Case Study Overview
Hospital AZ Groeninge, like many healthcare facilities, stores vast amounts of sensitive information that attract cybercriminals. To enhance its defenses against an ever-increasing volume of cyber threats such as spam, phishing, and rising trends in impersonation attacks, AZ Groeninge partnered with Orlox to deploy advanced email and URL protection solutions provided by Mimecast.
Data Points and Implementation Insights:
- Routine maintenance time has been reduced by at least 20%.
- Only minimal periodic checks are needed to identify issues and adjust necessary rules.
- Staff training for backup or relief duties has been simplified, thanks to the user-friendly interface of the implemented solutions.
- A significant reduction in spam, phishing, malicious files, and URLs has been observed.
Background
Hospital AZ Groeninge, a key healthcare provider in Belgium with over 1,000 beds, has been a regional healthcare hub facing increasing cybersecurity threats. The COVID-19 pandemic intensified these challenges, as cybercriminals targeted hospitals for ransomware, data theft, and other exploits.
“We have very delicate information. The patient file contains a lot of private stuff. And that’s, of course, a hot spot for people with malicious intentions,” explained Steven Blondeel, IT Systems Engineer at the hospital. This vulnerability prompted the hospital management to reassess their email security measures, especially after cyberattacks targeted other Belgian hospitals in 2021.
“We started evaluating: Are we actually protected? Are we well-protected?” Blondeel said. Their existing email security provider was not meeting their needs, which led them to consider alternatives in partnership with service provider Orlox.
Successful Deployment and Immediate Results
Following the 2021 year-end holidays, AZ Groeninge introduced Mimecast’s Secure Email Gateway and DMARC Analyzer to bolster its email security infrastructure. The implementation, which was supported by an engineer from Mimecast, a customer care representative, and Orlox’s dedicated team, was completed smoothly within two days.
Since the deployment, AZ Groeninge has experienced a significant drop in phishing and malicious attachments and links, reducing the number of alerts and freeing the security team to focus on proactive security tasks.
Blondeel commented, “I now handle issues on Monday morning or Thursday or something. It takes half an hour now, and I check on the rules, check some problems and go on with my work. I have more time to anticipate problems, check on the rules and make policies, instead of implementing updates and spending time at the server itself.”
Cloud Functionality and Enhanced Integration
Key to the project’s success was the cloud-native nature of Mimecast’s tools, which aligned with AZ Groeninge’s ongoing migration from Microsoft Exchange on-premises to Office 365 in the cloud. This shift significantly reduced the burden of server maintenance, with Orlox providing essential support throughout the transition.
Moreover, the implemented Mimecast solutions integrate seamlessly with other security products, including Palo Alto Networks for firewall protection and SentinelOne for endpoint security, fostering a robust cybersecurity ecosystem managed by Orlox.
Looking Forward
AZ Groeninge is evaluating further enhancements to its security setup with Mimecast’s Internal Email Protect and AI-powered CyberGraph, aiming to address the increasing challenges of internal and sophisticated email threats.
With Orlox’s expertise in implementing Mimecast’s comprehensive email security solutions, AZ Groeninge has significantly strengthened its defenses against cyber threats, ensuring better protection of critical patient data.
