Industry
Finance
Employees
8,000 employees
Region
Pakistan
THE CHALLENGE
A growing bank meets growing cyber threats
Founded in 1991, Askari Bank Limited is a pillar of Pakistan’s financial system. With a growing branch network and expanding digital services, the company processes millions of daily transactions that customers expect to be secure, seamless, and reliable.
Traditional endpoint security software proved inadequate against modern threats. Endpoints multiplied, networks became more complex, and attackers developed techniques to bypass signature-based defenses. The result was a lack of visibility and context, isolated alerts, blind spots across systems and networks, and overworked analysts trying to piece together data fragments.
“We knew our security posture wasn’t enough,” says Askari Bank Limited Head of the Security Operations Center, Umair Shakil. “If something got past it, we were blind. We needed to proactively understand our risks rather than chase alerts.”
The challenges went beyond technology. Incident response relied heavily on limited internal resources, and compliance requirements such as the payment card industry data security standard (PCI DSS) added pressure to close vulnerabilities quickly. “Visibility into user activities, detection of malicious software, and identification of risky cloud applications were inadequate under our prior system,” says Askari Bank Limited Chief Information Security Officer, Jawad Khalid Mirza. “We needed a mature security posture and a partner to help us get there.”
“[TrendAI Vision One] gives our engineers a clear starting point, cutting through analysis paralysis and helps us prioritize threats. We can now show executives quantifiable improvements in risk posture, not just raw numbers.”
Umair Shakil
Head of Security Operations Center
Askari Bank Limited
THE SOLUTION
Turning data overload into clear, actionable risk insights with TrendAI Vision One™
To regain control and stay ahead of adversaries, Askari Bank deployed TrendAI Vision One™ across its environment. The AI-powered enterprise cybersecurity platform connects detection and response across endpoints, servers, networks, email, and cloud workloads, correlating activity to surface the most critical risks. This enables faster investigations and actionable intelligence instead of fragmented alerts.
Cyber risk exposure management transforms complex security data into clear, actionable risk scores.
Cutting through the noise and prioritizing risk
Central to the deployment is TrendAI Vision One™ Cyber Risk Exposure Management (CREM), which converts complex telemetry into business-aligned risk scores.
TrendAI Vision One™ established a common language between the security operations center (SOC), business leadership, and regulators. Analysts get to focus on the highest-priority threats, while executives gain confidence in the company’s risk management strategy.
Closing exposure gaps across network and endpoints
Askari Bank also implemented TrendAI Vision One™ Endpoint Security and TrendAI™ Deep Security™ to uplevel protection across endpoints and servers. Automated policy enforcement and data correlation reduced manual tasks, while virtual patching closed gaps in the Linux stack that were previously difficult to remediate.
“Our Linux platform stack was vulnerable, but virtual patching now covers the weak areas,” says Mirza. “That capability accelerated our compliance journey and reduced audit fatigue.”
On the network side, TrendAI™ empowered the team to detect previously unmonitored devices and proactively manage risk. “Our approach is to uncover the unknown,” says Shakil. “We can set alerts for any unfamiliar devices joining the network, addressing blind spots before they cause issues.”
“Our Linux platform stack was vulnerable, but virtual patching now covers the weak areas. That capability accelerated our compliance journey and reduced audit fatigue.”
Jawad Khalid Mirza
Chief Information Security Officer, Askari Bank Limited
Boosting resilience with managed detection and response (MDR)
Recognizing the need for expert guidance, Askari Bank leveraged personalized support and services via MDR and TrendAI Vision One™ Services – Complete. Weekly meetings connected the SOC with global experts who supported investigations, fine-tuned detection rules, and advised on emerging threats. Purple teaming exercises, blending offensive and defensive testing, provided real-world feedback. “These exercises equip us with actionable, datadriven insights,” says Mirza. “They sharpen our defenses and ensure we’re prepared for the threats we face daily.”
Services Complete reporting added structure, turning adhoc processes into measurable, repeatable routines that improved accountability and response discipline, ensuring the bank’s security operations were both resilient and continuously improving.
THE RESULTS
Turning cyber risk into business confidence
Detection and response times improved dramatically for Askari Bank. Alerts that previously required hours of manual investigation could now be triaged in minutes, allowing their SOC to act faster and prevent incidents from escalating. This acceleration reduced downtime for critical banking services, enhancing both efficiency and customer trust.
Virtual patching and integrity monitoring helped the company secure vulnerable Linux systems and achieve PCI DSS certification with fewer obstacles. Compliance reporting, which was once labor-intensive, is now streamlined and supported directly by data consolidated within TrendAI Vision One™, reducing audit fatigue and improving accountability.
Also through the platform, Askari Bank’s risk score provides a quantifiable measure of progress. This enables their SOC to focus on the most critical threats, justify investments to executives, and demonstrate continuous improvement to regulators.
Askari Bank moved from a reactive, fragmented security posture to a proactive, data-driven operation. Analysts now have actionable insights, resources are optimized, and leadership has confidence in the company’s ability to detect, respond, and mitigate threats effectively.
CUSTOMER SERVICE AS A DIFFERENTIATOR
Service that multiplies security value
For Askari Bank, working with TrendAI™ has felt less like hiring a vendor and more like adding an extension to their own team. “The onboarding was straightforward. The TrendAI™ team fit into our environment instead of forcing us to change everything,” says Shakir.
In addition, TrendAI™ support has been consistent and forward-looking. This strong understanding and relationship provided Askari Bank with confidence that its investments aren’t just technology upgrades. They’re long-term improvements to how security is managed.
“They don’t just wait for something to go wrong,” adds Mirza. “They help us prepare for what’s coming, whether that’s an audit, a new configuration, or an emerging threat.”
ABOUT TRENDAI™
TrendAI™, the global AI security leader and enterprise business unit of Trend Micro, empowers organizations with full AI visibility and consolidated security that inspires confidence, drives innovation, and eliminates risk. AI Fearlessly.
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