2 page Case Study - Posted 6/24/2009

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NuStar Energy

Energy Firm Tightens Protection, Simplifies IT Work using Business-Ready Security Solutions

NuStar Energy has grown rapidly since its founding, which has introduced greater risks to corporate information, made regulatory compliance more difficult, and increased IT work. Using Microsoft® business-ready security products, NuStar has enhanced network protection, reduced desktop computer downtime by 450 hours annually, improved compliance, and saved U.S.$200,000 annually through IT efficiencies.

Business Needs

NuStar Energy L.P. (NuStar), of San Antonio, Texas, is one of the largest asphalt refiners and marketers in the United States and the second largest independent liquids-terminal operator in the nation. NuStar has been growing steadily since its creation in 2001 and employs more than 1,700 people worldwide.

With continuous growth through acquisitions, the NuStar IT department soon had to manage and protect more than 325 servers and 1,200 desktop computers located all over the world. The opportunity for new security threats multiplied with each device added to the network. Yet, “Our business is moving oil, not managing technology,” explains Robert Amos, Manager of Infrastructure Systems for NuStar Energy. “We needed an identity and security infrastructure that would protect our assets without consuming a lot of time.”

To comply with the United States Sarbanes-Oxley Act of 2002, the IT staff created a custom application to manage identity credentials. However, the IT staff spent two weeks a month making changes to the application, and still had to manually review every account request. Credential reporting was also done manually; one person on Amos’s staff spent an entire month each quarter developing auditing reports.

Also, the company’s Active Directory® service was not synchronized with the user-account credentials in the firm’s Human Resources application. The work of manually updating these two systems kept two full-time staff members busy; still, management was concerned about the timeliness of securing accounts after employee terminations.

With Microsoft business-ready security solutions, we’re confident that we have a security infrastructure that will protect our assets without eating up a lot of IT management time. Robert Amos Manager of Infrastructure Systems NuStar Energy

Solution

NuStar owned licenses to Microsoft® management software but did not need to use it when the network was small. As its network expanded, however, NuStar decided to update and expand its Microsoft core infrastructure investment to gain a comprehensive, integrated set of management, monitoring, identity, and security software that would minimize IT work and maximize protection. “With Microsoft business-ready security solutions, we’re confident that we have a security infrastructure that will protect our assets without eating up a lot of IT management time,” Amos says. “Using the Microsoft Enterprise Client Access License [CAL] gives us fast, cost-effective access to the products we need, when we need them.”

In December 2008, NuStar used its Enterprise CAL to obtain Microsoft Forefront™ security software. NuStar uses Microsoft Forefront Client Security, Forefront Security for Exchange Server, and Forefront Security for SharePoint® to provide end-to-end protection across all its client and server computers. “We can now identify and remove viruses as well as defend against malware and spyware,” Amos says. “Plus, we can integrate Forefront into Active Directory and deploy it using Group Policy, which helps ensure that all our systems are protected.” 

NuStar also deployed Microsoft Identity Lifecycle Manager 2007 to simplify identity management tasks. NuStar was able to use Identity Lifecycle Manager 2007 to create a self-service security request for users. The IT staff is no longer involved in adding, removing, or changing user permissions to various applications; authorized personnel in each business unit perform these tasks using an automated workflow.

Benefits

Using Microsoft business-ready security solutions that integrate easily into its existing network, NuStar has enhanced network protection against a widening range of intruders, reduced downtime, improved regulatory compliance, and trimmed IT work.

More Thorough Protection Against Security Risks

Using Microsoft Forefront software to defend servers, desktop computers, and critical applications, “I have a comfort level that I did not have before,” Amos says. ”We not only know when we have problems, but we know that they were handled,” he says.

Also, because Forefront software runs so efficiently, NuStar can scan computers more frequently. “We could only run our previous solution nightly because the scans degraded performance,” Amos says. “We have Forefront scanning every four to six hours, with a full scan every night. I would never consider doing that with another product. As a result, our systems are better protected.”

Downtime Reduced by 450 Hours Annually

A better protected desktop infrastructure reduces computer downtime, as well as user and IT staff productivity losses. “Forefront has caught and blocked malware that would have taken down our environment before,” Amos says. “It isolates problems before they can spread, which saves us a huge amount of cleanup time. We’re saving two to four hours of lost productivity per incursion, which adds up to about 450 hours annually.”

Improved Compliance

The ability to create and terminate user accounts quickly and accurately, and report on them instantly, helps NuStar better fulfill compliance audits. “With identity management tasks automated, we can track user-account events easily and immediately track changes. This helps us meet regulatory compliance requirements,” Amos says.

Simplified Management Saves $200,000 Annually

By assigning identity management to business users and removing the IT staff from the process, the NuStar IT staff is free to focus on higher-value business needs such as integrating acquisitions. “Using Identity Lifecycle Manager 2007 to streamline identity management has enabled us to reallocate IT resources with an annual savings of $100,000.” Amos says. “The speed at which we can resolve security issues saves us another $60,000 annually.”

Plus, licensing Forefront software through its Enterprise CAL eliminated $40,000 annually in licensing fees for the previous security solution.