Ensuring global food supplies with stronger cybersecurity

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Client overview

• A global leader in food and beverages with operations in multiple countries
• Growing responsibility to deliver food dependably to millions of people worldwide

Objectives

• Optimize network security management, including the protection of internal resources and the cost of cybersecurity measures
• Implement 24/7 monitoring of security devices
• Empower employees to connect with their work whenever and wherever by setting up a secure global VPN solution
• Create seamless video conferencing experiences and reduce the cost of conferencing technology

Why Unisys?

• Opportunity to build a long-term partnership that grows with the needs of the business
• Unisys support that spans more than 20 countries and over 800 sites of operation without delay
• 20 years of experience delivering continuous network security support

Solutions

• Continuous Threat Exposure Management solution, Secure Network Access solution, cloud security and security device management for 24/7 monitoring, configuration and incident response
• Global project management organization to implement security equipment in more than 40 countries
• Comprehensive solution for managing global video conferencing rooms
• VPN, remote connection and cloud web proxy to connect employees to their work more securely
• Firewall-as-a-Service support that provides a comprehensive and strategic analytical view of firewalls for the most secure and cost-effective approach

Results and benefits

• Modernized the security infrastructure to safeguard against a growing landscape of digital threats
• Enabled continuous firewall architecture reviews, which have already enabled the decommissioning of hundreds of costly firewalls
• Reduced costs by giving Unisys control over the management of the global video conferencing infrastructure
• Empowered employees to work from anywhere and better collaborate across teams with remote connection and optimized video conferencing

Strong network infrastructure security for a reliable brand promise

When millions depend on your products being available when needed, reliability becomes non-negotiable. That’s why one global food supplier knew it was time to update its aging digital security infrastructure. The company, which is responsible for getting food to millions of people worldwide, wanted to strengthen its network security and securely connect employees to the tools they need to support customers.

Cutting costs without sacrificing security

With such a massive responsibility for much of the world’s food supply, the company sought a long-term partner that could streamline network security management while protecting internal resources and monitoring devices. It hoped the right partner could take advantage of powerful analytics and reporting to identify ways to cut costs. Not only that, but the food supplier also wanted to optimize employee experiences related to outdated technology and network security processes, such as remote work and video conferencing. These efforts would better position the company to focus on supplying food and beverages without worrying about the evolving landscape of cyber threats.

Trusting experts with a cybersecurity transformation

To keep business running smoothly, the company chose Cybersecurity Solutions from Unisys. Continuous Threat Exposure Management and security device management solutions provide proactive 24/7 monitoring, configuration and incident response service. These solutions and efficient change management processes have set a foundation for stronger security across food and beverage operations.

Building a unified security ecosystem

Unisys now manages all the food supplier's network security devices, including Fortinet, Palo Alto and Checkpoint Systems, creating a unified and cohesive security approach. Unisys' global project management organization implements security equipment in more than 40 countries, allowing the food supplier's employees to focus less on cybersecurity tasks and more on the company's mission.

The solution includes an advanced cloud security implementation with ~45,000 instances of Prisma Access from Palo Alto, a leading SASE (Secure Access Service Edge) cloud security solution that provides firewall-as-a-service, cloud web proxy, cloud VPN, remote access, threat protection and DNS security.

Securing collaboration across borders

Unisys experts also manage the company’s global video conferencing rooms. As the teams increasingly rely on video communications, Unisys provides services and support for seamless and secure communications that keep employees collaborating. Unisys manages 1,222 conference rooms worldwide, including 793 rooms connected to Cisco and 429 to Microsoft Teams.

Connecting employees to secure collaboration tools

Since working with Unisys, the global food supplier’s security has strengthened and operations have become more efficient. The outcomes have been quickly measurable and increasingly clear as the company continues to rely on its renewed security measures. The company strengthened its digital defenses with cloud security services that better protect its expanded cloud infrastructure.

In 2023, the business decommissioned 15% of its firewall structures, which streamlined its network architecture and cut costs. Then, in 2024, it decommissioned an additional 10% of its firewalls. Working with Unisys, the business will continue to transform its firewall infrastructure while also introducing new efficiencies in automation. For example, the company has a target of 50% to 70% automation of firewall rule changes, a 50% refresh on Fortinet devices and a further 35% overall refresh of firewalls across its vendors. This will significantly reduce manual errors, improve response times and increase the overall security of the system.

Creating a more agile security foundation

Increased security is one of the most impactful outcomes of the ongoing partnership with Unisys. The SASE solution and comprehensive management of network security devices have made the business significantly more secure. This prepares the business for a fast-changing future, where security technology and processes must have the agility to adapt to whatever threats come next. On top of that, the secure VPN and remote access connection are helping employees worldwide work whenever and wherever. This empowers employees to better connect with each other and collaborate to meet the growing needs of more and more customers.

The combination of security and greater connection positions the business to operate in a world of growing uncertainty and challenges. Among those challenges is the imperative for lower margins and optimized costs to stay competitive. By updating the video conferencing infrastructure, the company reduced video conferencing costs by 5%, which are savings the business can apply elsewhere and even pass on to customers.

Innovating with emerging technology for future savings

Unisys and the food supplier have set concrete security goals for 2025 and beyond. Key initiatives include automating 50%-70% of firewall rule changes and implementing Appspace to enhance video conferencing experiences while reducing deployment time. Security innovations remain central to the partnership, with a specific focus on AI-driven security solutions and post-quantum cryptography to protect against emerging threats. Experts are also looking toward automating rollout processes to speed up deployment and reduce downtime. By handling technology management, Unisys enables the company to concentrate on what matters most — delivering dependable food supplies worldwide.

See how Unisys can secure your operations while reducing costs. Visit us online or contact us today.