Zscaler > Case Studies > Revamping Network Security and Efficiency: A Case Study on MedAmerica Billing Services, Inc.

Revamping Network Security and Efficiency: A Case Study on MedAmerica Billing Services, Inc.

Technology Category

Application Infrastructure & Middleware - API Integration & Management
Functional Applications - Computerized Maintenance Management Systems (CMMS)

Applicable Industries

National Security & Defense
Telecommunications

Applicable Functions

Maintenance
Quality Assurance

Use Cases

Tamper Detection
Time Sensitive Networking

Services

System Integration
Testing & Certification

About The Customer

Founded in 1975, MedAmerica Billing Services, Inc. (MBSI) is one of the longest running physician practice management organizations in the United States. With over 800 employees spread across three locations in the US, MBSI provides practice management services to 1,700 physicians and 700 physician extenders. The organization was facing significant challenges with its existing LAN proxy appliance, which was causing outages across the entire organization and did not provide security coverage for mobile users.

The Challenge

MedAmerica Billing Services, Inc. (MBSI), a long-standing physician practice management organization, was facing significant challenges with its existing LAN proxy appliance. The appliance required substantial in-house maintenance, consuming valuable IT resources. Furthermore, the appliance was a single point of failure, causing outages across the entire organization whenever it went down. The existing security vendor suggested installing a proxy at each of the three office locations, a solution that MBSI found financially unacceptable. The vendor's hybrid solution failed to meet MBSI's policy requirements and the quality of support deteriorated after the company was acquired. Additionally, the existing system did not provide security coverage for mobile users.

The Solution

MBSI, in collaboration with Verge Technologies, evaluated and implemented Zscaler's web security solution. This cloud-based web proxy solution offered high availability and failover support, ensuring uninterrupted internet access. The solution was easy to deploy and required no maintenance, significantly reducing IT overhead. Zscaler's solution also provided uniform coverage across on-premise and remote users, thereby extending security coverage to mobile users. The system also offered consolidated real-time reporting and log files, which proved invaluable to the HR department. Zscaler's 6-month default log storage was particularly beneficial in helping MBSI meet legal requirements. The level of security was greatly enhanced with the addition of Zscaler's protection against viruses, spyware, botnets, malicious active content, phishing, and cross-site scripting (XSS) attacks.

Operational Impact

The implementation of Zscaler's web security solution brought about significant operational improvements for MBSI. The easy-to-use solution required no maintenance, freeing up valuable IT resources. The system's high availability and failover support ensured that internet access was not impacted, even when proxies had to be restarted. The solution also provided uniform security coverage for all employees, including those working remotely. The real-time consolidated reports and log files provided by the system proved invaluable to the HR department, helping managers monitor staff productivity and performance. Furthermore, the enhanced security features protected the organization against a wide range of threats, including viruses, spyware, botnets, malicious active content, phishing, and cross-site scripting (XSS) attacks.

Quantitative Benefit

Significant reduction in IT overhead due to the elimination of in-house maintenance.
High availability and failover support ensured uninterrupted internet access.
Extended security coverage to all employees, including mobile and remote users.