According to the World Economic Forum’s Global Risks Report 2020, climate action failure is the top global risk in terms of impact. One action that can be taken to reduce this risk is to recycle; this goes for everything from domestic waste such as plastic containers, to more complex objects like technology.
In fact, the amount of technology that is thrown away, so called e-waster, is expected to reach 45 million tonnes in 2020. It is calculated that recycling this used technology would save 1.44 tonnes of carbon dioxide per tonne of technology, a total of almost 65 million tonnes. However, currently only 12.5% of technology is recycled. This is why companies dedicated to technology recycling are so important these days, to try to maximize the amount of materials that can be recycled.
Case study: Inrego
Inrego is a market leader in the life cycle management and reuse of computers, mobile phones, and other devices. It buys used IT equipment from companies, and improves or ‘reinvents’ the products involved so they can be utilized again.
The challenges
Despite its 160-strong staff and constant growth, Inrego has managed to avoid any major security issues involving its own IT systems. Before Inrego opted for Panda Adaptive Defense and its add-on modules Advanced Reporting Tool and Panda Patch Management, the company used conventional ‘basic’ anti-virus protection to protect its computers. However, when Andreas Ericson took over as CIO/CISO in 2018, he decided to make the change to advanced cybersecurity, especially in terms of securing the client platform.
As in many other companies, Andreas was aware that it is the users that pose the greatest risk to security. His aim was therefore to minimize the risks and their potential consequences, migrating to a cybersecurity solution that would provide protection for this area. He wanted to take a more ambitious approach and move away from basic protection.
The solution
Panda Adaptive Defense 360 was exactly what Andreas was looking for: proactive protection, since, as he well knew, users are one of the biggest challenges a company faces.
Panda Adaptive Defense minimizes the risk of IT security incidents by initially blocking all unknown programs that have not been previously approved by the Panda classification service.
The Adaptive Defense 360 model is based on three principles: continuous monitoring of all running applications; automatic classification; and machine learning. Thanks to this model, it is able to protect the organization’s clients and servers from known and unknown attacks, whether they come from the Internet, email, or other vectors.
Another common challenge for companies is failure to install updates; it is a common misconception that operating systems and third-party programs automatically update. However, this is not the case. In facts, outdated operating systems and third-party programs are the perfect way for cyberattackers to take advantage of known vulnerabilities. This is a very common situation, despite the fact that corresponding patches are usually available weeks or even months before the attack.
Panda Patch Management aims to prevent this type of incident. This is why Andreas decided to implement this solution to replace the patching solution that the company had been using. Patch Management offered better performance, simplified use overall, and also allowed savings as there was no need for additional separate software.
Andreas also deployed Advanced Reporting Tool, an additional module that generates real-time alerts for potential threats. It offers centralized visibility into the security status of vulnerabilities, software problems, and the presence of software in EoL.
Conclusions
Inrego is a company that has not had to face any major cybersecurity problems. To ensure that this continues to be the case, it searched for proactive solutions that would help to prevent cyberincidents from occurring.
“The switch from our previous solution to Panda products was easy and hassle-free”, says Andreas, who praises our products as some of the absolute best on the market from a developmental point of view.