The Armor Has Arrived

Thanks to a leading provider of computer and network security solutions, the online gaming industry may have a new ally in protecting itself from fraud--and players, a safeguard from fixed games.

IT GlobalSecure, Inc. out of Washington D.C. released its newest product this week, the IT ARMOR for Gaming. As the interactive gaming industry grows, so do concerns about security, cheating and the integrity of the games. The fairness of a games is vital for both the players and the operators.

With IT ARMOR for Gaming, IT GlobalSecure has combined its Internet security expertise with special technology geared toward the gaming industry.

The company's president, Cheryl Campbell, said the company has been servicing the online gaming industry since early 2000.

Campbell said the company gained an appreciation for treating gaming as a full-fledged network business through its experience in working with government regulatory parties for a wide range of branches, including defense, justice, treasury and aviation.

The new product is geared for companies building and deploying games as well as the network providers that host them. A special built-in protocol enables the system to be integrated in games that are offered through wireless or other delivery systems.

"Making sure the financial records and game records are in place to protect (the operator) is very important," Campbell said. "Much like banks have done for the ATM and the online banking industry."

While IT Global has dealt with a wide range of industry sectors, Campbell feels online gaming faces a host of unique challenges.

"I see red flags, but I see great potential with a lot of good ideas coming together," she said. "Gaming has a lot of issues. It has issues of social control, strong and stringent financial oversight and issues that are unique to gaming itself. It has to make sure the rules are adhered to and the random numbers are correctly derived and drawn. There is a whole host of things that make gaming both challenging and require an extra layer of security and cautiousness in design and deployment."

IT Armor for Gaming is designed to deliver cost-effective security to help game operators meet their business and promotion needs. From securing Web sites and e-commerce transactions to protecting critical customer and financial data, IT GlobalSecure offers a wide range of products and services to secure online gaming, Campbell said.

Additionally, through its affiliate, Quixotic Solutions Inc, IT GlobalSecure provides patented technology to ensure the honesty of network games. Campbell said this technology ensures that decks aren't stacked, dice aren't loaded and lasers aren't firing blanks for the next generation of network games.

She also said it's important for her company to target the online gaming business because other markets don't share the potential revenue growth.

"Gaming is one of the few areas growing new business online," she said. "Our wide range of products and engineering expertise and our proven ability to deliver unique security solutions are critical for this emerging business segment."

At the end of the day, though, Campbell feels that any challenges facing the online gaming sector can be dealt with in an acceptable fashion.

"Much as the ground-based industry for gaming has developed a whole layer of controls and business procedures," she explained. "The same needs to occur in the digital environment. It is no different."