Nickelodeon signs up to Macquarie Telecom's Red Hat managed hosting solution

High level security and massive bandwidth required for children's entertainment site
 

Sydney, AUSTRALIA -- 3rd February, 2005 -- The need to manage spiralling bandwidth and ensure high-level security has resulted in Australia's leading children's website, www.nickelodeon.com.au, selecting Macquarie Telecom's new certified Red Hat Enterprise Linux managed hosting solution.

Nickelodeon will use Macquarie Telecom's Managed Security Services offering which combines dedicated security hardware and software, 24/7 monitoring of network traffic (event logging, security alerts, information updates) and centralised policy management.

The Nickelodeon implementation comprises a Red Hat Enterprise Linux complex hosting environment as well as a managed firewall, load balancing and high-speed Internet connectivity.

According to Katie Cordes, new media manager at Nickelodeon Australia, Macquarie Telecom was chosen over Nickelodeon's previous host because of its expertise in managing high bandwidth sites, proven level of high security and ability to provide a Certified Red Hat Linux hosting solution which was both cost effective and scaleable.

“We required a whole-of-business solution which would easily keep pace with the rapid growth of the users on the Nickelodeon site,” said Cordes.

“With the rapid adoption of Linux among government and enterprise, Macquarie Telecom is pleased to be the first and only Australian organisation to offer Red Hat users such as Nickelodeon a fully-certified, first-class hosting solution,” said Glen Noble, general manager, Data & Hosting, Macquarie Telecom.

The Nickelodeon website is an integral part of the Nickelodeon television channel's marketing and on-air programming. Nickelodeon runs competitions, special promotions and message boards through the website while a mobile content section added recently allows kids to download their favourite toon character icons, vote or view the TV schedule on their mobile phones.

With children between the ages of five and twelve interacting online in forums, playing games and entering competitions, high levels of security are paramount. While the site operates under a rigorous security policy and uses advanced encryption systems, the added security provided by Macquarie Telecom's Intellicentre is crucial.

The need for better bandwidth management and increased security, combined with an upgrade to Red Hat's Enterprise Linux version 3 and a hardware upgrade, led Nickelodeon's web development partner, Victoria Real to evaluate managed hosting options.

According to Pip Jones, technical director, Victoria Real, Nickelodeon, “With more than 70,000 visitors to the website every month we were averaging 300 percent over our bandwidth allowance. What's more, with this number increasing each month it was time to make some changes.”

“The Macquarie Telecom solution provides scalability of web growth over the next three-five years, improved security and allows us to bundle SMS with web hosting and data networking in a cost effective solution.”

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For more information:
Mandy Galmes
N2N Communications
02 9213 2302
agalmes@n2n.com.au

About Macquarie Telecom
Macquarie Telecom is a leading supplier of Information and Communications Technology (ICT) solutions – including voice, data, mobile and hosting – specialising in the business and government markets. The world class Intellicentre facility offers state-of-the-art hosting and security solutions. The Intellicentre is certified to BS 7799 and DSD Gateway security standards.

Macquarie Telecom provides services to more than 2,500 of the top companies in Australia and Asia, supporting more than one million business users at work every day. Founded in July 1992, it is one of Australasia's first deregulated telecommunications companies. It expanded its operation into Asia in 2000, and holds carrier licences in Australia, Singapore and Hong Kong.