Forcepoint > Case Studies > This Energy Provider Keeps the Public’s Trust by Doing More Than Keeping the Lights On

This Energy Provider Keeps the Public’s Trust by Doing More Than Keeping the Lights On

Company Size

1,000+

Region

America

Country

United States

Product

Forcepoint DLP Suite
Forcepoint Behavioral Analytics
Forcepoint Insider Threat

Tech Stack

Data Loss Prevention (DLP)
Behavioral Analytics
Insider Threat Detection

Implementation Scale

Enterprise-wide Deployment

Impact Metrics

Customer Satisfaction
Digital Expertise

Technology Category

Cybersecurity & Privacy - Database Security
Cybersecurity & Privacy - Intrusion Detection

Applicable Industries

Utilities

Applicable Functions

Business Operation

Services

Cybersecurity Services
System Integration

About The Customer

The customer is a large, U.S.-based enterprise energy provider that serves tens of millions of customers. The company has operating revenues in the tens of billions. The company is a major player in the green energy sector and is responsible for safeguarding critical assets and business functionality. The company faces multiple external and internal vulnerabilities to both the power grid and their multi-pronged operations. The company's operations are critical, with millions of people, companies, and government organizations depending on it. The company also handles sensitive customer information, including data of high-profile individuals, and manages large financial transactions, including funds from the resale of renewable energy. The company's substations, which are not always managed by a human operator, are also a potential risk area.

The Challenge

The enterprise energy provider, serving tens of millions of customers, faced multiple external and internal vulnerabilities to both the power grid and their multi-pronged operations. The cyber threats faced by all companies—like data loss and fraud—come with the added complexity of protecting critical infrastructure. Millions of people, companies, and government organizations depend on it, and failure is not an option. Breaches, downtime, and fraud can cause massive problems for both the enterprise and its customers, from loss of revenue and reputation to endangering human safety. Safeguarding sensitive customer information is always paramount; in this case, that includes a number of high-profile individuals whose home addresses or social security numbers make a tempting target for data thieves looking for a quick payday. Then, of course, there are the millions of dollars flowing through the company, including funds from the resale of renewable energy that could be fraudulently rerouted through altered direct deposit information. Finally, the company’s substations, not always managed by a human operator, run the risk of being taken over by an outside entity without the company knowing.

The Solution

The enterprise needed a comprehensive and integrated security solution from a partner who understands and aligns with its strategy. That’s why the enterprise cybersecurity team turned to Forcepoint. Forcepoint DLP provides data protection by preventing exfiltration of personally identifiable information and intellectual property across devices, networks, and cloud applications. Behavioral Analytics adds context and takes data protection to the next level by understanding the interactions between humans and data. It does this by ingesting information from multiple sources including cloud applications, email and chat communications, and other security and monitoring products and provides insights to create a comprehensive view of user and entity activity—and even alert to activity indicative of a compromised substation. Insider Threat can then analyze collected information for behavior indicative of fraud or sabotage—including when account numbers are manipulated to execute fraud—as well as provide contextual information to determine intent and archive forensic data to aid in investigations. Building these three products into a seamlessly integrated solution allows the enterprise to become much more attuned to user behavior, identify anomalous activity, and understand the surrounding context— responding dynamically and minimizing the risk to the company.

Operational Impact

Forcepoint DLP with Behavioral Analytics proved that it could identify, document, and even block file movement by people who have no legitimate need.
It provided the flexibility needed to allow emergency response teams to restore power via USB during a natural disaster.
Behavioral Analytics pulls in historical data to create a baseline, which allowed for quick identification of high-risk anomalies.
Insider Threat collects information and provides video recording to add context and confirm that findings are legitimate, not false positives.

Quantitative Benefit