Seattle International Film Festival Deploys WatchGuard APs to Ensure Robust, Secure Wi-Fi for Guests and Staff

Before deploying the WatchGuard APs, SIFF struggled to provide wireless Internet access for its staff, and had virtually no Wi-Fi access for guests. This was a significant pain point, since Internet-enabled reviews, sharing and social media posts are central to the cinematic experience today. Additionally, transferring movie files between SIFF's multiple locations was difficult and wireless coverage was not reliable enough to support mobile POS systems.

"Prior to WatchGuard, we just weren't able to get adequate wireless coverage in those spaces," reflected Sarah Wilke, Executive Director at SIFF. "For us to transfer films between our locations, we really needed a robust network. In order for us to use point of sale through the wireless network we needed something reliable, and, particularly, something that was safe."

SIFF had been using WatchGuard network security appliances to protect their wired network for seven years. So, when the team learned that WatchGuard had expanded its focus beyond Unified Threat Management appliances to wireless network security solutions, they asked how the new offerings could help solve their Wi-Fi issues. All WatchGuard products were donated to SIFF.

"The new wireless network has increased staff productivity and customer satisfaction across SIFF events and locations, while providing increased security. And with multiple facilities, our easy deployment and management features make life a whole lot easier for SIFF's IT team," said Ryan Orsi, director of product management at WatchGuard. "Not only will our APs continue to offer the highest levels of Wi-Fi service for SIFF's operations, but their built-in Wireless Intrusion Prevention System (WIPS) will defend the airspace 24/7 from wireless threats like unauthorized devices, man-in-the-middle attacks and rogue APs, with the lowest false-positive rate on the market."

Following the successful deployment of its new Wi-Fi networks, SIFF plans to utilize custom guest Wi-Fi splash pages to inform people about upcoming events, offer tickets to new films and even collect donations to the organization. This is a service available for all WatchGuard APs with a Total Wi-Fi license, which offers increasingly streamlined management for Wi-Fi networks, and enables users to create engaging captive portals, connect with Wi-Fi users through social media, and share videos, targeted promotions and more.

WatchGuard's AP320s offer up to 1.3 Gbps with 802.11ac Wave 1 and up to 450 Mbps for 802.11n and 3x3 MIMO with 3 spatial streams.

Read the full case study on WatchGuard's partnership with SIFF here and watch a video interview with SIFF here. To learn more about WatchGuard's complete line of secure Wi-Fi solutions, click here.

About WatchGuard Technologies, Inc.
WatchGuard® Technologies, Inc. is a global leader in network security, secure Wi-Fi, and network intelligence products and services to more than 80,000 customers worldwide. The company's mission is to make enterprise-grade security accessible to companies of all types and sizes through simplicity, making WatchGuard an ideal solution for distributed enterprises and SMBs. WatchGuard is headquartered in Seattle, Washington, with offices throughout North America, Europe, Asia Pacific, and Latin America. To learn more, visit WatchGuard.com.

For additional information, promotions and updates, follow WatchGuard on Twitter, @WatchGuard on Facebook, or on the LinkedIn Company page. Also, visit our InfoSec blog, Secplicity, for real-time information about the latest threats and how to cope with them at www.secplicity.org.

Media Contacts:

Chris Warfield
WatchGuard Technologies
206.876.8380
[email protected]

Anthony Cogswell
Voxus PR
253.444.5980
[email protected]

SOURCE WatchGuard Technologies