Who are AGC Chemicals Europe Ltd. (AGCCE)?
AGCCE’s chemical products are utilised almost everywhere in mobility, construction, infrastructure, environment, energy, agriculture, healthcare and of course in everyday life.
AGC Chemicals Europe Ltd. manufacture and provide a wide variety of products that are useful for a fulfilling, safe and comfortable society and environment, from basic chemicals to fluoride-based high-function chemicals.
We met with AGCCE's Michael Grimshaw, IT Operations Manager, and Gareth Hughes, IT Security & Infrastructure Engineer, to hear from them how working with Intercity has helped them meet their security-first goals.
The Challenge
With their previous security software, Gareth had to constantly patch and monitor vulnerabilities as they arose. This was time-consuming and a constant battle to stay on top of evolving security threats. For example, it only took changing one number in the code of a virus to bypass the previous security software. Their software could only protect their network from what it recognized and detected, not from the unknown.
Additionally, AGCCE had experienced a 'bloating' of their endpoints due to the many layers of cybersecurity in place. For some of their lower-resourced systems, this meant they were literally 'grinding to a halt.'
The Solution
AGCCE has been working with Intercity for over 10 years. When their account manager, David Richardson, introduced AppGuard to them, although it seemed too good to be true, they decided to investigate it. Intercity connected them with the leading Managed Security Service Provider partner for AppGuard, Cyber Security Associates. After demos of how AppGuard worked, along with their deep knowledge and credibility in security, AGCCE went ahead with the software, which was deployed over five weeks (including the Christmas and New Year holiday period).
AppGuard acts as a safety net for Michael and Gareth, proactively securing their network and reducing the need for constant monitoring. It operates with zero trust whitelisting, providing peace of mind that the business is protected even from unknown or unanticipated threats. Pop-ups notify AGCCE's team when AppGuard blocks something, and the platform allows them to access data on what the software is doing behind the scenes.
The Business Benefits
Gareth has found that since the pandemic and the adoption of home working by many staff members, it has been hard to ensure the safety of user laptops outside of the corporate network. However, the deployment of AppGuard has provided an impenetrable defence for these devices, allowing the IT department to rest easy, knowing that the devices are fully protected from malware, viruses, and ransomware, no matter where they are in the world.
This is highlighted by Gareth, who said:
“It's a no-brainer now. I wish that we had it years ago. Beforehand it would be, 'Quick, get the PC off the network'. Now it's, 'It's okay, AppGuard will stop everything, can we just get hold of your PC'.”
Another aspect of how Intercity has helped AGCCE meet their security goals is by introducing KnowBe4's Security Awareness Training to the company after their previous phishing training did not align with the organisation and was difficult to use. In contrast, KnowBe4 was implemented in 2 weeks, and in their most recent test, AGCCE found that their teams were 14% below the average in the manufacturing industry in terms of vulnerability to phishing. Those are some pretty fantastic results!
Intercity is the ideal technology partner to enable organisations like yours to flourish securely in the new age of working from anywhere. We enable businesses and people to be productive anywhere, anytime, regardless of device, communications or technology. Connecting and securing from device to the cloud. To learn how you can Do More with Intercity, please speak to us here or use the live chat. To learn more about AGC Chemicals Europe, and some of the fantastic work they’re doing, please click here.
