine solutions for the safe management of information assets has heated up. In a field where many big-name developers offer large-scale systems, the L2Blocker has been successful by playing its strength with low implementation time and costs and reduced on-site stress.

"The strength of Softcreate is that as a system integrator, we have a lot of in house developers, so we can quickly react to demands regarding our products. If there are needs for added value that match our product concept, we can quickly answer them. The L2Blocker is small, and it is easily integrated into a network simply by plugging it into a network switch. Together with its simple design and low cost, it has found customers in big and small companies, factories and local branches, as well as public offices and universities all over Japan." as Mr. Murakami, General Manager for Solutions says. The size of the MicroServer is a feature other products can't compete with. And the Open Source OS SSD/Linux gives us the flexibility necessary in the SI business, where the diverse needs of the customer need to be answered quickly.

The need for speed is what drives the SI business forward, ahead of the rolling IT revolution. With the OpenBlockS266 that became the L2Blocker, Plat'Home has offered a product that responded to the requirements of Softcreate. "Isn't there another market where a system integrator like us can cut its niche?" we are asked. We will do our best to meet expectations.


Mr. Murakami, Head of the solution group

Scanning for unauthorized PCs and blocking access
The L2Blocker is a simple, easy and low-cost system that can be used on any network as-is. It's quick to roll out, and effective for both initial investment and total cost of ownership.

Features
MAC address retrieval
The L2Blocker performs automatic MAC address learning to ease the registration tasks for the system administrator. (figure 1)
Scanning for unauthorized PCs
By constantly scanning the network, the L2Blocker can quickly identify unauthorized machines on the network and isolate them. Administrators can also grant access temporarily. This works regardless of the environment and has no effect on the other servers and PCs on the network. (figure 2)
Access request functionality
Users can request network access over an easy-to-use Web interface.

L2BManager administration tool sample screenshots
The L2Blocker can be configured in a Web browser, with all options collected on one page. There are many convenient functions included to support the administration work, such as alerts.





L2Blocker sales price
* L2Blocker starter kit (1 L2Blocker unit and L2BManager)
Sales price: 380,000 Yen (w/o tax)
* L2Blocker (additional unit)
Sales price: 140,000 Yen (w/o tax)

Inquiries about L2Blocker
Softcreate Co., Ltd.
2-22-3, Shibuya, Shibuya-ku, Tokyo 150-0002, Japan
Tel. 03-3486-9272 Fax. 03-3486-9531

Softcreate Homepage
L2Blocker Homepage (Japanese only)