You may recognize the situation Sondre Andersen, ICT manager at Sandefjord Municipality, found himself in when we wrote in January 2022. He was the person responsible for a port-based firewall that was becoming obsolete after five years in service, and was wondering who could deliver the best solution for his particular municipality.
The requirements were clear: Zero Trust and a modern app-based rig. Not only did the solution have to be good in itself, but the systems also had to be set up for compatibility, added value and privacy considerations. Andersen was also concerned that security should be proactive against the threats we experience in today's cyberspace - a focus that became even more precarious when the war in Europe broke out in February the same year. Andersen was already familiar with Netsecurity, but it wasn't until he got to know the practice of our Zero Trust strategy that the collaboration really took off.
- "Zero Trust is not a technology, but a philosophy," says Andersen happily from his office in Sandefjord.
But how do you act on a philosophy? This is where Andersen really opened his eyes to Netsecurity as a potential partner and firewall supplier to the municipality. He continues:
- For many, Zero Trust is just a buzz word that is rarely put into practice. In the tender process, we asked all potential suppliers to describe their relationship with Zero Trust, and Netsecurity was not only the only one to include the philosophy in their solution proposal - they were spot on.
Zero Trust in practice is a basic understanding that you should always be on your guard and assume that you are compromised, or "milk and bread" as Andersen so nicely calls it in its context.
The VG test and Securithon confirmed Andersen's impression of Netsecurity as a serious player with Zero Trust as its core area. In addition, he was impressed by the calmness and professionalism shown by the advisors in the face of technical challenges, but more on this later.
Netsecurity's advisors are also full of praise for the collaboration with Andersen's team.
- "When professionals choose professionals, the result is often a competent and successful collaboration," adds Netsecurity's advisor in the collaboration, Øyvind Evjum, humbly.
- "At Netsecurity, we don't sell off-the-shelf products, we sell expertise," Evjum continues a little more bombastically.
Sandefjord Municipality was to learn to value precisely this expertise and ability to implement during the implementation phase of the project. In a short space of time, 15,000 users at 170 locations in 230 systems were to be converted - to put it mildly, the pitfalls were out of the ordinary for the municipality's ICT apparatus that day. Andersen perhaps describes it best himself:
- "It's like ripping the engine out of a car at speed!
It was an excited group that gathered at the IT department's premises on the morning of Wednesday, August 17, 2022. They had communicated clearly and broadly in advance, and everyone who relies on the municipality's ICT systems on a daily basis was well informed that the day could look somewhat different. They had heard of other companies that had carried out similar operations, which had to be rolled back four times before everything was as it should be. Andersen saw fit to use the opportunity for a comprehensive review of the municipality's other security routines.
- " As all systems were planned to be down, we encouraged all the municipality's bodies to take the opportunity to acid test manual emergency routines and plans.
Together, the municipality and Netsecurity's advisors and technicians had set 13:00 as the point of no return, and when the clock was struck, the update could also be declared a success.
- "Netsecurity worked systematically and methodically without a hint of stress or chaos. It reassured us in a fantastic way throughout the day and confirmed our impression that we are dealing with professional people. All in all, we were operational the next day," summarizes Andersen.
It's September 2022, and Andersen has lowered his shoulders considerably since that nerve-wracking day the month before.
- We feel that things are really falling into place now. There is always a period of adjustment to fit in, but we've had excellent support from Netsecurity, so it's been painless. We look forward to working with Netsecurity also in the future, and are particularly impressed with the close dialog they have with Palo Alto Networks.
Sandefjord Municipality is at the forefront of a more secure public ICT Norway, and anchors this in the entire municipal management. The main pillar of the municipality's overall security strategy is IT security and privacy, and they are working ambitiously to be at the forefront of this. Based on the Zero Trust philosophy, they also work closely to popularize the security culture. The municipality challenges suppliers to ensure that the measures implemented are accessible and manageable for all users.
Andersen concludes with some thoughts on the future of IT security for his municipality.
- "A new firewall from Palo Alto Networks is just the beginning. "We want better control of all the devices on our networks, such as two-factor authorization, alarms and security information on as few solutions as possible - and not least automated systems that actually sort things out.
On behalf of all of Netsecurity, we would like to thank Sondre Andersen and Sandefjord Municipality for a fruitful and instructive collaboration so far," Evjum concludes, expressing enthusiasm for the municipality's slogan for a good security culture: "On the safe side".
About Sandefjord Municipality:
Sandefjord municipality is a maritime and cultural city, and Vestfold County's most populous municipality with 65,000 inhabitants.
On January 1, 2017, the municipalities of Stokke, Andebu and Sandefjord merged into one municipality; Sandefjord Municipality. This was the first merger in the municipal reform adopted by the Norwegian Parliament in 2014.
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