Remediating cybersecurity risks across 30+ facilities—in just 10 weeks

What We Did

The company’s widespread use of personal, unsecured computers left this manufacturer vulnerable to cybersecurity threats that could halt production or create safety issues on the facility floor. West Monroe brought together a multidisciplinary team of operational, manufacturing, and cybersecurity experts to help. We rapidly assessed and remediated security risks across 30+ manufacturing facilities—in just 10 weeks. To do so, we:

• Defined common risk areas across all lines of business
• Developed a scoring system to rank these risks, ultimately identifying three key issues
• Oversaw an organization-wide remediation process, providing technical oversight, solution development, and project management

The Challenge

Digital transformation has armed manufacturers with real-time inventory and analytics platforms—but the technology has surpassed the frameworks originally designed to manage these things. The result? Increasingly vulnerable organizations where cybersecurity threats can halt production or even impact physical safety.

One of the world’s largest manufacturers knew what they were up against. With more than 2,500 PCs across more than 30 facilities, they needed a coordinated effort that would both assess the risks at hand and remediate them—as quickly as possible.

They turned to West Monroe for our unique blend of manufacturing, IT, and cybersecurity expertise.

An Undeniable Approach

We began by assessing the size and scope of the network. Next, the team developed a scoring system to prioritize remediation efforts. By applying various risk lenses—likelihood, scope, impact—we were able to group risk areas into high, medium, and low categories.

The scoring helped the client’s board of directors focus on three areas:

1. Systems bridging the manufacturing network with the corporate network
2. Unsupported remote access software solutions used by vendors and employees
3. Endpoint protection systems

With a deadline of just 10 weeks, remediation was an all-hands-on-deck situation. While site technicians and engineers updated inventories to focus attention on the highest risks, three solution team—one for each risk—developed approved solutions and remediation instructions.

West Monroe oversaw this effort, leading the organization’s project management office, providing technical oversight, and coordinating more than 130 people across four time zones.

Returns You Can Measure

In less than 10 weeks, we remediated over 2,500 endpoints at more than 30 sites—immediately reducing risk across the organization. The organization now has the systems, processes, and governance in place to improve its resiliency to cyberattacks, and, in turn, maintain more efficient production facilities.