HOUSTON -- Shell Oil Co. has selected Cybera Inc., a leading provider of cloud-based security and application services, to migrate its payment card traffic at U.S. Shell branded stations from traditional VSAT satellite systems to a secure application platform (SAP) by the end of 2013.
The move will save Shell millions of dollars in credit-card fraud by thieves who breach the satellite system technology, the companies said. The adoption of the Cybera ONE platform will also address store-level network security through integrated security applications that reduce the risk of network breach at Shell's thousands of network end points.
The scope and speed of this secure platform change for Shell highlights the importance of the transition from VSAT to enable new applications that require broadband Internet connectivity, according to Cybera. "This pioneering technology delivers enterprise-level data protection that offers ... security and reliability that meets the most stringent PCI compliance standards," said Cliff Duffey, CEO of Cybera.
Shell also selected Cybera because Cybera ONE features a plug-and-play solution that can be easily installed by store personnel in minutes, eliminating the cost of dispatching technicians.
As a secure application platform, Cybera ONE securely hosts the Shell proprietary applications for payment and loyalty required to run in each store; 3G/4G wireless backup is built into Cybera's appliance, allowing Shell to have better uptime and reliability for their critical applications such as payment processing.
By choosing a solution that solves both security and reliability, Shell can allow each store owner to choose to buy broadband Internet from any provider, knowing that the Shell brand is protected but allowing maximum flexibility, Cybera said.
As a replacement to VSAT, stations may choose the Cybera ONE secure application platform to become the central network device and application server at each store. The consolidation of multiple devices and network connections facilitated by the Cybera ONE platform not only lowers communications costs at each store, it also reduces support, management and installation costs, in addition to fraud protection.
The comprehensive Cybera ONE solution costs $79 per month for each Shell store, said Duffey.
"The Cybera ONE solution addresses the whole puzzle from networking, security, broadband connectivity, point-of-sale, loyalty and future application deployment," said Scott Taylor, business service manager for Shell Oil Products US.
Also at the core of Shell's decision to drive such a dramatic change in its retail store communications infrastructure is implementing a "future-proof" platform that provides a solution for the growth of new interactive customer and revenue generating applications.
"With Cybera ONE, Shell's stores now have a platform for all of their needs today that will also support future apps that Shell wants to bring to their wholesalers," Duffey said.
In addition to setting a Dec. 31 ending date for its VSAT network, Shell is implementing an incentive program to drive adoption of the Cybera ONE solution across its wholesaler and dealer network. This new incentive program will reduce the upfront cost of the platform for the first 4,000 orders placed from now through June 17, the company said, rewarding the store owners who make a quick decision to deploy the new platform.
Cybera, based in Nashville, Tenn., is a provider of network and application security services, including Cybera ONE, a secure application platform (SAP). The Cybera One platform securely hosts applications both in Cybera's cloud and at the customer premises. With Cybera's SCA line of plug-and-play secure server appliances, enterprises can deploy remote applications on a single platform that also includes all of their network security applications. The Cybera ONE solution secures networks and hosts third-party applications for many of the world's best-known brands and enterprises ranging in size from tens of locations to tens of thousands. Cybera ONE is in use across a variety of industries including retail, restaurant/hospitality, health care, financial services and manufacturing.
Shell Oil Products US, a subsidiary of Shell Oil Co., Houston, is a leader in the refining, transportation and marketing of fuels, with a network of approximately 6,000 Shell-branded gas stations in the western United States. Another 8,300 Shell-branded stations in the eastern and southern United States are managed by Motiva Enterprises LLC, a joint venture between Shell Oil and Saudi Refining Inc. Shell Oil Company is an affiliate of the Royal Dutch Shell plc, London.
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