Inchcape Shipping Services (ISS) provide global strategic maritime, cargo and supply chain solutions to ship owners and operators. They offer a full range of marine agency services including door to deck logistics services, port agency and vessel clearance, cruise consultancy, stevedoring, forwarding and custom documentation. Their reach is extensive, spanning numerous market segments, vessels and asset types out of 300 offices in 68 countries.
Lee Scott is ISS Cybersecurity and Compliance Manager, CISSP. His previous roles within Information Security Management include chairing the Police Information Assurance Working Group partnering with the Home Office.
Cyber security is the number one concern in the C suite right now and it is no different in our business. We have known this for a while and have been searching for the right solution for us. To get the most up to date and cost effective solution we know that we need to buy in Cyber Security as a Service from a provider.
We had made several attempts to find an agile tool that offered us vulnerability detection, web filtering and monitoring with the ability to create granular reports and location tracking. This included proxy based solutions that were unsuitable due to ISS’ geographically dispersed teams that require a single point from which all activity is filtered.
Similarly, a proxy in the Cloud used to filter traffic presented users devices in a different position to where they actually were which causes havoc with location based services.
Our large global footprint and appetite for growth means our network is always evolving. At any one time there are thousands of connections in multiple global locations.
The ThreatSpike service is targeted at suspicious activity inside our corporate security perimeter, being conducted either by our own users or by hackers who have managed to already penetrate the system. The service provided by our previous managed enterprise provider was only operating in a monitoring mode. Although we could see a real granular picture with 100ft of vision we were just getting 10 degrees of what we wanted to see. We had no visibility of web activity and it was under two different platforms.
We are now getting a 360 degree picture, all under one platform. ThreatSpike Security as a Service provides us with a team of experts monitoring our network and systems 24/7. This leaves our in-house IT team free to work on core projects and saves us from recruiting a team of specialists and employing them full-time on our payroll.
The implementation of ThreatSpike was seamless. If there were any glitches they were due to the unique nuances in our operation. The initial integration of ThreatSpike involved network sensors that were deployed on the core network at our key offices around the world. They continuously monitor our network activity, flagging up anything suspicious as soon as it happens.
For a more holistic control of our desktop estate we’ve deployed more than 3,500 agents. In a matter of days we’ve gained a much better visibility into our user activity and the underlying technology they use.
By monitoring user interactions with our internal systems, ThreatSpike was able to identify vulnerabilities and provided us with the necessary remediation steps. ThreatSpike agents also provide us with preventative capabilities, enabling us to control user access of certain local and externally hosted services as well as an ability to automatically sandbox devices if they are believed to have been compromised.
CSaaS is a software licensing and delivery model in which the software is provided on a subscription basis by the provider, in this case in the form of an appliance and agents that are deployed in our environment.
ThreatSpike is an extremely pragmatic and flexible company. We have a real partnership with them. If we question them about potential projects, their answer is always yes, we will explore the options with you.
If a problem arises with the potential to escalate or an application fails, it is dealt with immediately. At all levels it is an excellent relationship.
ThreatSpike’s response and remediation is exemplary. For example, we had a problem with a physical kit that was destined for Singapore but became damaged in transit. Within 24 hours they had provided us with a new piece of high-grade, customised kit – and somehow managed to ship it to Singapore in that timeframe.
A lot of large enterprise providers understand how to put a single device in an office of 1,000 people. Our business is much more complex and ThreatSpike is flexible and understands that there’s never a one-size-fits-all solution.
Yes, without hesitation. ThreatSpike offers a strong value proposition that ties in to our business needs. Our experience with ThreatSpike is extremely positive. Like us, it is a dynamic, entrepreneurial organisation and quick to respond to our changing requirements.
