Strengthening Cybersecurity for a North American Municipality with 24/7 Managed Security Services

Needs And Requirements:

A municipality in North America was grappling with several cybersecurity challenges. They needed to gain better visibility and control over the ever-present cyber threats, safeguard sensitive citizen data, and manage a diverse IT infrastructure. Compliance with privacy regulations and addressing insider threats were also on their priority list, along with enhancing employee awareness about these issues. To overcome these hurdles, they turned to Microsoft Sentinel and Defender for Endpoint. These solutions, coupled with the round-the-clock Managed Security Services from Hitachi Cyber’s Security Operations Centers (SOC), provided the robust defense they needed.

Main Challenges:

• Cyber Threat Landscape: The municipality sought continuous monitoring and proactive defense against emerging cyber threats, including ransomware, to stay ahead of the evolving threat landscape.
• Protecting Citizen Data: Handling sensitive citizen data, the municipality lacked internal resources for monitoring and responding to potential security incidents, risking unauthorized access and data breaches.
• Complex IT Infrastructure: The municipality’s IT environment comprises diverse systems supporting public services, utilities, water and waste management, and administrative functions.
• Compliance: Adhering to federal and provincial privacy and data protection regulations was crucial for the municipality, requiring continuous monitoring and timely responses to security incidents.
• Insider Threats: The municipality needed support in identifying and responding to insider threats, unintentional or intentional, ensuring the effective deployment of Microsoft security solutions.

Solution:

24/7 Managed Security Services: Hitachi Cyber established a comprehensive inventory of critical assets to facilitate quick incident response. The integration of logs from these assets into Microsoft Sentinel was meticulously designed, ensuring seamless monitoring. This system was fully deployed and configured, connecting Microsoft Sentinel to Hitachi Cyber’s managed instance via Azure Lighthouse and enabling Microsoft Defender for Endpoint for proactive monitoring. After rigorous validation of configurations and testing, the service was commissioned for 24/7 operations, overseen by Hitachi Cyber’s SOC for continuous security event triage, analysis, and reporting.

Outcomes:

The municipality is now fully covered by 24/7 Managed Security Services using Microsoft Sentinel and Defender for Endpoint. The ongoing collaboration ensures continuous adaptation to evolving cybersecurity needs, providing a robust defense against a dynamic threat landscape, and safeguarding citizen data and critical infrastructure. The 24/7 Managed Security Services prove instrumental in addressing the unique cybersecurity challenges faced by North American municipalities.

Next Steps:

Moving forward, the municipality will continue its collaboration with Hitachi Cyber to enhance its cybersecurity posture. The next phase includes the incorporation of Defender for IoT to gain additional visibility into the city’s utilities. Regular assessments and updates will be conducted to ensure that the cybersecurity measures evolve in tandem with emerging threats.