Education Non-Profit Enhances Cloud Data Protection

Many Americans are concerned about how companies use the data they collect about them. That makes it essential for businesses to protect customers' data. In this case study, we'll explore how Advizex's innovative solutions helped a leading educational nonprofit improve its data protection practices.

Challenge

A nonprofit that supports New Hampshire students and their families in navigating their post-high school education and career pathways conducted a routine quarterly data review in July 2024. During the review, the nonprofit unearthed something disconcerting: There was an issue with its data security posture.

The organization was overly reliant on a popular cloud platform — Box.com — to store data. The cloud application provided ample cloud storage, but the nonprofit wanted greater data classification and governance capabilities than the platform provided.

There was one significant problem: The organization had a colossal amount of critical data in its Box.com environment.

Partnership With Advizex

The nonprofit had trusted Advizex as its primary security solutions provider for several years. Why? Advizex successfully implemented various security solutions for it, including:

• Zscaler Deployment
• Okta professional services via OIN (Okta Integration Network)
• Comprehensive backup and data recovery solutions

To that end, the client selected Advizex as its go-to partner to secure its cloud data. It created a comprehensive outline of the features it wanted to include in its data security posture management (DSPM) solution, including:

• Automatically identify and classify sensitive data within its Box.com environment
• Provide detailed visibility into data access patterns and user behavior
• Ensure compliance with relevant regulations 
• Integrate seamlessly with its existing security infrastructure  
• Offer cross-platform data protection capabilities

Solution

After assessing the nonprofit's needs, the Advizex team proposed a Varonis solution that consisted of four key components:

Varonis Data Classification Engine Cloud for Box SaaS

The organization needed a solution that could automatically scan and classify sensitive information within Box, such as personally identifiable information (PII), protected health information (PHI), and financial information. 

Advizex proposed this solution to help the client do the following: 

• Identify sensitive data with ease
• Meet compliance requirements
• Minimize the risk of data breaches by providing invaluable insights into where sensitive data resides and who can access it

Varonis DatAdvantage Cloud for Box SaaS

The nonprofit required a solution that could offer complete visibility and governance over data stored in Box by tracking data access and activity.

Advizex recommended this solution to help the client achieve the following:

• Monitor user behavior for any suspicious activity
• Find overexposed sensitive data and take measures to secure it
• Manage permissions and revoke misconfigured ones

Varonis DatAdvantage Cloud Framework SaaS

While the nonprofit primarily used Box for cloud storage, Advizex also proposed this solution, which extends visibility and offers data protection across other cloud applications such as Salesforce and Google Drive.

VaronisPolicy Pack Cloud SaaS

Data privacy regulations often change, and keeping up with their intricacies can be tricky. To address this challenge, Advizex recommended this solution to automate policy updates and enforce policies.

Results

The Varonis solutions Advizex proposed helped the nonprofit enhance data security, improve compliance, and boost organizational efficiency.

Previously, the organization struggled to classify sensitive data. This put it at risk of data breaches that could cost it millions. The data classification engine Advizex implemented helped the client automatically classify sensitive information, reducing the risk of data breaches and preventing costly losses.

The nonprofit also struggled with data governance issues. Unfortunately, this also jeopardized its profitability, as non-compliance can result in hefty penalties. The Varonis solution Advizex implemented enhanced the organization's regulatory compliance capabilities, safeguarding it from business disruption and stiff penalties.

Secure Cloud Data With Robust Security Solutions

At Advizex, we have nearly half a century of experience helping businesses and nonprofits make informed decisions about their IT investments. With a broad client base of over 2,700 customers across various sectors and a 97% customer satisfaction rate, we are dedicated to helping businesses like yours succeed. 

Ready to implement robust security solutions? Contact us today to learn more about Varonis or our other solutions.

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