Since piercing the Seattle skyline in 1962, the Area Needle has stood as a monument of risk. Inbuilt simply 400 days, it embodied the daring ambition of the World’s Honest and launched the town into the Area Age.
Right now, it stays one of many world’s most iconic constructions, welcoming over 1,000,000 guests annually with 360-degree views of mountains, water and innovation. However the Area Needle isn’t only a place to look out—it’s a spot to look forward.
As digital experiences reshape tourism, the Area Needle is reimagining what it means to be a landmark within the twenty first century. Past glass flooring and immersive selfies, this transformation is constructed on a resilient, safe infrastructure that fuels innovation from the within out.
“The Area Needle put Seattle on the map,” mentioned Karen Olson, Chief Working Officer on the Area Needle. “It’s that modern spirit that brings folks collectively. We wish the reminiscences to be the view, the grins, the images—and we want actually sturdy expertise companions to make that occur.”
Constructing a Scalable Basis Beneath an Icon
Behind the Area Needle’s iconic silhouette is a lean operation managing complicated modernization on historic infrastructure. With infrastructure courting again to its authentic building, upgrades are each technically and bodily difficult.
“We’re fairly tall, however we’re really type of a small enterprise with a giant model,” mentioned Olson.
As digital ticketing, immersive kiosks and interactive experiences just like the Sky Excessive Selfie 2.0 rolled out, it turned clear that legacy methods couldn’t assist trendy networking calls for—or defend towards in the present day’s cybersecurity threats.
“As a defining function of Seattle’s skyline, the Area Needle stands as a logo of innovation and satisfaction,” mentioned Pearce Cobarr, Director of Innovation on the Area Needle. “We wanted a system strong sufficient to fortify that legacy and safeguard our future.”
The necessity sparked a shift: defending the Area Needle’s legacy meant embracing a safe, scalable basis for innovation.
A Future-ready Safety Ecosystem Constructed on Belief
Modernizing the Area Needle meant preserving legacy whereas enabling innovation. With a compact footprint and a lean IT staff, the Area Needle wanted a accomplice that might scale with out disrupting the visitor expertise.
That accomplice was Lumen. Greater than a community supplier, Lumen provided a trusted collaboration that might orchestrate a complete safety ecosystem. The Lumen platform is constructed for the AI period—delivering clever, scalable infrastructure that powers innovation and helps defend iconic locations just like the Area Needle.
On the core of this transformation is Test Level Software program Applied sciences, a cybersecurity chief whose AI-driven options run seamlessly on the Lumen platform.
“The strengths of Lumen and Test Level are extraordinarily symbiotic,” mentioned Pete Nicoletti, World CISO for Test Level Software program Applied sciences. “The mixture of their community and our suite is a one-plus-one-equals-three equation.”
Collectively, Lumen and Test Level Software program Applied sciences constructed a complete, clever ecosystem tailor-made to the Area Needle’s wants.
Key applied sciences deployed
Lumen applied sciences:
- Penetration Testing Service simulates real-world assaults to uncover vulnerabilities and information remediation.
- Cyber Incident Response Service gives knowledgeable steerage by means of the complete incident response lifecycle, serving to the Area Needle preserve uptime and visitor belief throughout high-traffic seasons.
- Managed Community Providers ship scalable, cloud-inspired assist throughout Meraki switches, routers and SD-WAN to assist guarantee dependable connectivity in a compact, high-demand surroundings.
Test Level Software program Applied sciences:
- Concord Electronic mail and Collaboration Utility blocks phishing and malware with 99.9% efficacy, decreasing admin overhead and defending worker communications from evolving threats.
- Concord Safe Entry Service Edge (SASE) delivers safe, low-latency entry to inside and cloud apps, enabling distant work and seamless accomplice collaboration throughout the Area Needle’s operations.
- Concord Endpoint Detection & Response (EDR) protects kiosks, servers and workstations from ransomware and credential misuse, reinforcing the Area Needle’s operational spine.
- CloudGuard Net Utility Firewall (WAF) safeguards guest-facing web sites and APIs utilizing AI-powered safety towards 100% of OWASP assaults, minimizing threat with out requiring deep in-house experience.
All instruments are managed by means of a single unified console—decreasing complexity, value and admin effort. “We’ve got about 80 instruments managed on one console,” Nicoletti defined. “What used to take six screens and 25 clicks now takes one display screen and three clicks.”
This transformation gave the Area Needle the digital spine to assist daring concepts, with safety that works quietly within the background whereas innovation takes middle stage.
Securing the Area Needle’s digital future with confidence
Remodeling a landmark just like the Area Needle requires greater than cutting-edge instruments—it calls for pace, simplicity and belief. That’s precisely what Lumen and Test Level Software program Applied sciences delivered: a totally managed safety ecosystem deployed in below 30 days. No delays. No disruptions.
“The whole lot went clean and quick and straightforward,” mentioned Nicoletti. “Who needs a deployment that takes months or finally ends up shelfware?”
With the Lumen platform powering Test Level Software program Applied sciences’ AI-driven instruments, the Area Needle moved from reactive safety to proactive innovation. Creativity not competes with warning. They may construct boldly, understanding their digital basis was safe.
With over 50 AI-driven safety providers deployed, the Area Needle now operates on a digital spine designed for the AI-first world—one which protects, adapts and scales with each new concept.
Key outcomes
- Fast deployment: absolutely operational in below a month.
- Secure, dependable communication: Staff talk confidently, understanding their messages are protected and supported by knowledgeable steerage when wanted.
- Innovation with out worry: Safety and consciousness empower groups to experiment and create freely.
- Seamless visitor expertise: Sturdy, invisible tech allows clean ticketing, immersive experiences and signature meals—all with “expertise because the ‘after all’ and the expertise is the ‘wow’,” in line with Olson.
“We are able to’t flex our innovation muscle groups except we have now a robust spine,” mentioned Cobarr. “Figuring out that we have now safety, our groups can now innovate fearlessly. We are able to strive new concepts with out worrying about what may cease us down the highway.”
A Blueprint for Iconic Innovation
The Area Needle has at all times been greater than metal and glass—it’s a logo of what’s subsequent. From its debut because the futuristic centerpiece of the 1962 World’s Honest to its function in the present day as a digitally linked landmark, it continues to evolve with out dropping sight of its legacy.
“The Area Needle was at all times about being future ahead,” mentioned Olson. “We wish the Area Needle to be as related in 2062 because it was in 1962.”
That future is now powered by a safe, scalable basis. With Lumen and Test Level Software program Applied sciences working quietly within the background, the Area Needle staff can concentrate on what they do greatest: remodeling moments into reminiscences.
The Area Needle is redefining what it means to be a landmark within the digital age—simply because it as soon as redefined the Seattle skyline. It’s not simply maintaining. It’s main the best way.
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