The Challenge
In hospitals, rapid and reliable access to medical data is critical to clinicians improving patient outcomes. The IT team at Austrian healthcare provider Tauernklinikum was logging extra hours to ensure infections missed by its previous ESET security solution did not result in any lost data or disrupt patient care. IT also grew concerned when reduced network performance caused by ESET began slowing transfer of files and data.
Before long, IT evaluated solutions from Bitdefender, Avast and Kaspersky and determined our partner enabled Bitdefender GravityZone Business Security Premium offered the best solution.
Thomas Reichssöllner, Deputy Head of IT and Head of IT Infrastructure, Tauernklinikum, recalls, “We chose Bitdefender GravityZone because it provided more built-in functionality, such as multiple security layers, machine learning and sandbox testing, and was still very cost competitive. The Bitdefender interface is clean and easy to use and lets us monitor our entire enterprise across multiple domains.”
The Solution
Tauernklinikum depends on Bitdefender GravityZone Business Security Premium integrated security system to protect 600 Microsoft Windows workstations, 150 VMware vSphere virtual servers and 50 Android smartphones.
In addition, Tauernklinikum uses GravityZone’s Sandbox Analyzer, an endpoint-integrated sandbox to analyze suspicious files, detonate payloads and report malicious intent to administrators.
The healthcare provider’s applications protected by Bitdefender include Microsoft SQL Server, Microsoft Active Directory, PATIDOC electronic medical records, Philips SpeechLive recognition and dictation workflow, patient transportation, and meal ordering.
Cyber Security Solution
Business Security
Organization
Tauernklinikum
Industry
Healthcare
IT Environment
Microsoft Active Directory, Microsoft SQL Server, VMware vSphere
Operating Systems
Microsoft Windows
The Results
It did not take long for Tauernklinikum to see the value of GravityZone. As soon as it was installed, Bitdefender caught and removed several incidences of Trojan malware that had been missed by ESET.
“Using attack forensics and analytics, Bitdefender alerts us immediately if there is a problem to investigate and uses automation for resolving issues as they happen,” says Reichssöllner. “We have not had a single outbreak or incident since installing Bitdefender.”
GravityZone Sandbox Analyzer also has allowed the IT team to quickly test suspicious files in a safe environment and immediately remove them from the environment if needed.
Bitdefender GravityZone on-premises management console provides IT with an integrated, central view of infrastructure elements, including virtual servers, physical workstations, and smartphones, across the enterprise.
Reichssöllner says, “GravityZone provides a single interface to manage security across multiple domains. During a migration, it was helpful to see whether PCs and servers resided in the old or new domains. GravityZone efficiency has significantly reduced our administrative security workload.”
With Bitdefender’s lightweight footprint, files and data move faster across the infrastructure, which helps hospital operations run more smoothly.
Reichssöllner states, “Since moving to Bitdefender, network performance increased from 1.4 to 9.5 gigabits per second—a 6Xs improvement. We barely notice Bitdefender is running in the background because it’s so fast.”
Prior to Bitdefender, IT would field three to five trouble calls per month related to slow performance caused by the security system or false positives. Now, there are zero to one security-related calls per month.
Mario Fersterer, Deputy Head of IT Infrastructure, Tauernklinikum comments, “Users are more productive because systems run faster, and security is better with Bitdefender.”
In addition, the rich functionality of GravityZone has made it easier for the healthcare provider to comply with the European Union (EU) General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR), a law that imposes stiff fines when companies experience privacy or data breaches.
When large numbers of Covid-19 patients arrived at hospitals across Europe, Tauernklinikum was impressed with Bitdefender’s willingness to provide additional licenses to protect temporary intensive care facilities.
“Because Bitdefender has consistently provided such resiliency and security, we were confident that our data and systems would be protected even as our medical facilities experienced a surge in Covid-19 patients,” remarks Fersterer. “Our confidence was well placed since we didn’t have any issues. We also appreciated Bitdefender’s commitment to us as a partner during these challenging times.”