Ignite Restaurant Group Closes Security Gaps Resulting from Expanding BYOD

Ignite Restaurant Group, a portfolio of restaurant concepts fused together by a common commitment to provide guests with memorable, matchless dining experiences, selected Citrix to guard its network against threats from non-authorized users.

Ignite Restaurant Group, Inc. owns and operates two restaurant brands, Joe's Crab Shack and Brick House Tavern + Tap. Each brand offers a variety of high-quality, chef-inspired food and beverages in a distinctive, casual, high-energy atmosphere. Joe's Crab Shack and Brick House Tavern + Tap operate in a diverse set of markets across the United States.

The challenge: Guard the Ignite enterprise network against threats from non-authorized BYOD users

The combination of Microsoft Exchange and BlackBerry Enterprise Server at Ignite Restaurant Group had been working adequately. But times are changing. As employees transitioned from BlackBerry devices to iOS and Android smartphones and tablets, Luis Oliveira, Vice President of Information Technology, knew he needed increased mobile device management security.

“With BYOD in rapid-growth mode, I need to have a secure solution to manage mobile devices,” said Oliveira. In just the last year, the number of Ignite employees bringing personal mobile devices into the marketplace has exploded. This proliferation created potential security problems for Oliveira and his IT staff, including:

• A lack of visibility regarding who was connecting to the Microsoft Exchange servers. Because the company uses a single generic email address for each restaurant, multiple managers from the same site could connect to the server with no way for IT to track each person
• Any employee who knew the name of the Exchange server could configure their phone to receive email
• While Exchange had the capability of totally wiping data from a remote device, Ignite wanted the ability to rid mobile devices solely of corporate data
• Exchange was unable to push corporate policies out to devices.
  

In order to find the right MDM solution, Oliveira and his team educated themselves on what they considered to be the top four mobile device management companies by attending webinars, pouring over various information sources and direct contact.

The Ignite IT team examined each product’s functionality, ultimate cost and whether the vendor had a local point of contact available to assist with potential technical issues. Oliveira’s team found that Citrix topped the other companies from both engineering and customer service perspectives.

“After comparing four different solutions, we felt Citrix presented the most comprehensive set of features,” Oliveira said. “They have a good platform that allows us to expand the functionality of the software as our needs change over time.” 

The solution: XenMobile MDM enables secure BYOD

Ignite decided to start the Citrix deployment with an initial 400 BYOD employees. Oliveira opted to install XenMobile MDM directly onto the Ignite server. “I do however like having the option to transitioning to the cloud-based option in the future,” said Oliveira, adding that current BYOD users must be at least manager level and possess an authorized network ID.

After a seamless installation, Oliveira is taking a steady approach to migrating users into the new, secure environment. “Right now we’re just monitoring usage, and not blocking access yet,” he said. “When we go to the next stage, employees will be blocked if they fall out of compliance with our policies.”

The Citrix Benefit

In addition to ease-of-use, XenMobile MDM provides Ignite the following advantages:

• Enables IT to manage the device lifecycle across every major platform including iPhone, iPad, Android, BlackBerry, Symbian, and Windows Mobile
• Allows IT to provision devices and set policies in a few steps
• Provides IT with the control and visibility needed to proactively manage and secure mobile devices, applications, data, and the corporate network
• Eases burden on IT by providing end users a straightforward self-enrollment process
• Empowers mobile workers to be productive from virtually anywhere at any time
  

The result: A secure solution that enables Ignite to say yes to BYOD

In addition to helping Oliveira manage and secure personally-owned devices, XenMobile MDM has enabled the Ignite IT team to push newly defined corporate mobile polices out to end users. Oliveira states, “XenMobile MDM gives me total control over personally owned mobile devices.”

It is clear that the Ignite Restaurant Group IT team has gained traction against enterprise threats, as well as garnering the good will of its employees. “From an approach perspective,” Oliveira said, “we’re trying to make the least impact on our users while ensuring we can track, manage and secure our corporate data.”