Panelists Discuss Connecting, Protecting High-Speed Internet

CHICAGO— Break-out sessions were packed at this year’s HITEC show, which is being held here from June 25-27, with attendees gathering in mass to hear the latest on high-speed Internet connectivity and increased security from online hackers. Ted Horner, managing director of E Horner & Associates, noted that with all of the failed HSI vendors, hotels need to begin realizing that they may have to foot the bill for Internet installations and eventually refrain from charging guests usage fees. “Why is the hotel industry still stuck on 3 to 5% usage rates [for HSIA]?,” asked Horner, answering that many corporations refuse to reimburse Internet charges and guests continue to be turned off by fees. He referenced Wingate Inns’ 20% usage rates and noted the chain’s no-fee model should be a benchmark for the industry. “The numbers speak for themselves…There is a relationship between the price of the service and usage,” he stated. Improved bandwidth will also help boost the popularity of HSIA at hotels, he said, adding that broadband usage has increased 33% in U.S. residential markets to 24 million households. As the need for high-speed connections trickles from the workplace to the home, it will eventually be a necessity on the road, he said. “Already high-tech companies are moving their business to high-speed-Internet-only hotels,” he remarked. But creating virtual connections isn’t enough, hotels need to also ensure that their guests’ digital information, along with the hotel’s internal systems, are free from cyber thieves, according to panelists at this y ear’s Hacker Hotel session. Peter Chambers, senior network manager for Ritz-Carlton, kicked off the panel by reporting statistics from the 2001 Computer Crime and Security Survey. According to the report, out of the 186 companies surveyed about 80% claimed to have suffered at least one security breached last year which, in total, equated to $377.8 billion in financial losses. He noted that for hotels, the most common forms of the hacker attacks are guests breaking into the property’s HSIA, a departed guest still using the hotel’s telephone or computer systems, former employees continuing to log-on to the hotel’s internal systems, or outsiders attacking the hotel’s computer lines— to name a few. David Hostetter of ITS agreed, stating that in his opinion the most common forms of hotel hacks are guests trying to gain unauthorized access to what other guests are doing online and outsiders committing shear acts of vandalism on the hotel’s computer systems. “But the truth is, we really don’t know. Hotels don’t collect data on this stuff [hacker attacks]. They could be getting hacked everyday for all they know,” said Hostetter. “I’m making suggestions based on corporate data.” To prevent attacks to hotel systems, he recommends properties hire an IT security profession that knows the hotel industry and high-tech security. “The general IT person at a hotel doesn’t know how to protect against hackers. You need a security expert,” he stated. In addition to protecting against cyber pirates, all hotel employees should also be trained to prevent low-end security breaches. He noted hotels should have secure locks on doors to the telephone and system control rooms, or thieves could simply steal hard copy reports and files to develop system attacks. “You should train your staff to know who’s going into your tech rooms. They shouldn’t just let anyone with a tool belt in your telephone room,” he stated. Also, hotels should create policies restricting the use of employee Internet access to avoid downloading computer viruses. Staff should know when they’re allowed to view personal email, play games, surf the Net— and these guidelines should be outlined in a formal document, signed by employees, and stored in your HR department. Once a security measure is put in place, it should be consistently upgraded, he said, noting that high-tech security is an ongoing process.