Tembo Partners with Trend Micro to Engineer Innovation Through AI and Automation
OVERVIEW
Tembo, a family-owned company, began in Kampen, Netherlands as a machinery manufacturer. Over time, they have evolved into a group of 20 companies with 1,200 employees worldwide. The company continues to advance its development efforts and supports customer innovation. Tembo’s research and development (R&D) teams independently develop innovative products, processes, and machines, often in response to customer requests. The company is now active in the homecare and food industries. Throughout its operations, Tembo prioritizes environmental impact considerations.
A partner who is on top of the security world and supports us at the right moments is indispensable.
Dennis Schuldink
Group IT Manager, Tembo
Industry
Manufacturing
Employees
1,200
Region
Global
IT Environment
Microsoft 365, VMWare
Solutions
- Robust security and streamlined management by consolidating all security activities onto a single platform
- Proactive risk mitigation with immediate response capabilities, such as virtual patching and automated workflows that block suspicious activities
- AI-powered insight and detection capabilities for swift and targeted responses to potential security incidents
CHALLENGES
Tembo’s IT department plays a pivotal role in supporting and innovating across diverse branches, ensuring business continuity and anticipating new developments. “As almost everything is now connected, data is almost automatically disclosed,” says Schuldink. “We are sharing more data, within our environment and with customers and partners. This requires firm control over security at all levels of our environment, from network and cloud to endpoints.
Schuldink identifies a clear shift at Tembo. “The more traditional security approach was defensive and aimed at keeping systems closed. The question now is much more about how we can share data securely,” he adds.
In addition to prevention, his team focuses on detection and response to quickly detect anomalies and recognize unusual behavior or suspicious patterns immediately. “Based on that information, we can then take targeted action,” says Schuldink. “We do this initially to protect our systems and data, but also because customers demand that we be well-organized.”
The ability to consolidate all security activities with Trend reduces complexity and makes management easier.
Peter van Nimwegen
System Administrator, Tembo
WHY TREND
Tembo had been utilizing various security solutions from Trend, but sought improved visibility into data and network traffic through email and network detection and response (NDR) tools. “We had a solution in mind for this, with which we set up a proof of concept (POC),” says Schuldink.
According to System Administrator at Tembo, Peter van Nimwegen, the results of the PoC were highly favorable. “Because all data is now collected centrally on one platform, we have a complete picture of the traffic with more insight into possible malware and abnormal behavior,” says van Nimwegen. He recognizes the advantage of this solution in its ease of use, coupled with Trend‘s provision of more comprehensive security and superior integration compared to the provider who implemented the other PoC. “We now have one platform for all security aspects. The ability to consolidate all security activities with Trend reduces complexity and makes management easier,” concludes van Nimwegen.
SOLUTION
By going beyond just signaling, Schuldink was able to immediately implement necessary measures. “In addition to virtual patching, for example, there are playbooks that automatically take action based on workflows. Suspicious or unusual requests or connections are blocked,” he adds. “We can rely on the support of the Trend specialists.” According to Schuldink, Trend’s proactive approach provides his team with a clear advantage. “The workflows cover risks, we don’t have to reinvent the wheel, and we have more data and information about our security situation. As a result, our own learning curve is steeper.”
His team faces challenges with limited expertise and time, managing an environment comprising about 100 virtual machines (VMs) and a complex network. Moreover, developments in the security world are moving fast with multiple dynamics. “A partner who is on top of the security world and supports us at the right moments is therefore indispensable,” says Schuldink.
RESULTS
Tembo places great importance on increasing security awareness among its employees, as human error represents a significant vulnerability. “With training, we continually work on increasing colleagues’ awareness,” says Schuldink. “Trend ensures that we always know what is happening or even what is going to happen.”
Schuldink highlights the practical support, particularly in automating responses to incidents and abnormal activities using AI tools like Trend Companion. This AI-driven approach enhances their ability to maintain up-to-date security measures amid increasing complexities and evolving threats posed by sophisticated cybercriminals leveraging AI tools.
According to Schuldink, it’s essential to leverage comprehensive data for informed decision-making. “It is difficult for us to do and manage all this independently,” he adds. “This way, we are assured of current solutions and information, adequate automated measures, and support. And we can monitor all this centrally. This way, we keep control of our security.”
WHAT'S NEXT
Partnering with Trend also enables Tembo to anticipate future needs and developments. “We want to have a complete picture of the entire environment, including the OT environment,” Schuldink explains. Tembo’s next step involves deploying local sensors to scan the network and centrally gather data from both their locations in The Netherlands and Poland. “Currently, that is still music to our ears, but the goal is to map all network and data traffic and we will realize that step by step.”
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