Industry
Manufacturing
Employees
900+
Region
United States
IT Environment
AWS
OVERVIEW
Headquartered in Ohio with US-based manufacturing plants and global retailers, Step2 is America’s largest manufacturer of molded plastic preschool and toddler toys. The company prioritizes their customer and product data security with over 10,000 endpoints.
When Senior Network Manager at Step2 Tom Petkoff began expanding the company’s security posture for their endpoints, he considered their existing partnership with Trend Micro, based on years of security protection at the server and email layers. This made shifting to the Trend Vision One™ AI-powered enterprise cybersecurity platform a simple—and proactive—decision.
“We have enjoyed our partnership with Trend Micro, safeguarding our manufacturing operations. Their solutions are number one from our perspective, and they listen to us and provide great service to us,” says Petkoff. “They’re available anytime we have issues and that’s the type of company that Step2 wants to partner with.”
THE CHALLENGE
As a large manufacturer with thousands of endpoints, phishing and ransomware attacks keep Step2 focused on proactive cybersecurity.
“Although our team works hard to educate users, the thought of an incident keeps me awake at night. New threats are constantly evolving, and even informed users may not always recognize them,” says Petkoff. “We can spend millions of dollars on our cybersecurity stance. We can partner up with the best people in the industry. We can invest time. But all you need is one person to click on a link and that all goes away.”
Now that we’re partnering with Trend Micro, you’re giving me back 30 hours in a week.
WHY TREND
The people-first culture at Trend immediately impressed Petkoff, providing unwavering support and a commitment to strong relationships. “The Trend team is always available. Anytime we have issues, they’re there to support us. That’s the type of company that Step2 wants to partner with,” says Petkoff.
SOLUTIONS
The Endpoint Security solution within the Trend Vision One platform helps the Step2 security team prioritize their work and stay on top of patching.
Petkoff is especially enthusiastic about the complete visibility it enables across the Step2 security environment, accessible within a streamlined interface. “I can give my people at the help desk the Trend Vision One interface and they’ll be able to understand it with very limited training,” says Petkoff.
Managed services from Trend have also provided Petkoff peace of mind. “I’ve had your team call me at 3:00 a.m., saying, ‘Hey, we’ve noticed some abnormal activity and lateral movement in your network,’ and you take action immediately, so I don’t have to be awake 24/7,” Petkoff adds.
The Trend team is always available. Anytime we have issues, they’re there to support us. that’s the type of company that Step2 wants to partner with."
Senior Network Manager, Step2
Tom Petkoff
RESULTS
Trend solutions, services, and support have freed up a significant amount of time for Petkoff and his team. “With other solutions, I would spend approximately 30 hours a week researching and remediating anytime we got a warning or a potential threat. Now that we’re partnering with Trend Micro, you’re giving me back 30 hours in a week,” Petkoff adds.
With a strengthened security posture, Petkoff and his team can now concentrate on other opportunities, such as expanding the company’s security to help address emerging threats. “If I were spending all my time on these conventional threats, like phishing attacks and ransomware, I would not be concentrating on the higher priorities like threats from AI. With Trend in my arsenal, I can concentrate on the bigger picture,” says Petkoff.
Just two weeks after Step2 deployed Endpoint Security, Trenders responded to an internal program that was creating abnormal activity. “We didn’t even have the product fully deployed, and Trend was calling me already. The responsiveness was impressive,” Petkoff adds.
WHAT'S NEXT
“We have many machine monitoring systems, security cameras, handheld devices, and printers that can’t be monitored with endpoint agents. We’re considering [Trend Micro™ TippingPoint™] to gain a comprehensive view of our network. I hope to achieve a complete story of our network, not just our endpoints,” says Petkoff.
ABOUT TREND MICRO
Trend Micro, a global cybersecurity leader, helps make the world safe for exchanging digital information. Fueled by decades of security expertise, global threat research, and continuous innovation, the Trend Vision One enterprise cybersecurity platform harnesses AI to protect hundreds of thousands of organizations and millions of individuals across clouds, networks, devices, and endpoints. TrendMicro.com
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