Secure communications enables global growth for Synthomer

Summary

Together with Synthomer, we’re protecting their global operations. Global specialist polymer manufacturer, Synthomer, wanted absolute confidence that communications between their 38 global locations were secure. Combining our managed security services with advanced threat detection and firewalls from Palo Alto Networks has given them complete visibility of traffic between applications and employees. In a world of emerging cyberthreats, our managed cybersecurity services have given them business confidence, while enabling their IT team to scale as their business grows.

Leveraging network visibility to minimize cyber-risks

As part of Synthomer’s review of their IT operations, they decided to standardize their firewall infrastructure to minimize the cyber-risks facing the business. This would give them complete visibility across their network – not just traffic entering and leaving the network, but also traffic between locations. With this capability they would be able to proactively monitor and address potential threats, taking steps to protect the business.

With the cyberthreat landscape constantly evolving, they also identified the need to implement a consistent set of security policies across the growing organization. To ensure the security of the entire organization, they had created a comprehensive security roadmap, but their analysis indicated that implementing a standardized firewall infrastructure would provide the business with the greatest benefit.

When the Omnova acquisition was finalized, Synthomer were able to smooth the integration process by moving the new facilities onto the unified platform. While Synthomer has a strong internal IT team, their focus is on assisting the business to execute against the larger organizational vision. They decided that they would gain the greatest business benefit by engaging with a managed service partner to ensure the security of the system and provide access to global threat detection capabilities.

Enabling growth through managed services

Having identified the need for a complete refresh of their firewall environment, they chose Palo Alto as their platform of choice. After a thorough analysis of potential partners, they decided that NTT DATA was best equipped to help them deliver on their vision.

Critical to their choice was our global footprint, enabling rapid deployment and seamless support of the platform. With their internal team focused on business strategy, they looked to take advantage of our global implementation capabilities to ensure that the deployment went according to schedule. Our global managed services capabilities guarantee that their firewall platform is optimally configured, ensuring that, however the cyberthreat landscape evolves, they're always protected.

In this constantly evolving landscape, they can rely on our global threat detection capabilities, allowing them to make the right decisions with regards to their security posture. This provides them with accurate intelligence, informed by the 6.2 billion attacks our 10 security operations centers analyze every year.

Reaping benefits from an integrated approach

Synthomer is constantly growing, including the acquisition of Omnova in 2020, which expanded their global footprint to 38 sites in 24 countries. With this growth strategy in place, they need to be confident in their security infrastructure.

By leveraging our global footprint, Synthomer can ensure that as new locations are added, they can quickly and securely connect them to their global network. Ensuring that they have the platform in place to guarantee security is only a part of their larger push to make sure that all parts of the organization are aware of the cyberthreats facing them. As part of this holistic view, they’re focused not just on the infrastructure, but also on ongoing threat detection and a process of continuing security education for all employees. With constant communication between the IT team and business leadership, they can alert the organization to potential threats. This constant communications approach has been validated by strong satisfaction scores from user surveys.

By constantly working with the business to evaluate potential avenues of attack, they can focus their attention on those areas. ‘Our internal IT skills are augmented by our partnership with NTT DATA, enabling us to protect our business with confidence, be more agile, and make rapid and informed decisions across our IT environment,’ says Hirschl. This integrated approach provides them with the foundations needed to securely grow the business, while remaining agile enough to adapt to market changes.