Safeguarding The University of Warwick\u2019s data<\/strong><\/p>\nCommon to the HE sector, the University of Warwick\u2019s email environment is subject to attack by cybercriminals. An abundance of devices, the value of students\u2019 personal identification information (PII), the University\u2019s intellectual property, and the rise of post-pandemic remote learning make the University\u2019s email platform a key target for malicious attacks. \u201cWe have approximately 40,000 active accounts, across multiple domains,\u201d explains Des Butcher, Enterprise Application Director, University of Warwick. \u201cAuthentication is critical for us \u2013 not only to safeguard the email platform, but also to ensure critical emails are not blocked, such as the ones containing financial data or marketing campaigns.\u201d<\/p>\n
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The challenge for Butcher and his team was to take control of the authentication framework and prevent attacks infiltrating the University\u2019s systems. \u201cSPF management was complex,\u201d he says. \u201cWe have many sending services to authorise, ongoing DNS updates, a need to ensure continuity of service and ensure configuration is correctly managed.\u201d Moreover, the team needed to resolve DKIM (domain keys identified mail) lifecycle management. \u201cWith no means to authoritatively identify the sender, anyone could easily impersonate sending domains,\u201d says Butcher.<\/p>\n
Maybe the University could manually attempt to get visibility into the DMARC (domain-based message authentication, reporting, and conformance) standard reports and identify the services that were not authenticated? \u201cManual DNS changes were an unsustainable approach,\u201d says Butcher. \u201cIt would have taken a long time and absorbed a significant amount of our resources \u2013 resources that would be better spent on value-add strategic security tasks. We needed a robust, automated DMARC policy without the headaches of the implementation.\u201d<\/p>\n
This is where Gradian comes in.<\/p>\n
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\u201cWe trust Gradian implicitly\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n[\/et_pb_text][\/et_pb_column_inner][\/et_pb_row_inner][et_pb_row_inner _builder_version=”4.16″ _module_preset=”default” global_colors_info=”{}” theme_builder_area=”post_content”][et_pb_column_inner saved_specialty_column_type=”2_3″ _builder_version=”4.16″ _module_preset=”default” global_colors_info=”{}” theme_builder_area=”post_content”][et_pb_text admin_label=”The Solution” _builder_version=”4.18.0″ _module_preset=”default” global_colors_info=”{}” theme_builder_area=”post_content”]<\/p>\n
The Solution<\/h2>\n This forward-thinking data protection consultancy proposed an innovative new approach to managing the University\u2019s email security. Butcher again: \u201cGradian was the ideal partner to support our DMARC enforcement. Their managed service approach takes away the risk and the resources needed to implement successful defence against email attacks. Their depth of knowledge, proven track record, and professionalism mean we trust Gradian implicitly.\u201d Gradian deployed a Valimail DMARC enforcement platform at the University to eliminate domain spoofing and phishing. The highly automated solution delivers DMARC enforcement, easily enabling the University to auto-configure thousands of sending services. And integrated SPF technology dynamically overcomes the 10-domain lookup limit for every email \u2013 with 100% accuracy.<\/p>\n
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\u201cWith Gradian at our side, the implementation was straightforward. The team filled our resource constraints, knowledge gaps, and the risk of incorrectly configured enforcement. Very quickly, the University was benefiting from automatic DNS configuration, intelligent sender identification, and an easy-to-follow task list. One of the great features is the drill-down domain visibility. We have quantified evidence of the number of senders, the country of origin, and other insights. This was useful in developing the business case for enforcement.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n[\/et_pb_text][\/et_pb_column_inner][\/et_pb_row_inner][et_pb_row_inner _builder_version=”4.16″ _module_preset=”default” global_colors_info=”{}” theme_builder_area=”post_content”][et_pb_column_inner saved_specialty_column_type=”2_3″ _builder_version=”4.16″ _module_preset=”default” global_colors_info=”{}” theme_builder_area=”post_content”][et_pb_text admin_label=”The Result” _builder_version=”4.18.0″ _module_preset=”default” global_colors_info=”{}” theme_builder_area=”post_content”]<\/p>\n
The Result<\/h2>\n Almost eliminated phishing or spam campaigns <\/strong><\/p>\nThe bottom line? The University of Warwick now ensures only authorised senders can use the \u2018warwick.ac.uk\u2019 domain in the \u2018From\u2019 field of their email messages. \u201cWe have almost eliminated the frequency of successful phishing or spam campaigns purporting to be sent from the \u2018warwick.ac.uk\u2019 addresses. We have complete visibility into what\u2019s happening, thereby stopping the mis-use of our domain.\u201d<\/p>\n
Gradian has also been instrumental in driving agile and effective change management. \u201cGradian has been vital in the change program. They worked with the different University stakeholders and departments ensuring they were on-board with the change. The Gradian team were proactive and skilled throughout, managing the process so our small team could concentrate on other priorities. With Gradian\u2019s support and the innovative Valimail platform, the University of Warwick has a guaranteed path to fast, safe DMARC enforcement.\u201d[\/et_pb_text][\/et_pb_column_inner][\/et_pb_row_inner][\/et_pb_column][et_pb_column type=”1_3″ _builder_version=”4.16″ custom_padding=”|||” global_colors_info=”{}” custom_padding__hover=”|||” theme_builder_area=”post_content”][et_pb_image src=”https:\/\/www.gradian.co.uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/10\/university-of-warwick-logo.png” title_text=”university-of-warwick-logo” admin_label=”Logo” _builder_version=”4.18.0″ _module_preset=”default” global_colors_info=”{}” theme_builder_area=”post_content”][\/et_pb_image][et_pb_text _builder_version=”4.18.0″ _module_preset=”default” global_colors_info=”{}” theme_builder_area=”post_content”]<\/p>\n
Challenge<\/h3>\n Common to the HE sector, the University of Warwick\u2019s email environment is subject to attack by cybercriminals. An abundance of devices, the value of students\u2019 personal identification information (PII), the University\u2019s intellectual property, and the rise of post-pandemic remote learning make the University\u2019s email platform a key target for malicious attacks.<\/p>\n
Solution<\/h3>\n Gradian deployed a Valimail DMARC enforcement platform at the University to eliminate domain spoofing and phishing. The highly automated solution delivers DMARC enforcement, easily enabling the University to auto-configure thousands of sending services. And integrated SPF technology dynamically overcomes the 10-domain lookup limit for every email \u2013 with 100% accuracy.<\/p>\n
Results<\/h3>\n The University of Warwick now ensures only authorised senders can use the \u2018warwick.ac.uk\u2019 domain in the \u2018From\u2019 field of their email messages.<\/p>\n
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The University of Warwick Builds a Secure Future with GradianThe Business The University of Warwick is a public research Russell Group university, located between the West Midlands and Warwickshire, England. Founded in 1965, the University is ranked 61st in the world and 10th in the UK. Some 92% of Warwick\u2019s research has been assessed to […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":7,"featured_media":2716,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_et_pb_use_builder":"on","_et_pb_old_content":"","_et_gb_content_width":"","content-type":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[11],"tags":[],"yoast_head":"\n
The University of Warwick - Gradian Systems Ltd<\/title>\n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n\t \n\t \n\t \n \n \n \n\t \n\t \n\t \n