City of Plano Utilizes IoT to Enhance Data Security and Compliance

• Cybersecurity & Privacy - Security Compliance
• Infrastructure as a Service (IaaS) - Public Cloud

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The City of Plano was facing a significant challenge in managing and securing regulated data across various platforms including SharePoint, Office 365, OneDrive for Business, and Nutanix Files. The manual process of locating regulated data such as Criminal Justice Information (CJI), Protected Health Information (PHI), and credit card numbers was not only time-consuming but also ineffective. The lack of insights into this data was a major hindrance for the IT group in reducing the risk of a data breach. The city's native tools were unable to provide an accurate audit trail for CJIS, PCI DSS, and HIPAA audits, and there was insufficient funding to support the manual audit preparation workload. Additionally, the IT group was keen on generating more detailed audit reports to apply for a Department of Homeland Security grant aimed at protecting city governments against cyberattacks.

The City of Plano is the ninth most populous city in the U.S. state of Texas. The city's IT department is tasked with supporting all the applications and services used by the city’s approximately 3,000 employees across 67 units. These units include police and fire departments, public safety communications, parks and recreation, and public libraries. The IT department's responsibilities are vast and varied, making the management and security of regulated data a critical aspect of their operations.

The City of Plano, after evaluating several products, found Netwrix Auditor and Netwrix Data Classification to be the best fit. These tools were chosen for their ability to quickly and accurately categorize regulated data and their support for Nutanix Files, a critical part of the city’s IT infrastructure. Netwrix Data Classification enabled the city’s IT team to discover where regulated data is and act upon the results. They could tighten access permissions to specific files and purge duplicates. The city planned to use the platform to create workflows that move data with sensitive information to a quarantine location, and establish additional policies for end users. Netwrix Auditor alerted the IT group about suspicious events, such as administrative-level changes, attempts to access critical folders, or the deletion of sensitive files, enabling prompt response to potential security risks. The solution also provided a complete audit trail, ensuring ongoing compliance with CJIS, PCI DSS, and HIPAA, and helping the city qualify for the Department of Homeland Security grant.

• The implementation of Netwrix Auditor and Netwrix Data Classification has significantly optimized the IT operations of the City of Plano. The solution has not only improved data security but also mitigated the risk of insider threats. The IT group can now quickly find missing files, conduct investigations, respond to user lockouts, and report on the activity of specific users as part of internal audits. By automating these tasks, the solution has enabled the IT group to focus on more strategic areas, such as data security and regulatory compliance. Furthermore, the city is now in a perpetual state of audit readiness, a relief for the IT department, and is better positioned to qualify for grants aimed at enhancing cybersecurity.

• Hundreds of hours saved in preparing audit reports
• Improved data security across 67 business units
• Ensured compliance with CJIS, PCI DSS, and HIPAA across all units