CheckPoint Software > Case Studies > Cadence Leverages CloudGuard Dome9 for Enhanced Security in Multi-Cloud Environment

Cadence Leverages CloudGuard Dome9 for Enhanced Security in Multi-Cloud Environment

Technology Category

Cybersecurity & Privacy - Network Security
Infrastructure as a Service (IaaS) - Public Cloud

Applicable Industries

Equipment & Machinery
National Security & Defense

Applicable Functions

Product Research & Development
Quality Assurance

Use Cases

Leasing Finance Automation
Tamper Detection

Services

Cloud Planning, Design & Implementation Services
Training

About The Customer

Cadence Design Systems, Inc., founded in 1988, is a global technology company headquartered in Silicon Valley. The company spans over 40 countries and employs over 8,000 people worldwide. Cadence supplies electronic design technology and engineering services in electronic design automation (EDA) to a large portion of the semiconductor industry, including Fortune 100 companies. The company produces software, hardware, and silicon structures used to design integrated circuits, systems on chips (SoCs), and printed circuit boards. Cadence primarily uses AWS, with a presence in three AWS Regions worldwide, and also incorporates Azure and GCP into their multicloud environment.

The Challenge

Cadence Design Systems, Inc., a global technology company, was initially running its own datacenters which were sufficient for their computing needs. However, as the company expanded, it outgrew the computing capacity of its on-premise system. Cadence needed a system that offered scalability, elasticity, and securely enabled cloud demand. The company turned to Amazon Web Services (AWS) for help, but this move presented a new set of challenges. Cadence's AWS footprint covered more than 1,000 instances, 770 security groups, and 115 Amazon VPCs, with more than 4,000 different network security policies and rules. This left the company with the challenge of securing a very dynamic cloud environment. Additionally, Cadence also had Azure and Google Cloud Platform (GCP) in their multicloud environment. The company faced challenges in network security, compliance, and visibility in the multi-cloud environment. They needed a solution that would be compatible and effective across all major public cloud infrastructures.

The Solution

To tackle these challenges, Cadence began using CloudGuard Dome9 as soon as they moved to the cloud. CloudGuard Dome9 Clarity provided a granular view of network topology and workflow traffic, allowing Cadence to easily map all subnets and view reports of all AWS EC2 instances on a single dashboard. This helped Cadence centralize the management of its network security posture. To maintain access control while providing user flexibility, Cadence used CloudGuard Dome9's Dynamic Access Leases, Tamper Protection, and Region Lock. These features allowed Cadence to grant temporary remote access to the network, detect and override any unauthorized modification attempts, and enforce regulations prohibiting data movement between regions. For compliance reporting, Cadence used the Compliance Engine from CloudGuard Dome9, which delivered continuous end-to-end compliance testing and reporting against industry standards.

Operational Impact

CloudGuard Dome9 has enabled Cadence to run leaner and more efficiently. The solution provides substantial cost savings by limiting training expenses and allowing the team to focus on higher-level tasks. It automates security and compliance management, which is a significant benefit as Cadence's cloud environment continues to grow. The company plans to continue using CloudGuard Dome9 as they expand their enterprise and provide their customers with the latest engineering design technology. Cadence is confident in providing their customers with a comprehensive and robust security and compliance solution with the help of CloudGuard Dome9.

Quantitative Benefit

Cadence estimates that CloudGuard Dome9 saves the company more than $450,000 annually in not needing to hire an additional three team members.
Cadence's AWS footprint covers more than 1,000 instances, 770 security groups, and 115 Amazon VPCs, with more than 4,000 different network security policies and rules.
Cadence also has tens of compute and storage resources deployed in 29 security groups on Azure, and has begun incorporating Google Cloud Platform into their multicloud environment.