BPS (SUISSE) deploys Securden Unified PAM, achieves enhanced security, centralized controls, complete visibility, improved regulatory compliance and reduces the risk of unauthorized access and insider exploitation.
The Background
Headquartered in Lugano, Switzerland, Banca Popolare di Sondrio (SUISSE) SA is a Swiss law bank wholly owned by Banca Popolare di Sondrio, a joint-stock company founded in 1871 in the Italian town of Sondrio. BPS (SUISSE) has been a pioneer in retail banking, private banking, and financial services since 1995. With over 22 operating units throughout the country and in the Principality of Monaco, BPS (SUISSE) has become one of the leading financial institutions in Switzerland.
The Challenge
BPS (SUISSE) specializes in three key segments of financial services: providing loans, portfolio management, and trading in securities. These segments encompass investment and advisory services, asset management, mortgages and financing, savings and investment accounts, debit and credit cards, pensions and insurance, as well as a wide range of online facilities, among others.
Providing such a diverse range of services necessitates a strong IT infrastructure, including hardware, software, storage devices, networking devices, cloud computing applications, mobile apps, web portals, hosted applications, employee systems, and more.
The BPS team had password management and other access control measures in place. However, the IT team wanted to bolster security controls proactively. They carried out an assessment of the existing tools and processes, which uncovered certain gaps and inefficiencies.
"We relied on manual processes for password management. Personal Keepass files were shared between teams, which was both time-consuming and prone to human error,” says Paolo Bonfanti, Security Administrator at BPS (SUISSE)."
The existing tools lacked a centralized approach to monitor and manage privileged accounts, which could lead to potential security vulnerabilities. “Ensuring compliance with security policies and auditing all access to sensitive systems was complex and inefficient,” points out Paolo.
“Without robust privilege management, the risk of insider threats and unauthorized access was high and we wanted to have a comprehensive privileged access security solution in place,” says Paolo.
With very specific privileged access security goals in mind, the BPS team started exploring the Privileged Access Management (PAM) solutions available in the market.
Industry:
Banking/Financial
Country
Switzerland
Requirement:
- Centralized approach to monitor and manage privileged accounts
- Ensuring compliance with security policies
- Auditing all access to sensitive systems
- Reducing the risk of insider threats and unauthorized access
The Solution:
Securden Unified PAM
Results:
- Centralized controls
- Enhanced security
- Improved compliance
- Better visibility into privileged access
The Search for a Comprehensive, Easy-to-Use PAM
When the BPS team set out to find a privileged access security solution, they had four key things in mind:
- They required a full-featured PAM solution with robust controls and monitoring capabilities.
- It should offer strong security measures and compliance management functions.
- The implementation process should be simple and quick, while also being incredibly user-friendly.
- The solution should support a reliable, highly available, secure on-premises deployment model.
The team evaluated several enterprise-grade PAM solutions, including Securden, CyberArk, and others. After thoroughly assessing the shortlisted PAM solutions, the BPS team concluded that Securden Unified PAM was the best fit for their needs. What distinguished Securden was its ability to consolidate all essential PAM features into a single, easy-to-use, and cohesive solution—something the BPS team had previously struggled to find with other tools.
We relied on manual processes for password management. Personal Keepass files were shared between teams, which was both time-consuming and prone to human error - Paolo Bonfanti Security Administrator
Finding the Ideal Solution in Securden Unified PAM
“We chose Securden for multiple reasons: its comprehensive feature set, ease of implementation, user-friendly interface, competitive pricing, straightforward upgrades, and easy management of high availability nodes,” emphasizes Paolo.
Holistic Approach and Comprehensive Feature Set
Unlike other PAM solutions that often require integration of various point products and components, Securden delivered a complete suite of features in a single package. This included password management, remote session monitoring and recording, and privileged access control—ensuring that all critical security needs were met without the complexity of managing multiple solutions.
Ease of Implementation
The implementation process of Securden Unified PAM was remarkably straightforward. “It required minimal disruption to our existing systems. We imported accounts and credentials directly from Keepass files,” says Paolo.
User-Friendly Interface
The BPS team found Securden's interface to be intuitive, making it easy for their team to adopt and use effectively.
Robust Security Protocols
Securden’s robust security protocols, including advanced encryption and multi-layered access controls, ensured that privileged accounts remained protected at all times. “Securden's robust security measures and compliance capabilities aligned perfectly with our needs,” points out Paolo.
Competitive Price
“Securden provided an excellent balance of features and affordability, offering competitive pricing that fit well within our budget,” says Paolo.
Seamless Upgrade Process
The BPS team found Securden’s upgrade process to be smooth and hassle-free. “The process of upgrading to new versions of Securden was simple and hassle-free, ensuring we always had access to the latest features and improvements without significant downtime or effort,” opines Paolo.
Reliable High Availability Nodes
PAM solution is mission-critical and its availability is super important for regular operations. “Securden offered a well-managed and straightforward option for adding High Availability (HA) nodes, ensuring continuous uptime and reliability of our privileged access management system,” says Polo.
The BPS team was really impressed with Securden Unified PAM and decided to go ahead and implement it quickly.
We chose Securden for multiple reasons: its comprehensive feature set, ease of implementation, user-friendly interface, competitive pricing, straightforward upgrades, and easy management of high availability nodes. - Paolo Bonfanti Security Administrator
The Securden Difference
For BPS Suisse, securing privileged access and maintaining strict compliance standards were top priorities. As a financial institution with complex systems and sensitive data, it was crucial to implement proper access controls and demonstrate compliance with security standards. Securden Unified PAM emerged as a transformative tool in achieving these goals.
“Since implementing Securden, we have experienced several key benefits – enhanced security, improved compliance, and better visibility,” says Paolo.
Enhanced Security
Preventing unauthorized access to the complex IT infrastructure and safeguarding against any possible insider exploitation were top priorities for BPS. Securden helps enforce strong internal access controls to achieve these security goals. “We have significantly reduced the risk of unauthorized access and insider threats through centralized control and monitoring”.
Improved Compliance
The ability to generate detailed reports on privileged access was another key benefit of using Securden Unified PAM. It automatically logs all access to sensitive systems and servers, providing BPS with comprehensive and easily accessible records. The access and privilege activity reports help them demonstrate the bank's security posture.
Better Visibility
Securden offers actionable insights over ‘who’, ‘what’, and ‘when’ of all access to sensitive systems. “We now have complete visibility into privileged access activities, allowing for quicker detection and response to potential security incidents.”
Prevention of Password Reuse and Leaks
“Securden has helped us enforce policies against the reuse of passwords and provided alerts for any passwords that might have been leaked publicly, enhancing our overall security posture.”
We chose Securden for multiple reasons: its comprehensive feature set, ease of implementation, user-friendly interface, competitive pricing, straightforward upgrades, and easy management of high availability nodes. - Paolo Security Administrator
Since implementing Securden, we have experienced several key benefits – enhanced security, improved compliance, and better visibility. - Paolo Security Administrator
An Overwhelmingly Positive Experience
BPS (SUISSE) has achieved total control over privileged access and has significantly improved the overall security posture. Reflecting on the overall impact of Securden, Paolo was unequivocal in his assessment: "Our experience with Securden has been overwhelmingly positive. The product is robust, reliable, and meets all our security and compliance requirements. Securden's support team has been responsive and helpful, providing timely assistance whenever needed,” points out Paolo.
“Securden consistently updates its product with new features and improvements, demonstrating a commitment to staying ahead of evolving security challenges,” says Paolo. BPS (SUISSE) is now looking to expand usage of Securden.
Privileged Access Streamlined Using Securden Unified PAM Download an offline (PDF) version of this case study to see how BPS Suisse strengthened security and mitigated insider threats with Securden Password Unified PAM.
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Our experience with Securden has been overwhelmingly positive. The product is robust, reliable, and meets all our security and compliance requirements. - Paolo Security Administrator
