Keeping pace with the threat landscape

Rahr Corporation has been family owned and operated since 1847, when it was founded on the shores of Lake Michigan by German immigrant William Rahr. Over 170 years later, now run by the 5th and 6th generations, Rahr Corporation is an international company with 8 business divisions producing and distributing premium ingredients for brewers, distillers, winemakers, cider makers, and home fermentation retailers.  

When Jason Sexton joined as the new Director of IT, his primary objective was to develop a plan for updating antiquated technology infrastructure. He decided to start with endpoint security for two reasons: 

1. The technology and security knowledge gaps among end users present a serious threat to any organization

   The endpoint security provider they had in place wasn't getting the job done 

"Threats are everywhere, and people just don’t think about that before doing something like clicking an email attachment which is part of their daily job. They think, ‘It’s an invoice, I work in the finance department, why wouldn’t I open this?’ because they don’t expect anything to be malicious."

Jason Sexton, Director of IT

What users don’t realize is that if their device is compromised, it exposes the entire company network to the cyber threat. For example, if that invoice was encrypted with malware which then accessed the network, it could potentially compromise the lab machinery in the Rahr Technical Center and Pilot Brewery, which would result in dire impacts to the business.

Why Rahr Corporation trusts Elements Endpoint Protection, Detection and Response

Sexton had previous experience with the Elements Endpoint Protection, Detection, and Response products and immediately recommended it to the leadership team at Rahr to replace the incumbent provider. The leadership trusted Sexton’s selection based on his previous experience with the Elements portfolio.

"Your endpoint protection alone is far beyond anti-virus, and when you add in the detection and response capabilities it becomes even more powerful because I get greater visibility into my network and the context of what’s happening so I can respond appropriately."

Jason Sexton, Director of IT

“When something is this easy to deploy and manage, and doesn’t negatively impact the end user experience, what’s not to like? Plus, for such a solid solution, it’s offered at a palatable price which makes it much easier to get management’s approval,” Sexton jokes.

Sexton appreciates that the product is continuously being developed, including new security releases, management features, and robust reporting. “Everyone at WithSecure has been great to work with, from our account manager, customer support, and technical support; everyone has been very good.”

But the ultimate accolade Sexton gives is “with WithSecure, I haven’t once walked into my office to see a bunch of alerts that tell me something got missed, which is a good way to start my day.”