Secure communications enable global growth for Synthomer
Together with Synthomer, we’re protecting global operations.
Global specialist polymer manufacturer Synthomer wanted absolute confidence that communications between their 38 global locations were secure. By combining managed security services with advanced threat detection and firewalls from Palo Alto Networks, the company has complete visibility of traffic between applications and employees. In a world of emerging cyberthreats, our managed cybersecurity services deliver business confidence while enabling its IT team to scale as their business grows.
Business Needs
As part of Synthomer’s review of IT operations, the company 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.
Solution
Enabling growth through managed services
When the Omnova acquisition was finalized, Synthomer smoothed 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.
Having identified the need for a complete refresh of the firewall environment, they chose Palo Alto as their platform of choice. After a thorough analysis of potential partners, they saw NTT DATA as 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 regarding their security posture. This provides them with accurate intelligence, informed by the 6.2 billion attacks our 10 security operations centers analyze every year.
Outcomes
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 new locations can quickly and securely connect them to their global network. To make sure they have the tools to make sure they are safe, they are only one part of their bigger goal to make sure everyone in the company knows about the cyberthreats they face. As part of this holistic view, they’re focused not only 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 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.
About the case study
Synthomer is one of the world’s foremost suppliers of aqueous polymers with leadership positions in many markets. With the acquisition of Omnova Solutions in 2020, Synthomer grew their global manufacturing network, expanded their product portfolio and boosted their geographical presence.