A San Francisco-based technology company with software that ensures cybersecurity and provides ease of use to customers announced that Carnival Corporation’s cruise brands are using its technology to help protect a variety of services, such as the cruise line apps that have become popular with guests in recent years.
Splunk Technology’s software, called Splunk, is working behind the scenes across the fleets of Carnival to provide a wide range of seamless services to more than 300,000 of the company’s cruise guests and crew members each day.
Splunk Software Shields Cruise Apps
Cruise guest experiences have changed dramatically since cruise line apps came on the scene several years ago, enabling cruisers to download the apps and use them to complete numerous tasks before and during a sailing.
Carnival Cruise Line’s Carnival Hub App, for example, makes it easy for guests to check-in to their cruise, and purchase various packages such as WiFi, dining, or drink plans in advance of departure.
The Carnival HubApp has been expanded in recent years to provide more features. In a rollout of new capabilities, as cruises were rebounding in 2021, Carnival Cruise Line announced that guests could use the app to pre-book spa appointments and shore excursions, and view digital menus of dining and beverage offerings. Onboard, the app also allowed guests to virtually queue up for onboard venues.
Protecting user data is a priority for cruise lines, since guest information is obtained at the time of booking and continues throughout a sailing, and Splunk plays a key role in securing that data. Customer information, for instance, includes not only credit card numbers but the names and ages of each cruiser, home addresses, and many other details.
“Our mission is to deliver unforgettable happiness to our guests by providing extraordinary cruise vacations and having a resilient system security posture is the foundation that allows us to do that,” said Devon Bryan, Global CIO for Carnival Corporation.
The technology provides the Carnival Corporation IT security teams with real-time visibility across applications, services, and security infrastructure, allowing them to quickly determine the severity of any system security issues, and see and swiftly address any glitches on the brands’ websites, among other troubleshooting capabilities.
“Serving millions of guests each year sailing aboard 90-plus ships, we work hand in hand with teams across our nine world-class brands to ensure our guests, crew and business are safe and protected. Splunk’s platform offers us the scale and flexibility to protect our company from ever-changing threats,” Bryan added.
Cybersecurity a Priority For Cruise Lines
Securing access to customer data is an ongoing challenge in virtually all industries, particularly travel, as personal and financial information is routinely provided online for everything from booking flights to hotels rooms and cruises.
Toni Pavlovich, Chief Customer Officer at Splunk, said, “As the threat landscape continues to evolve, it is more important than ever that companies have a cybersecurity strategy that enables them to remain resilient and performant, and Carnival Corporation is doing just that.”
It was not revealed how long Carnival Corporation’s nine cruise brands have been using Splunk Technology, but the tech firm’s July 18 announcement that the mega-cruise company is a customer coincided with its annual user conference. The three-day event began July 17 in Las Vegas.
Several Carnival Corporation and Carnival Cruise Line officials are scheduled to speak at the conference, including Michelle Garcia, Director of Information Security and Compliance at Carnival Cruise Line; Alex Tabares, Senior Director of Threat Intelligence at Carnival Corporation; and Ruel Waite, Senior Manager of Site Reliability Engineering at Carnival Cruise Line.
