Case Study

PwC Switzerland Deploys Avecto Software to Achieve Least Privilege Security

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Case Study

About PwC Switzerland PwC Switzerland helps organizations and individuals create the value they are looking for – serving them with over 2,600 employees and partners working in 15 different offices throughout Switzerland. It is part of a network of firms in 157 countries with more than 184,000 people who are committed to delivering quality in assurance, tax and advisory services. “PwC” refers to the PwC network and/or one or more of its member firms, each of which is a separate legal entity.

Introduction

Avecto fitted the bill perfectly in terms of keeping user desktops flexible and customizable, while at the same time guaranteeing secure access. Lee Barnett, CISO, PwC Switzerland

The 65-strong IT team at the PwC Switzerland branch currently manages 3,500 laptops, which over the years have run on a range of different Windows operating systems with administrator rights. With 60-70% of employees at PwC Switzerland working between different locations, PwC Switzerland was looking for a solution that would improve information security without impacting on user productivity, while ensuring compatibility across the company’s remote workforce.

Customer Story > A  ll users now operate with standard profiles, using elevation on demand to assign rights when required > I ncreased security while ensuring user productivity and flexibility >  Fully customized messaging for positive user experience >  Improved visibility for auditing and reporting

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Case Study

Implementing a solution When the branch made the decision to migrate to the Windows 7 operating system, it was the perfect opportunity to reassess the strategy on user privileges and how information access was granted.

The solution from Avecto allowed us to remove default administrator privileges from all users

Lee Barnett, Chief Information Security Officer at PwC Switzerland, explains how they considered a number of different solutions that would help manage the access and deployment of applications before selecting Avecto as their preferred solution.

and processes, using

“We considered introducing Microsoft User Account Control (UAC) where each employee would have to click ‘yes’ or enter a password every time they accessed an application that does not have administrator privileges assigned. Introducing these barriers would not fit in with our culture, so we were looking for vendors that offered UAC replacements and the benefit of elevation on demand, as well as providing audit trails of activity.”

This approach allows us to

elevation on demand to assign rights when required. increase platform stability and reduce security risk. Lee Barnett, CISO, PwC Switzerland

Ensuring user acceptance It was vital that staff understood and accepted the change in privilege management, and the benefits it would bring: “We have been able to remove default administrator privileges from all users and processes, using elevation on demand to assign rights when required. Now we can keep everyone as a standard user and use Avecto’s software to securely assign privileges directly to the required applications and tasks, which is a huge step forward for our organization.” “When a staff member requests access to an application or peripheral device, such as a printer, we have been able to fully customize the dialogue box that appears on their screen with a personalized message. We believe this has helped improve staff acceptance of the new solution.” “The team at Avecto have been extremely supportive throughout the implementation and are very enthusiastic and knowledgeable, both from a technical and user behavior perspective.”

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Case Study

Auditing & reporting PwC Switzerland has also managed to improve its auditing and reporting systems around staff access. “Auditing was a particular area of focus for us as we wanted to be able to better package the applications that we offer staff to ensure that they meet with their personal needs. With Avecto, we have a much better view of which applications or software staff are installing on a regular basis so instead of fire-fighting, we can develop policy rules that include the applications that staff need to carry out their jobs. This has significantly reduced the time that the IT team spends on simple procedures such as installing printer drivers or different internet browsers.” “The introduction of Avecto’s software has proved so successful within PwC Switzerland that other PwC territories are either in the process of looking at or introducing an environment of least privilege. With solutions such as this, you no longer need to choose between security and usability.”

The introduction of Avecto’s software has proved so successful within PwC Switzerland that other PwC territories are either in the process of looking at or introducing an environment of least privilege. Lee Barnett, CISO, PwC Switzerland

About Avecto Avecto is a pioneering security software company with a vision to transform business cultures, freeing all users to be creative, productive and profitable. Established in 2008 by UK entrepreneurs Paul Kenyon and Mark Austin, Avecto is headquartered in Manchester (UK) with a network of global partners and offices in Boston (US), and Melbourne (Australia). Through constant innovation, Avecto combines the technologies of privilege management, application control and sandboxing to create Defendpoint; proactive endpoint security software that protects against unknown cyber threats. Avecto’s consultative approach delivers technical solutions to commercial challenges, empowering global enterprises to strike just the right balance between security defense in depth and user flexibility.

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