Mitigate DDoS Risk, Maximize Cybersecurity Defenses with the Right Partners

Recently a DataBank customer experienced a potentially devastating Distributed Denial of Service (DDoS) attack. This article takes a closer look at how DataBank and our cybersecurity partner Radware helped overcome the cyberattack, and more importantly, how any company can learn from this experience by taking a proactive approach to minimizing risk.

The company, a leading provider of VoIP solutions and services suffered a DDoS attack that overloaded network-based session border controllers, and ultimately, caused its entire VoIP-as-a-service system to go down.

The situation was dire. Internally, entire teams of senior staff suddenly had to drop what they were doing to triage the damage and attempt to get critical systems up and running as quickly as possible. Externally, the DDoS attack disrupted customers’ service and left them unable to communicate with the company itself. Unfortunately, both scenarios—internal chaos and outward customer impact—led to inflated costs and lost revenue. In short, the company and its customers were completely shut down — temporarily.

Fortunately, there was some good news. This company was a DataBank colocation customer, and while it was not using our portfolio of managed cybersecurity services, representatives contacted us to see if we could help. We quickly engaged our partner, Radware, a leading provider of cybersecurity services and solutions, including advanced DDoS protection. All three parties worked together—and around the clock—to assess the DDoS attack, develop the right strategy to resolve it, and put the plan into motion.

A Fast Start Pays Off

Getting a fast start was critical. Facing unhappy customers, mounting costs, and lost revenue, the VoIP company needed help quickly. DataBank and Radware received the first call on a Friday night and worked through the weekend to develop an effective response to the attack.

Radware immediately identified the networking devices and other hardware that would have to be replaced. As a Tel Aviv-based company, Radware normally experiences hardware shipments that take two to three days (if not longer). Yet, this timeframe just wasn’t an option, given the customer’s urgency. Using some creative thinking, the Radware team was able to find what it needed in Atlanta, saving crucial time. In fact, the right hardware was already ordered by Monday morning, giving the team a real advantage in overcoming the attack.

All three parties collaborated closely and worked around the clock to install the new networking hardware, develop and configure a defense port, and ensure everything was tuned properly. While the effort exhibited an “all-hands-on-deck” urgency, it also required expert-level thinking from senior technical staff to address evolving network challenges, create effective traffic filters, and make sure customer service was restored.

Finally, after the crisis was averted, DataBank and Radware developed a joint DDoS mitigation service offering that would let the company outsource this part of its cybersecurity program. It now benefits from a truly proactive partnership approach including real-time monitoring and much more effective DDoS protection.

The DataBank DDoS Difference

Ultimately, the story has a happy ending. While the company did suffer from lost productivity that translated into unplanned costs, it was able to quickly restore service to its customers. This helped the VoIP provider avoid significant revenue issues and a damaged reputation in the market.

It could have been worse, though. Even just a fast, back-of-the-envelope calculation shows how expensive these efforts can be, especially when factoring in labor and hardware costs, customer churn, broken service level agreements, and even penalties and fines. If the VoIP company had a DDoS mitigation plan and service in place at the outset, these negative consequences could have been avoided.

The story also serves as a cautionary tale when it comes to managing cybersecurity in a colocation or data center facility. Most of our customers view DataBank as a colocation partner first, and don’t realize we offer a full portfolio of managed services, including security offerings such as DDoS mitigation.

Today, DDoS attacks are some of the most debilitating threats to any company’s IT infrastructure. Successfully fending them off requires the right technology and partners such as Radware, and today, our DDoS Mitigation service gives you both.

We can help you eliminate DDoS attacks in real time, while allowing friendly, business-critical traffic to flow uninterrupted, even while under attack. Our DDoS Mitigation service includes implementation, monitoring, and management around the clock by DataBank’s security team. Most importantly, our service is designed to let you ensure your IT environment is safe and secure, so you can do what you do best: make sure your business is running smoothly. To learn more about DataBank’s managed security services, please visit our website or contact us. To learn more about Radware, please visit https://www.radware.com or contact them today.