Child Support Agency chooses Macquarie Telecom for Secure Internet Services

DSD Gateway Certification ensures sensitive data is safeguarded
 

Sydney, AUSTRALIA – 23rd June 2005 – The Child Support Agency (CSA, part of the Commonwealth Department of Human Services, is the latest Federal Government agency to select Macquarie Telecom as its provider of Secure Internet Gateway Services.

Under a three year contract, Macquarie Telecom will provide CSA with DSD Gateway Certified* Secure Internet Services to support the agency's new online transaction initiative, CSAonline.

The Child Support Agency administers the Child Support Scheme and helps separated parents take responsibility for the financial support of their children. This involves managing the transfer of more than $1.9 billion in child and spousal support on an annual basis.

Currently in trial phase, CSAonline is expected to provide an increasing number of online services to the agency's client base.

Sensitive data protected to DSD & ASIO standards

Due to the nature of its services, much of the information CSA stores and maintains is regarded as highly sensitive. In an online environment, the highest levels of security are required to protect and defend this data from physical and electronic attacks, 24/7.

In accordance with the requirements for DSD Gateway Certification, Macquarie Telecom's physical environment has been certified by Australian Security & Intelligence Organisation (ASIO) T4.This means it provides an extremely high level of physical protection.

Macquarie Telecom provides CSA with: high speed Internet and secured extranet connectivity; DSD certified gateway services; anti-virus services; host based intrusion detection (HIDS); network intrusion detection (NIDS); and dedicated secure hosting with full load balancing.

According to a CSA spokesperson, Macquarie Telecom was selected after an extensive evaluation process as it offered the best combination of security, technical and consultative expertise.

Macquarie Telecom's General Manager Data and Hosting, Glen Noble said, “Whether you like it or not, you have to assume the web is a hostile environment for online applications. Security is a really serious issue – particularly when you are dealing with sensitive data."

“DSD Gateway Certification ensures we have the people, processes and systems in place to maintain high standards of information security and integrity – it is an extremely rigorous standard to achieve," said Noble.

“It also provides a safeguard against a clients' confidential information falling into the wrong hands. And it gives customers the peace of mind that they are meeting internationally recognised standards for managing, hosting and securing their online assets,” he said.

Macquarie Telecom currently provides DSD Gateway certified secure Internet services to more than 11 Federal Government departments and agencies including the Department of Prime Minister and Cabinet and the Department of Industry Tourism and Resources.

* About Defence Signals Directorate (DSD) Gateway Certification

The Defence Signals Directorate (DSD) provided Macquarie Telecom Intellicentre with certification for its Internet Gateway service for Australian Commonwealth customers. This certification offers assurance that the gateway provides protection from external threats appropriate for systems and data up to and including the ‘Highly Protected' level of classification. This certification is a prerequisite to providing secure gateway services to Commonwealth Departments and Agencies using FedLink, a secure VPN service. Macquarie Telecom was the first telecommunications carrier in Australia to achieve DSD Gateway certification.

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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.