Transforming Network Infrastructure for Competitive Advantage: A Case Study of NOV

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In 2014, the sharp decline in oil prices led to a significant reduction in IT spending at NOV, a global provider of equipment for the oil industry. The company's CIO and CISO, Alex Philips, was faced with the challenge of upgrading the company's outdated security appliances and maintaining its legacy MPLS network, both of which were financially untenable. The company had already begun its cloud migration by adopting Microsoft Office 365 and moving internally managed applications to AWS and Azure. However, the challenge was to establish local internet breakouts at its 635 locations in 66 countries, which was a complex and costly task. Additionally, the company needed to replace its risky and cumbersome VPN technology to ensure fast, secure access to internal applications.

NOV is a global provider of equipment that powers the oil industry. The company operates in 66 countries with 635 locations. When oil prices plummeted in 2014, the company was forced to cut back on its IT spending. This led to a need for cost-effective solutions to upgrade its outdated security appliances and maintain its legacy MPLS network. The company had already begun migrating to the cloud, adopting Microsoft Office 365 and moving internally managed applications to AWS and Azure. However, it faced challenges in establishing local internet breakouts at all its locations and ensuring fast, secure access to internal applications.

To address these challenges, Philips deployed Zscaler Internet Access™ to secure NOV’s new direct-to-cloud architecture. This provided an affordable alternative to replacing costly security appliances at every location. Zscaler offered complete security, including advanced threat protection, antivirus, sandboxing, and intrusion prevention systems. It also inspected SSL/TLS to secure against threats in encrypted traffic. To improve mobile workforce productivity and reduce the need to reimage infected endpoints, Zscaler was used. It also enabled rapid access to applications by peering with Microsoft Office 365. The solution simplified administration through a centralized management console, consolidated logins, and one rule set for all users.

• The deployment of Zscaler Internet Access™ transformed NOV's network infrastructure, making it more secure and efficient. The solution provided comprehensive security, including advanced threat protection, antivirus, sandboxing, and intrusion prevention systems. It also secured against threats in encrypted traffic by inspecting SSL/TLS. The replacement of the company's VPN technology with Zscaler Private Access™ resulted in faster, more secure access to internal applications. The solution also simplified administration, making it easier for the IT team to manage the network. Overall, the transformation of the network infrastructure helped NOV stay competitive in the challenging oil industry.

• Affordable alternative to replacing costly security appliances at every location
• Reduced need to reimage infected endpoints, improving mobile workforce productivity
• Rapid access to applications through peering with Microsoft Office 365