Case Studies

The customer’s IT environment consisted of solutions from several vendors, including a Cisco unified communications system with networking routers, switches, and wireless. They had Microsoft Office 365 deployed through an Azure cloud setup, along with NetApp storage and Cohesity for backup. The environment was protected with Cisco firewalls and endpoint detection, as well as SOC monitoring from a third-party provider.

While the customer was satisfied with their security infrastructure, their team lacked an in-depth understanding of its overall posture. As a result, they wanted to test their security capabilities to determine its current standing and receive insights as to where improvements may be needed.

Due to their extensive knowledge of several products within the environment, Fortis by Sentinel was asked to test the effectiveness of the customer’s security systems. The Fortis team conducted both an internal and external penetration test to get a full scope of how different aspects of their environment were protected. The external penetration test primarily used password cracking tools in an attempt to gain access into the environment. A laptop was later sent to the customer to be connected to their network, allowing Fortis experts to perform an internal penetration test with the goal of accessing the customer’s sensitive data.

The penetration test easily accessed the customer’s environment due to weak passwords and a lack of multi-factor authentication, resulting in the obtainment of a large amount of private information. Fortis recommended the installation of Cisco Duo multi-factor authentication into the environment along with a stricter password policy. Since implementing these changes, the customer has gained a newfound sense of trust in their security posture.

One year after implementing these changes, Fortis conducted another penetration test and was unable to gain access into the customer’s environment. The success of this project helped established Fortis as a trusted advisor to the customer. Fortis by Sentinel continues to regularly provide guidance when they’re considering new technology purchases.