PEBBLE BEACH, CA— It just took one infected laptop for the Pebble Beach Company to realize that the security protecting its high-speed Internet access network was below par. As the owner of three distinct properties here— The Inn at Spanish Bay, The Lodge at Pebble Beach and Casa Palmero— the company realized early on that it needed HSIA to meet the needs of its affluent guests, but it later found out how important it is to protect the guest data and its Internet server from viruses and potential hackers. The company installed HSIA in all of the 455 rooms between the three properties and now offers wireless access in the lobbies as well as function and meeting areas as well, according to Dominic Van Nes, vp/Information Technology at Pebble Beach Co. “Our customers were demanding it,” Van Nes said. “We cater to a more affluent clientele. We hold quite a few business conferences here and many of our guests travel with laptops.” But approximately six months ago, one guest using the HSIA service brought down the entire network because of a virus in his laptop, according to Van Nes. “We had an experience with a particular user who had no idea his machine was infected. He actually took down the guest network,” he said. The company had to act fast to ensure this would not happen again and turned to LodgeNet for the answer. The original service provider for Pebble Beach Co.’s HSIA, LodgeNet then installed its Network Intrusion Detection System (NIDS) to prevent the spread of future viruses, Van Nes said. “We installed the security within two months. It’s a Linux-based system, an open source that LodgeNet has taken and modified. We’ve done some validation testing and it works well,” he said. The way NIDS works is that when the system detects a virus, it notifies the user and slows down his connection. If the user does not respond to the email notification, his connection to the system is terminated, Van Nes said. Van Nes added that the detection system also emails LodgeNet technicians about the incident so they can resolve the situation with the property. The system, however, is not to be confused with a firewall, Nes said. A firewall does help keep out unauthorized users as well as viruses, but it also can limit Web access for the user, he said. “We don’t want to control what guests can or can’t do. This is a mini firewall and virus signatures are blocked from coming in.” With a 5,400-acre complex, Pebble Beach Co. represents a unique network environment, Van Nes said. A high-volume fiber-optic network links all of the company’s properties and facilities to support video feeds, a telecom system with 3,200 handsets and voice-over IP, and a variety of computers— all connected across two central offices. In addition to the three hotel properties, Pebble Beach Co. is the parent company of The Spa at Pebble Beach, Pebble Beach Golf Links, The Links at Spanish Bay, Spyglass Hill Golf Course and Del Monte Golf Course.