French Version

The council of France 's Seine-Maritime administrative department (Conseil Général de Seine-Maritime) has chosen a solution developed by Alcatel and Thales to secure its communications as it migrates its office telephone network to an all-IP system.

The Conseil Général’s network comprises 2,500 workstations, which will each be equipped with an Alcatel IP Touch telephone incorporating secure Mistral VPN IP technology from Thales. This solution will be rolled out at 10 sites and operational from late autumn 2006. Each site will also be equipped with Thales encryption units to secure communications and routing.

The Conseil Général needed to upgrade its existing telecommunication solution due to obsolescence after 15 years in service and to extend capacity to 450 staff members at a new site.

The Conseil Général therefore chose a convergent private network solution, which offers optimum management of call and operating costs, and guarantees the security of all communications within and between sites. As a French administrative body, the Conseil is expected to ensure maximum protection and confidentiality of all information exchanged across its network.

The integration of Alcatel’s IP telephony solution with Thales security modules is the result of close collaboration between the two companies. The solution is based on the Alcatel IP OmniPCX Enterprise communication server, which provides a high level of security. Thales’s Mistral technology protects the Thales-Alcatel solution against any attempt to override the data encryption function. In addition, keys are automatically generated for each IP destination point to guarantee the highest possible level of authentication and integrity for all calls while avoiding the inherent complexity of certificate management.

“Security is a determining factor in this project, so we needed a proven solution that could guarantee optimum protection of all our data and voice communications, ” said Denis Vermot, ToIP Project Manager at the Conseil Général de Seine-Maritime. “The Thales-Alcatel solution offers total system independence and maximum security with no impact on communication performance.”

“This project illustrates the growing interest that public- and private-sector enterprises are showing in IP telephony, as well as the importance they attach to communication security, ” said James Kilazoglou, Managing Director of Thales e-Security. “The solution we have developed in partnership with Alcatel precisely meets this need for robust network security. Its selection by the Conseil Général de Seine-Maritime is further proof of just how effectively it achieves that objective.”

About Thales
Thales is a leading international electronics and systems group, serving defence, aerospace and security markets worldwide, supported by a comprehensive services offering. The Group’s civil and military businesses develop in parallel to serve a single objective: the security of people, property and nations. Leveraging a global network of more than 20,000 high-level researchers, Thales offers a capability unmatched in Europe to develop and deploy critical information systems. Thales employs 60,000 people in 50 countries and generated revenues of €10.3 billion in 2005, with a record order book of over €20 billion.

A major global player in network and payment security, Thales’s e-Security business proposes high-level solutions to help businesses, banks and government administrations to protect their critical data and information. These security solutions cover communications, applications and terminals, as well as electronic and bank payments.

About Alcatel
Alcatel provides communication solutions to telecommunication carriers, internet service providers and enterprises for delivery of voice, data and video applications to their customers or employees. Alcatel brings its leading position in fixed and mobile broadband networks, applications and services to help its partners and customers build a user-centric broadband world. With sales of €13.1 billion and 58,000 employees in 2005, Alcatel operates in more than 130 countries. For more information: http://www.alcatel.com.

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French Version