Allianz decided that in order to protect sensitive or valuable Information they needed to understand and distinguish between the different types of Information used by the organization. They were looking for a product that would help them to implement data classification across as many systems as possible, which could be rolled out relatively easily. They also wanted something that would be easy for their employees to use, but that would also be visible, so that employees would still be aware of data classification and their obligations around it.
“Data Ownership is critical to Data Management. A tool that makes it easy for business areas to take ownership is very important; Fortra's Classifier Suite is the ideal tool for Allianz plc.”
- Karen Forte, CIO & Head of Services, Allianz Ireland
The Challenge
Allianz Group requires a classification system to be used by all Operating Entities (OEs), which identifies information assets and specifies their individual need for protection. Whilst Data classification is commonly seen as an IT issue, Allianz Ireland decided that this change needed to reach far into the business in order to succeed. The organization felt that it was potentially such a huge project to both classify every piece of data across all systems (both electronic and physical) and to also introduce a new culture to maintain this going forward, that they would need a software solution to support it.
They were looking for a product that would help them to implement data classification across as many systems as possible, which could be rolled out relatively easily. They also wanted something that would be easy for their employees to use, but that would also be visible, so that employees would still be aware of data classification and their obligations around it. Allianz Ireland operates in a Citrix and VDI environment and initially they found it hard to find a product that could work in both environments.
"Fortra's Classifier Suite worked closely with us to get the product implemented as we needed it. They came on-site to identify and resolve any problems really quickly. Classifier was the perfect match for our requirements, being easy to deploy and intuitive for our users and as a result has helped build awareness around information protection and value."
- Orla Barry, Information Security Officer
"Data ownership is critical to data management. A tool that makes it easy for business areas to take ownership is very important; Fortra's Classifier Suite is the ideal tool for Allianz plc."
Karen Forte, CIO & Head of Services
The Solution
On the advice of Allianz UK who had piloted the product, Allianz Ireland selected Fortra's Classifier Suite Email and Office Classifier, which then had to pass a stringent evaluation and testing programmed to ensure the product was fit for purpose. Allianz Ireland Information Security Officer Orla Barry comments “The Pilot was very successful, we found Classifier easy to roll-out and so effective. People really liked it and wanted to use it as they needed to implement data protection measures. During the testing, it was taken off people’s desktops occasionally and I actually got calls from people asking about when they would be getting it back! We analyzed the feedback and decided that Classifier was able to satisfy our requirements.”
A couple of product enhancements were requested during the Pilot including a department-specific need to remove classifications from the footer and bulk classification with a roll-back option for classifying legacy documents. Fortra's Classifier Suite were willing and able to meet these additional requirements, ensuring a best-fit product for Allianz.
Ms Barry continues “Fortra's Classifier Suite worked closely with us to get the product implemented as we needed it. We were rolling out Office 2010 at the same time, so it wasn’t always obvious where issues were occurring, but they came on site to identify and resolve any problems really quickly”.
- 89% decrease in breaches since June 2013
- 128% improvement in compliance with Group Security Policy and Standards
- 60% improvement in adherence to physical security guidelines and awareness
Conclusion
Allianz Ireland have seen a significant reduction in breaches since implementing Fortra's Classifier Suite and have also found that there is much greater awareness of data classification and security throughout the organization, reflected in improvements in wider security benchmarks. Employees are more aware of the type of information they are dealing with and their obligations to protect this data and it is hoped that this will be instrumental in preventing data loss in the future.