Zscaler > Case Studies > Enhancing Security and Reducing Fraud in Fareportal with Zscaler™ Threat Prevention

Enhancing Security and Reducing Fraud in Fareportal with Zscaler™ Threat Prevention

Technology Category

Platform as a Service (PaaS) - Application Development Platforms

Applicable Industries

National Security & Defense
Telecommunications

Applicable Functions

Human Resources

Use Cases

Fraud Detection
Tamper Detection

Services

Cloud Planning, Design & Implementation Services

About The Customer

Fareportal is a leading travel agency based in North America, featuring well-known brands such as CheapOair.com. The company’s unique hybrid business model bridges the gap between an online travel agency and a traditional travel agency. It provides a convenient online booking capability as well as a 24x7 personalized booking experience arranged by hundreds of trained and certified travel agents in multiple countries and languages. By leveraging company-owned and operated contact centers located worldwide, Fareportal is able to deliver one of the highest levels of customer service and support in the air travel business.

The Challenge

Fareportal, a leading travel agency based in North America, transitioned from a traditional paper-based booking system to an online platform. With this digital transformation, the company faced an increased emphasis on security due to the handling of personally identifiable information. The challenge was to ensure the security of customer data and reduce fraud while maintaining the productivity of the employees. Internet access was a critical tool for Fareportal’s agents, which required the creation of unique policies for various groups in the contact center and throughout the organization. The company needed a solution that could handle the complexity of their internet access and meet their operational needs without straining their team.

The Solution

Fareportal found its solution in Zscaler, a cloud-based security platform. Zscaler was able to support the complexity of Fareportal's internet access and meet their operational needs. With Zscaler, Fareportal was able to reduce the number of security policies from around 700 to around 75 policies. Zscaler also prevented nearly 400 million policy violations over the course of three months. After implementing Zscaler Internet Access, Fareportal saw its fraud rate drastically drop and the number of malicious incidents was cut in half. The Zscaler platform also allowed Fareportal to start inspecting SSL-encrypted traffic to provide increased security. The new restrictions on internet access at contact centers led to a change in culture, which was communicated clearly to employees, leading to an increase in employee productivity.

Operational Impact

The implementation of Zscaler Internet Access led to a drastic drop in Fareportal's fraud rate and a significant reduction in malicious incidents. The platform's performance allowed the team to start inspecting SSL-encrypted traffic, providing increased security. The new restrictions on internet access at contact centers led to a change in culture, which was communicated clearly to employees, leading to an increase in employee productivity. The size of the Zscaler cloud, with more than 150 data centers around the globe, allowed users a shorter, and faster, route to the internet. This was beneficial as Fareportal looked to expand their international office presence. The size and scalability of the Zscaler cloud also provided Fareportal with the bandwidth and security to handle seasonal spikes in traffic and threats.

Quantitative Benefit