Grenzebach & its journey to centrally managed IT security

Learn how a global leader in automation technology successfully deployed a security management solution to centrally protect all of its endpoints and servers from cyber threats such as phishing, ransomware, and zero-day exploits, while eliminating false positives.

With ESET cybersecurity solutions, we have a significantly higher level of protection – with up to 70% less administrative effort.

Benjamin Eckert, Manager of Global IT Infrastructure

THE CYBERSECURITY  CHALLENGE

Due to the different production locations associated with their international business activities, Grenzebach’s IT systems play a key role, from purchasing to the maintenance of existing systems. The key attributes that need to be protected are reliability and high availability. To eliminate cyber attacks on IT infrastructure and avoid data leaks, the company has been using server and endpoint security software for some time. However, the performance of the previously implemented solution was not good enough for the automation expert.

This was mainly due to strong specialization, as Grenzebach used self-developed software much of the time. With the old cybersecurity solution, this led to frequent false positive reports. These false alarms were a significant hindrance to operational processes. In order not to risk a security leak, the IT manager had to check these messages manually and at great expense. A further complication arose with using uniform management software, which meant that the old cybersecurity solution was not manageable worldwide. It was, therefore, almost impossible to get a quick overview of the overall situation. Another weakness of the old solution was remote work. Cybersecurity risks on devices outside the company network were not transparent, and category-based web filters were not available.

THE CYBERSECURITY SEARCH

When the license for the existing security solution expired, Grenzebach decided to look for new cybersecurity software for its 1,700 servers, endpoints, and mobile devices. It had to meet all of the company’s requirements, enabling secure and flexible use of IT resources both inside and outside the corporate network.

"After the survey phase, we knew exactly what our future IT security solution needed to look like to ensure all areas were covered. And at the same time, we could minimize the administrative effort,", says Benjamin Eckert, Manager of Global IT Infrastructure at Grenzebach.

"As part of a product demonstration under the leadership of Seefried IT, ESET was then able to show how our company requirements for the future solution could be implemented."

The security concept is based on the ESET PROTECT management console in conjunction with ESET Endpoint Security. Thanks to this combination, Grenzebach can reliably protect all endpoints and mobile devices against cybersecurity threats and manage them centrally.

The key benefit is that ESET PROTECT is cloud-based and can be operated via a web browser, enabling platform-independent management of all detection and countermeasures for all types of cybersecurity breaches. ESET Mail Security for Microsoft Exchange Server also ensures clean digital mailboxes, free from malicious emails and spam. This prevents the delivery of dangerous phishing emails and the infiltration of ransomware via the mail gateway.

Finally, ESET File Security for Microsoft Windows Server secures the network drives and file servers of Grenzebach. The powerful multilayered defense technology is excellent in preventing ransomware, zero-day exploits and fileless types of malware attacks.

THE CYBERSECURITY SOLUTION

After successfully demonstrating the ESET solution, Grenzebach decided to test it in detail. As part of a three-month pilot project, ESET’s performance was put to the stress test. For this purpose, ESET PROTECT was installed on-site, and ESET Endpoint Security was deployed to approximately 20 clients. The ESET solution proved just as quick and reliable as in the demonstration, even with  Grenzebach’s special infrastructure requirements.

The pilot project was carried out by Seefried IT in cooperation with Grenzebach's in-house IT department. Due to their close cooperation, much of the knowledge transfer already took place during the pilot project. At the same time, many of the necessary IT security policies had already been developed and verified in the pilot project's test system and could then be adapted accordingly. In addition, compatibility with proprietary software solutions was tested in detail.

"Based on our experience with our previous cybersecurity solution, stable functionality and 100% compatibility with our IT environment were top priorities when choosing a new IT security solution", says Benjamin Eckert. "We were already convinced by ESET's solution in the pilot phase. Based on the insights gained, we immediately initiated a company-wide deployment."

After the pilot project, the ESET PROTECT management console was installed, and parts of the configuration from the test phase were transferred to it. It was necessary to install proxy servers and make various adjustments to the firewall at the perimeter of the corporate network to ensure connectivity to the company's locations around the world and to employees working remotely.

THE RESULT

The use of the new cybersecurity solution is proving successful. After implementation, IT security efforts were reduced by 60 to 70 percent. This is mainly due to the central security management of all systems worldwide via a single management server. In addition, IT security directives can be implemented much more easily, clearly and, above all, quickly.

Integrating additional clients is also easier than before. Since almost no false positives are detected with ESET's solution, the post-classification work is largely eliminated. ESET PROTECT's automation and reporting capabilities greatly simplify operations. This leaves the IT team with more time for other tasks.

"By directly connecting both internal and external employees to the ESET management server, cybersecurity risks are much more visible. Countermeasures can be initiated earlier", says Florian Seefried, Managing Director of Seefried IT. "Our customer can thus implement flexible work concepts faster and more safely."

Grenzebach Maschinenbau is well prepared for future expansion. ESET's proxy concept makes it much easier to connect branch offices. The solution scales with the company’s growth. Additional locations can be connected at any time without having to change the security architecture. In addition, Grenzebach Maschinenbau is considering integrating additional security components such as endpoint encryption, cloud sandboxing and cloud security.