Confidence in endpoint security at Grant Thornton

Technology Category

Cybersecurity & Privacy - Endpoint Security
Functional Applications - Enterprise Asset Management Systems (EAM)
Functional Applications - Remote Monitoring & Control Systems

Applicable Industries

Finance & Insurance

Applicable Functions

Business Operation
Facility Management

Use Cases

Remote Asset Management
Security Claims Evaluation
Theft Detection

Services

Cybersecurity Services
System Integration

The Challenge

With a corporate history that has seen the firm build market share through the acquisition of other accounting offices, Grant Thornton’s IT team was challenged to design and continually refine a single, standardized IT model that sought efficiency in a high degree of standardization. To add to the challenge, the mobile nature of Grant Thornton’s employees and preference for leasing its devices meant that the IT team needed to track and provide data security for more than 8,000 devices regardless of their physical location – whether in the office or with a travelling employee.

About The Customer

With its national office located in Chicago, Illinois, Grant Thornton LLP is the U.S. member firm of Grant Thornton International Limited, one of the six global audit, tax and advisory organizations. Grant Thornton has a preference for leasing its devices from a single hardware provider. However, a key determinant of Grant Thornton’s ability to harness the cost efficiencies of leasing devices is the ability to manage leased devices effectively and plan to return them on schedule to avoid lease non-return penalties. The IT team at Grant Thornton must be able to understand when devices are due back and successfully recall them from employees on time.

The Solution

As part of its approach, Grant Thornton selected Absolute. Today, the firm exercises state-of-the-art IT management capabilities including the ability to remotely manage its inventory of devices to 99.997% accuracy. According to Dave Johnson, Grant Thornton’s Director of Strategic Services, 'This is where Absolute comes in. Asset management without real-time capabilities is worth very little. So, I would rank the ability to reach out and manage computers regardless of their physical location with Absolute as a ‘must have’. The role of Absolute is critical in two specific ways: it provides validation to our internal asset management platform and extends access to our computer population when we find them outside of our control.' When Johnson’s team reports a device stolen to local police and to Absolute, a managed theft recovery investigation is triggered. 'Absolute’s Investigations team offers a lot more than simply the reliable recovery of stolen computers,' says Johnson. 'As part of the forensic investigation, they give us tremendous insight into how the theft happened in the first place.'

Operational Impact

Supports ability to manage device inventory to 99.997% accuracy.
Remotely delete sensitive corporate data from compromised devices.
Absolute’s Investigations team works closely with local law enforcement to retrieve stolen devices.

Quantitative Benefit