Enter the Dragon

This morning HP has introduced a new data retention solution for the many telecoms service providers around the world that are being required by governments to help directly in the fight against global terrorism, organised crime and drug trafficking. ~ ~ Across the face of the globe telcos, carriers, operators and service providers are facing an enormous set of new challenges as governments step up the war on terrorism and organised crime. As part on these new initiatives they are being asked to collect and store data from a wide variety of sources, including fixed and mobile telephony, email and voicemail, Internet usage, IP telephony, text messaging, and even incidents of the usage of custom calling features such as call waiting, three-way calling and call forwarding.~ ~ This is the tallest of tall orders. It means the typical network operator may well archiving literally billions of daily call records and event transactions. And even though the actual content of the traffic may not be stored, just the volume of basic records could easily add up to hundreds of terabytes of data storage per annum – and could accumulate for year-upon-year-upon-year depending on local requirements. ~ ~ That’s why HP has devised its DRAGON solution (standing for Data Retention and Guardian Online). Dragon goes way beyond conventional storage and is designed specifically for service providers that need a secure, scalable system enabling them to capture massive volumes of voice and data traffic on their networks, retain these records for months and even for years, and then retrieve selected records – almost in real time –when asked to do so for various government agencies for purposes of legal interception and analysis. ~ ~ At present HP Dragon is deployed with seven telecoms service providers in Italy and Turkey. The European Union (EU) has already acted to approve data retention requirements and its 27 member states are incorporating the legal framework into national legislation.~ ~ In Italy, Fastweb is one of the country’s most innovative triple-play operators providing bundled TV, telephony and Internet services to more than a million residential and business subscribers. Luca Rizzo, Fastweb’s chief security officer says, “The HP solution was integrated into our existing infrastructure, and we now have the flexibility to meet data retention requirements that we expect to grow and change.

Fastweb respects the laws and norms of law enforcement agencies, and is committed to combating crime and terrorism, and at the same time, protecting the privacy of our customers. HP expertise and products are been valuable tools in our efforts.”~ ~ The development of Dragon would not have been possible without HP’s long history of expertise in telecoms networks and the recording and retention of massive amounts of call detail records for billing and mediation purposes. What’s more, the solution architecture, which based on recognised industry standards, provides a high degree of flexibility and scalability to accommodate growth and changing requirements. Also, it is designed to integrate with existing network equipment, mediation systems and other business and operational support systems.~ ~ To allow telcos and service providers to react quickly to inquiries from law enforcement agencies, Dragon features a multi-tier data archive, a powerful search and retrieval engine, and prioritisation intelligence that work together deliver the required information efficiently and immediately.~ ~ As they needs to be, Dragon’s security features second to none and are enabled through powerful user authentication controls as well as data and document encryption – and all operations are fully auditable.~ ~ Sebastiano Tevarotto, the vice president and general manager, Communications, Media and Entertainment, HP. Says, “This is a massively complex task, and service providers need a partner that can deliver a complete, integrated solution. There are only a few companies in the world that can handle this job, and HP, with seven customers already, has proven it’s at the top of the list.”~ ~ There is also ample evidence that corporate times are indeed a-changing in that Dragon also incorporates important enabling technologies from industry leaders such as Cisco (application-aware networking) and Oracle (database). ~ ~ Commenting on the development of Dragon, Fernando Elizalde,a senior analyst at Frost and Sullivan says, “Governments are starting to place large and complex burdens on carriers, and they need help from experienced partners. HP, with its dual IT and telecom expertise – and seven installations already – is clearly gaining traction in the market. The company is entering this emerging market as one of the early leaders.”~ ~ More information aboutDragon, including a white paper, is available at www.hp.com/go/dragon.~