Waldner – Security in the cloud with Microsoft Defender technology

Waldner – Security in the cloud with Microsoft Defender technology.

With 256 patents and over 110 years of experience, the Waldner Group implements solutions for numerous industries. Whether laboratory equipment, filling systems, process systems or learning space concepts, its products and services create groundbreaking solutions for nutrition, health and education. Bechtle introduced Microsoft 365 to take the company into the cloud alongside Microsoft Defender technology to boost IT security standards and protect the digital infrastructure and corporate data from attack all while allowing the 1,600 employees to collaborate efficiently and flexibly.

Project details.

Services

IT Security
Modern Workplace
Cloud

Industry

Manufacturing

Manufacturer

Microsoft

Company size

> 1,500 employees

Challenge.

The Waldner Group is active in a range of industries including pharmaceuticals, research and education, food and pet food, combining expertise that goes beyond industry boundaries under one roof. Waldner develops and produces filling and sealing machines, process systems, laboratory equipment and solutions for educational institutions and its portfolio continues to grow. The IT infrastructure needs to keep pace with that growth which is why Waldner was looking to rethink digital collaboration at its multiple locations. The new structure had to be homogeneous, easy to manage and secure to facilitate global networking all while protecting corporate data from attacks. Above all, however, it needed to be rolled out on a global scale to keep all sites connected. Waldner was, therefore, looking for a solution to digitalise processes and flexibly deploy IT services that was customised to each department’s needs and those of each corporate group. It also had to fulfil current security standards and safeguard the company’s digital infrastructure and protect both production and corporate data against external threats.

Bechtle offers all the products and services we need as a corporate group, which is incredibly important for us as a company on the global stage. With the cloud, we are now much more flexible than ever and have been able to simply IT administration, but it was most important for us to protect the company against attacks. With Microsoft Defender technology implemented by Bechtle, we are able to do that across all layers.

Thilo Rauch, Head of Technical IT, Waldner Group

Solution.

As a long-term IT service provider for the Waldner Group, Bechtle suggested making the switch from classic Microsoft to the cloud. The benefits were clear. Extensive Microsoft services promote global collaboration between employees, helping them work better while the switch to the cloud also optimised the Group’s IT admin and allows it to use its resources more efficiently. New clients can be integrated into the system more easily and user rights are a breeze to manage. More importantly, though, as the full-scale securing of the environment with Microsoft Defender technology. In order to identify precise requirements, as a Microsoft Gold Partner, Bechtle conducted two intensive workshops on Microsoft 365 and security and compliance. Its status meant that Bechtle and thus Waldner could benefit from attractive Microsoft partner conditions and exclusive offers. After two free consultations, the decision was easy to make and Bechtle updated the Microsoft components already in place at the company and migrated them with Microsoft 365 Exchange Online, Teams, Office) into the cloud. Employees can leverage Teams to collaborate with each other wherever they are in the world and new staff can be onboarded instantly. Microsoft 365 has also simplified and reduced the level of administration Waldner has for Microsoft Exchange.

In addition to protection against viruses, Waldner also requested a holistic security and compliance concept, which Bechtle provided in the form of Microsoft Defender technology, rolling out Microsoft Defender for Office 365 and Microsoft Defender for Endpoint, which stops external attacks, automatically identifies threats and blocks them. In addition, Microsoft Defender for Identity was introduced to add an extra layer of security to the on-premise infrastructure, therefore reducing identity theft and protecting user accounts. In terms of monitoring, Waldner turned to Microsoft Sentinel as its SIEM solution with Bechtle’s Cyber Defence Centre (CDC) complementing the security concept by keeping an eye on the group’s IT and tracking any threats.

Business benefits.

Making the switch to Microsoft 365 in the the cloud, the Waldner Group now has up-to-date access to its data and is protected against attacks. Today, each Waldner site is linked to the cloud and any new locations can be added in a snap. From a strategic point of view, this has made the employees much more flexible when it comes to choosing where they work and the IT easier to manage. Thanks to Microsoft Defender technology rolled out by Bechtle and the round-the-clock monitoring of the Security Operation Centre (SOC), Waldner can rest assured that its data is safe.