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... use the same secure remote access software on OS X and Windows.

...get a commercially supported UNIX Secure Shell server.

...have secure terminal
emulation for my Mac OS X systems.

...replace nonsecure Telnet.

...replace nonsecure FTP.

...securely transfer files with simple drag and drop.

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Customer Success Story


 

CoffeeCup Software

  • Products: SecureCRT®
  • Company Size: less than 25 employees
  • Summary: SecureCRT is used for software development and remote administration of servers located at a dedicated hosting center.

Organization

Since its beginnings in 1994 as a coffee shop that provided free Internet access, CoffeeCup Software has grown to over eight million users in 72 countries. In addition to its 20 software programs, CoffeeCup Software operates a web hosting company, a search engine submission service, and "Instant Coffee", a service providing web templates, graphics, and fonts. It was rated number 400 in the Interactive 500, a ranking of Internet and e-commerce companies.

"We still remember the good old days when we were just a small coffee house," said J. Cornelius, Vice President of Operations. We strive to keep that same level of personal service with a smile that went with every cup of steaming hot Cappuccino." True to their beginnings, CoffeeCup Software has remained focused on their customers.

Challenge

CoffeeCup Software's dedication to their software users and web hosting customers carries over into their security policy and how they manage their customers' data and web sites. With millions of customers worldwide, CoffeeCup Software processes thousands of credit card transactions a month. According to Mr. Cornelius, "Knowing our data is secure is one of my top priorities. You can never be too secure. We risk violating the trust of our customers, and exposing them and their personal information to abuse."

" Since we don't have physical access to the machines, SecureCRT provides the only window through which we can see our systems function at the server level. . . SecureCRT allows me to work on those servers as if they were right here on my desktop. "—J. Cornelius, Vice President of Operations

Since CoffeeCup Software's servers are located in a remote dedicated hosting center, they needed a way to perform remote server administration and software development without putting any of their own or their customers' data at risk.

Solution

For CoffeeCup Software, Secure Shell (SSH2) stood out among other remote access alternatives. SSH2 provided the only viable solution for remote server maintenance and administration. "Anything less secure is simply too risky when dealing with sensitive data," said Mr. Cornelius.

Mr. Cornelius has been using SecureCRT since 1997. His past experience with SecureCRT was a major reason for selecting it as CoffeeCup Software's standard remote access solution. "Because of the reliability and ease-of-use of SecureCRT, we have been able to expand our remote computing with confidence."

Ongoing support and development was also an important factor in selecting SecureCRT. "The free SSH tools don't provide the same ease of configuration and portability. SecureCRT is the third thing I install on my new boxes, after the OS and a browser. Knowing there is a team of developers at VanDyke Software working to improve the software is important when selecting a tool that you want to use for the long haul. You can't rely on free software to run a business."

SecureCRT is used to maintain constant connections to a variety of CoffeeCup Software's servers. CoffeeCup Software's system administrators and software developers connect to Red Hat ES 2.3 servers in a clustered, load balanced environment located few hundred miles away from their main office in a dedicated hosting center.

"Since we don't have physical access to the machines, SecureCRT provides the only window through which we can see our systems function at the server level. We have developed numerous shell and command-line tools for maintenance, monitoring, and development. SecureCRT allows me to work on those servers as if they were right here on my desktop," said Mr. Cornelius.

SecureCRT provides Mr. Cornelius with the ability to take advantage of better connectivity from a data center provider while maintaining near system level access to their machines.

How do they measure the success of the SecureCRT implementation? "A significant portion of what I do to manage the operations of CoffeeCup Software is accomplished using SecureCRT," said Mr. Cornelius. "How do you measure the success of a tool that is vital to your daily operations? It has to just work."

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