Background: Forging Security in Manufacturing Excellence
A U.S.-based manufacturing company, a key North American supplier in the chemical and automotive sectors, manages its regional headquarters in Alabama. With a primary focus on engineering and production, the company maintains a robust network of PCs and laptops for its employees. These devices handle sensitive corporate data, making their security paramount to protecting intellectual property and operational integrity.
Meeting Audit Mandates and Strengthening Endpoint Control
The company faced an imminent cybersecurity audit that required a significant uplift in its network endpoint control. To meet these stringent audit criteria, they needed a solution capable of enforcing a strict, policy-based security model. Their specific requirements included:
- Trusted Device Access: Restricting network access solely to authorized and compliant devices.
- Unauthorized Software Prevention: Blocking the installation and execution of unapproved applications across all endpoints.
- Removable Media Control: Preventing the use of USB, CD, and other external storage drives without explicit IT administrator approval.
- Mandatory Security Software: Ensuring all devices had required security software (ESET) installed and running before being granted network access.
- Comprehensive Auditing: Maintaining detailed logs of all network access and policy enforcement events for audit reviews and incident response.
The manufacturer sought a unified solution that could automate these controls, provide real-time visibility, and generate auditable reports, transforming their endpoint security posture.
Solution: Genian ZTNA Cloud Delivers Granular Endpoint Control
The firm strategically selected and deployed Genian ZTNA as a cloud-based service for its Alabama headquarters. During the initial proof-of-concept phase, Genian ZTNA comprehensively validated its ability to address all the manufacturer’s specific security use cases. Utilizing the platform, the IT team configured a clear and actionable set of security policies:
- Device Trust Policy: A baseline for compliant devices was established. Any device failing to meet these predefined criteria was automatically blocked from the network until remediated and explicitly approved by an IT administrator.
- Application Control: The team created a precise list of unauthorized software. Genian ZTNA was then configured to effectively block the execution of these applications on all managed endpoints, preventing malware and unapproved tools from running.
- Media Control: Policies were set to block all external storage devices by default, significantly reducing data exfiltration risks. Access to removable media is now granted only on a case-by-case basis with explicit IT permission.
- Compliance Enforcement: The system automatically checks for the mandatory presence of the required ESET security agent. Devices found without this critical software are automatically denied network access until the agent is properly installed.
- Auditing and Reporting: All security events, including attempts to run unauthorized software and blocked USB access, are meticulously logged. This provides comprehensive data for audit mandates, security investigations, and compliance reporting.
Genian ZTNA’s cloud delivery model ensured rapid deployment and simplified management, providing the agility required for meeting urgent audit timelines.
Summary: Audit Success and Scalable Security
By implementing Genian ZTNA, the U.S. manufacturing company successfully met all stringent requirements for its cybersecurity audit. They gained centralized visibility and automated, granular control over their endpoint environment, which significantly strengthened their security posture against malware, unauthorized software, and data exfiltration.
A Model for Comprehensive Endpoint Security
This successful implementation and the positive results achieved at their regional headquarters have led the company to consider expanding the Genian ZTNA solution to its five other locations in the region. This progression underscores the platform’s scalability and its capability to provide consistent, high-level security across a distributed enterprise. The manufacturer’s experience serves as a clear model for other organizations seeking to achieve robust endpoint security, meet compliance mandates, and embrace a proactive Zero Trust approach in complex operational environments.
