ElringKlinger protects mobility innovation with end-to-end Microsoft Security

Facing the IT demands imposed by the complexities of electric vehicles and the need for heightened security, ElringKlinger (EK) needed a cloud-first, superior security solution that would ensure compliance and protect its valuable innovations.

EK orchestrated its Azure migration with a security solution remake, deploying Microsoft Defender for Cloud, Defender for Endpoint, and Defender for Office 365. It reinforced identity security with Microsoft Entra ID and Entra ID Protection.

ElringKlinger’s small security team protects around 9,000 employees with a productivity-first umbrella that connects every aspect of cybersecurity, lowering security incidents overall and speeding response time.

Driving IT evolution to drive the future

Global automotive innovator ElringKlinger responded to unprecedented industry change with revolutionized offerings and sustainable mobility, increasing IT support needs. “Product transformation challenges our existing business models,” explains Alexander Maute, ElringKlinger‘s Director of IT Technology. “Our new electric mobility products are far more complex and rely more on IT services, requiring intensified security.” ElringKlinger introduced the Group Strategy SHAPE30, which mandates digital transformation as one of its five success factors. ElringKlinger’s digital transformation calls for a cloud-first environment, visibility across the entire landscape, easier compliance, and end-to-end security. The company migrated its workloads to Microsoft Azure, then replaced about six disparate security apps with consolidated Microsoft Security solutions.

“The combination of the individual Microsoft identity solutions is great. It helps us find issues that we might not uncover if we had siloed identity solutions and makes life easier for our team.”

Alexander Maute, Director, IT Technology, ElringKlinger

Connecting productivity and security

Based on its trust in Microsoft solutions, ElringKlinger deployed Microsoft Defender for Office 365 to protect its Microsoft 365 productivity environment. It guards devices with Defender for Endpoint, creating a safe work and collaboration space for around 9,000 employees at more than 40 sites worldwide. “We’re a mobility solution manufacturer, not a cybersecurity company,” says Stephan Gemm, ElringKlinger CIO. “We trust Microsoft to deliver the performance and security we need, and Defender was a whole new game in cybersecurity.”

Consolidating security solutions for resilience, effectiveness, and compliance

ElringKlinger expands that protective net to its entire estate with Microsoft Defender for Cloud, delivering code-to-runtime protection and compliance across the company’s hybrid environment. As a partner to the many companies who depend on its innovation and its century-plus prominence in the industry, ElringKlinger tenaciously protects its intellectual property, resilience, and availability. “Our customers demand the best,” says Michael Hohl, CISO & CCSO at ElringKlinger. “We need to deliver at all times, regardless of any threat to business: a fire, an earthquake, or a ransomware threat.” That means proactiveness. “We use Defender for Cloud and Defender XDR to gain faster, more accurate insights into the root cause of an issue,” Hohl continues. “We now remediate security incidents much more easily.” His team amplifies threat mitigation with Microsoft Defender XDR, which ingests signals from Defender solutions for attack chain visibility.

All original equipment manufacturers (OEMs) in the automotive sector must adhere to Trusted Information Security Assessment Exchange (TISAX) information security regulations. “It’s easier to ensure compliance with an interoperable platform like Microsoft,” adds Hohl. “Having all the security tools we rely on in one place simplifies training for our local IT administrators.”

Similarly, the ElringKlinger security team protects identities with several Microsoft identity solutions, building a Zero Trust foundation with Microsoft Entra ID without compromising worker productivity. It fine-tunes access controls with risk-based policies in Entra ID Protection, which feeds signals to Microsoft Defender for Identity for comprehensive end-to-end identity protection across both on-premises and cloud environments. “The combination of the individual Microsoft identity solutions is great,” says Maute. “It helps us find issues that we might not uncover if we had siloed identity solutions and makes life easier for our team.”

“Without our Microsoft Security tools, we wouldn’t be able to protect as many employees as we do with our small cybersecurity team. It’s an umbrella that covers every aspect of security, so we have a single source of truth.”

Alexander Maute, Director, IT Technology, ElringKlinger

Gearing up for a new mobility world

Consolidation is central to ElringKlinger’s success. “Without our Microsoft Security tools, we wouldn’t be able to protect as many employees as we do with our small cybersecurity team,” says Maute. “It’s an umbrella that covers every aspect of security, so we have a single source of truth.”

For Gemm, consolidation and innovation are key to the secure, sustainable mobility innovation led by his SHAPE30 goals. “Microsoft was there at the right time with the right products and the right vision,” he insists. Reflecting on the accomplishments of the last four years, Gemm concludes, “We’re reassured that we made the right decision by choosing Microsoft. The support and innovative technology we’ve gotten led to fewer security incidents, and a more productive team, to the future we envision.”

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