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Case Studies > Mosaic: Bromium’s Complete Endpoint Security Elevates Risk Posture

Mosaic: Bromium’s Complete Endpoint Security Elevates Risk Posture

Technology Category

Cybersecurity & Privacy - Endpoint Security
Cybersecurity & Privacy - Network Security

Applicable Industries

Agriculture
Chemicals

Applicable Functions

Business Operation
Quality Assurance

Services

System Integration
Training

The Challenge

Paul Hershberger, director of security, risk and compliance at Mosaic, aimed to improve the company's overall risk posture by modernizing the computing environment and optimizing endpoint security. Mosaic faced advanced threats from state-sponsored bad actors, hactivists, external cybercriminals, and internal bad actors. Hershberger conducted a thorough risk assessment of Mosaic's existing security infrastructure, which included traditional threat-mitigation technologies like IDS, IPS, Web and email filters, desktop firewalls, antivirus, anti-malware, and anti-spam. Despite these measures, the residual risk was almost equal to the inherent risk, indicating that the current solutions were ineffective. Hershberger sought a more effective endpoint security solution and was introduced to Bromium's unique approach by a channel partner.

About The Customer

The Mosaic Company is the world's leading producer and marketer of concentrated phosphate and potash, employing approximately 9,000 people across six countries. The company mines phosphate rock from nearly 200,000 acres of Mosaic-owned land in Central Florida and potash from four mines in North America, primarily in Saskatchewan. Mosaic's products are processed into crop nutrients and shipped to customers in major agricultural centers worldwide. The company is committed to improving its overall risk posture by modernizing its computing environment and optimizing endpoint security to tackle advanced threats from various malicious actors.

The Solution

Hershberger and his team evaluated various endpoint solutions and found Bromium's simplicity and completeness to be the most effective. Bromium isolates user tasks in a secure micro-virtual machine enforced by the CPU, providing a broader level of protection with fewer opportunities for security gaps. Unlike other solutions that often 'fail silently,' Bromium's approach ensures a higher level of security. The initial deployment of Bromium in early 2015 included 2,000 endpoints and was described as simple and straightforward. Mosaic users appreciated the extra protection without any impact on productivity. The security team also used Bromium as an investigation and analysis tool, allowing them to interact with potentially suspicious code directly from the desktop.

Operational Impact

Mosaic users with Bromium installed on their systems appreciated the extra protection without any impact on productivity.
The security team used Bromium as an investigation and analysis tool, allowing them to interact with potentially suspicious code directly from the desktop.
Bromium effectively defended systems against ransomware, highlighting the differences in user experience and IT support between protected and unprotected hosts.

Quantitative Benefit