We need robust , multifaceted security to protect sensitive data and proprietary information . In addition , it ’ s a top priority for us to ensure the security of fan data and online experiences .

The Kraken IT team is responsible for managing and protecting more than 260 individuals and their devices at home and on the road , as well as servers , private networks and other equipment . The Kraken Community Iceplex , which houses the team ’ s offices and IT equipment , has rinks and a Wi-Fi network that are open to the public .

Wi-Fi traffic from upwards of 1,000 visitors per day travels through the Kraken firewalls . The team also supports technology innovation across the franchise and is known for raising the bar league-wide on the use of technology in player , employee and fan experiences . The Kraken have their own software development team that builds and maintains a fan-facing app with player stats and other team information and software for the team ’ s coaching and player development staff .

Like any NHL franchise , team staff are on the road with players for half the season . The team also has scouts around the world where the cybersecurity threat environment creates added risks . The Kraken must protect themselves from daily threats , including phishing and smishing , and ransomware attempts . That creates a need for strong network and endpoint security as well as correlated threat detection and response .

Typically , the IT team prefers to hold off on major initiatives until the off-season , but during the first half of the 2023 – 2024 season , the Kraken began the transition to WatchGuard .

Security made simple with WatchGuard ’ s Unified Security Platform

“ Using WatchGuard has been a great experience ,” said Rawlins . “ As we evaluated their platform , we were immediately impressed with how WatchGuard has reduced complexity without compromising on the level of security we need as a globally recognised brand .”

Despite the potential for disruption with a midseason switchover , the Kraken implementation of WatchGuard went smoothly and was completed within hours .

“ From the beginning , migrating to WatchGuard was simple and easy ,” said Ryan Willgues , Cybersecurity Engineer with the Seattle Kraken . The first phase of the transition included the deployment of WatchGuard Firebox firewalls and was quickly followed by EPDR endpoint security and WatchGuard ThreatSync extended detection and response ( XDR ), which was deployed just as easily .

In terms of day-to-day threat monitoring and workflows , WatchGuard ’ s focus on providing a single , integrated management interface makes the job of Willgues and the rest of the IT team easier . According to Willgues : “ On a daily basis , I appreciate how intuitive the management console is , especially the dashboards that provide at-a-glance status and threat information .”

Willgues also notes that WatchGuard ’ s extended detection and response ( XDR ) solution , ThreatSync – which integrates data from firewalls and endpoints – helps him determine where he should focus . “ With ThreatSync , we not only have comprehensive visibility across our network , but its built-in AI filters out low-level threats and makes it easy to see what I need to prioritise .

“ With the cybersecurity landscape continuously evolving , WatchGuard enables us to maintain vigilance in monitoring for and defending against emerging threats ,” added Rawlins . “ In a lot of ways , what we do is like a penalty kill – we have a lean team , and we all have to pitch in to stop incoming threats .”

Building better security on the WatchGuard Platform

The next step for the Kraken IT team is to replace their current set of disparate identity management solutions with additional components of WatchGuard ’ s Unified Security Platform . These

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