Customer summary
Process Automation is the largest manufacturer, designer and distributor of conveyor belt scales, density gauges, moisture gauges, wave feeders and many other instrumentation – primarily to the mining sector and heavy industries like paper and pulp, ports, wood chips and cement. It was looking for a cyber security solution, which it realised was very difficult to achieve in-house, and chose to partner with 4Sight. 4Sight had the expertise that sits at the forefront of this ever-changing digital world, offering Process Automation a complete protection solution that was essentially affordable for its business size.
Challenges
Process Automation was subject to some of the usual challenges that a medium-sized corporation experiences, primarily phishing scams and the like, where the company's staff was receiving e-mails and responding and giving away potentially important access information, which posed a threat to its cyber security and access to its systems. The business was continually concerned about the distraction of these external threats that it had no control over and limited experience to manage.
Solution
Process Automation engaged 4Sight, which focuses on cyber security, ESG solutions and bespoke data implementations, and it delivered a solution that was affordable. The first step was creating visibility and implementing an EDR (endpoint detection and response) solution on the endpoints – laptops, cellphones, any edge device used in the company. The second part was an NDR (network detection and response) solution, which went onto the customer’s servers, firewalls, anything network related, WiFi, guest WiFi – anything that could be an exposure point. 4Sight then opted for a second layer of monitoring, detection and response, where it focused on having response times of 15 minutes for adverse events, ensuring that it reacts quickly. The third aspect of the solution was a Rubrik deployment for disaster and backup, ensuring an hour restore time, should anything happen in the Process Automation environment.
“The entire process [with 4Sight] was one where we were instilled with confidence from the word go,” said Gregory Phipps, Head of Finance and ICT at Process Automation.
Benefits and outcomes
The benefit that the implemented solution offers Process Automation is real-time monitoring, 24/7. Additionally, it enjoys endpoint protection, covering essentially all the devices that access its network, offering Process Automation significant peace of mind that it is not vulnerable to threats. It now has world-class technology, active support and people watching out for its systems, providing a sense of comfort in the cyber security space. And with a 15-minute maximum response time, the customer knows that 4Sight is going to respond with a solution when any threats present themselves.
Future
In a world that's evolving all the time, one thing that is coming down the track, which 4Sight is working on with Microsoft, is a one-dashboard approach. This dashboard will then provide Process Automation the ability to also monitor the systems itself, giving it confidence that it does not have any major threats that it needs to be dealing with.
“Certainly for me as a CEO, I like to sleep well at night knowing that my business is safe and my systems are secure, and that [cyber security threats] will not hamper our operations and the way that we support our customers in the market.
"There's a lot of comfort in our current cyber security regime, and we're very comfortable with the work that 4Sight has done for us. We look forward to an ongoing relationship with peace of mind and a safety-first mindset at hand,” said Larry Smith, CEO at Process Automation.
Share