Are the booking system security issues going to be addressed sooner than we might have expected?
From Maxima IT business systems and managed services company
press release:
Ryanair selects Maxima for major Citrix NetScaler Web Acceleration project
2nd February, 2011: Maxima, the leading IT business systems and managed services company, has secured a major contract from Ryanair to support the airline’s business-critical web booking application by implementing Citrix’s latest web acceleration technology. Maxima is Ireland’s leading Citrix Solution Adviser, and will implement seven NetScaler MPX 9500 hardware appliances to enhance server load balancing, improve web traffic management, increase security levels and substantially lower Ryanair’s online operating costs.
Maxima will support the NetScaler implementation with a three-year Gold-level support agreement. In a separate contract, Maxima will also provide ongoing day-to-day support for Ryanair’s broader Citrix-enabled virtualised infrastructure.
“Online booking is obviously a critical service for Ryanair – particularly as our traffic volumes continue to grow - so it’s essential that our Web infrastructure performs to the highest level. Having assessed the market it was clear that Maxima not only had the in-depth expertise in Citrix’s core web acceleration technologies, but also had the proven implementation skills and competitive prices we required,” commented Ryanair’s IT Director, Eric Neville. “Maxima also convinced us that the NetScaler Platinum Edition was the right choice for Ryanair.
“We’re delighted that Ryanair – one of the world’s leading airlines – has acknowledged our comprehensive Citrix and virtualisation skills, and selected Maxima to implement this major web acceleration project,” added Aidan McEvoy, Maxima Ireland’s Managing Director. “Citrix NetScaler technology allows Ryanair to optimise its server and bandwidth usage, and we’ll be working closely with the airline’s IT team to ensure that its Citrix web application delivery, load balancing and virtualisation technology perform to the highest levels.”
Citrix’s NetScaler MPX 9500 Platinum application delivery solutions combine load balancing, content switching and IPv6 support to provide intelligent traffic management and server availability for Ryanair. Data compression is incorporated to speed server response times, while the Platinum specification incorporates a web application firewall that secures Ryanair’s applications from the hacker attacks that network firewalls and intrusion prevention systems fail to block. Applications are further accelerated through an AppCache module for static and dynamic caching, while Citrix’s EdgeSight for NetScaler technology enables the proactive management of application performance.
The provision of virtualisation services is one of Maxima’s key strategic growth initiatives (...)
PS. The introduction of New Skies booking system wasn't fortunate at the time, hopefully we'll see something better now.