Capricorn Energy tightens security with Microsoft-first partner
Headquartered in Edinburgh, UK, Capricorn Energy is one of Europe’s leading independent upstream energy companies with a history stretching back to 1980. The international business has an outstanding track record of discovering and extracting oil and gas from locations in Europe, the Americas, Asia and Africa.
During more than five years of collaboration, Capricorn Energy and Quorum Cyber have grown together, steadily strengthening the energy company’s cyber security within budget and reducing their risk exposure while they’ve operated in challenging offshore environments around the globe.
In 2020, the company was ready to entrust Quorum Cyber’s Security Operations Centre (SOC) team to provide its Microsoft Sentinel Managed Detection & Response (MDR) service for three years.
Microsoft security top of the wish-list
One attraction for Capricorn Energy was to partner with a company based in the same city for relatively easy access to Quorum Cyber’s growing team of experts. Another big plus was to work with a Microsoft-only cyber security specialist that continually invested in its employees’ training and development alongside its day-to-day focus on safeguarding the energy firm’s complex and ever-evolving IT system.
“Being a Microsoft-first cyber security company is really important for us and one of the key things that mattered when we searched for a partner,” explains Nick Mier, Group Head of Information Technology and Cyber Security for Capricorn Energy. “We are very much Microsoft-first when it comes to security and that’s one of the key things that Quorum Cyber has. It’s essential to us that they manage their security via Microsoft Sentinel.”
In addition to the MDR service, which the SOC team runs 24/7, 365 days a year, Quorum Cyber provides vulnerability management and phishing simulation services and Security Director as-a-Service.
Education is key
While Quorum Cyber’s team members have deep experience in Microsoft Security technologies, at its heart cyber security is really about risk management and, therefore, very much about people. That’s why educating customers’ employees is so important and why this has been a key focus during the relationship.
“Our team members are now very cyber aware,” adds Nick. “Improved education in cyber awareness has definitely come through the partnership, although there’s always more to do.”
As part of their contract, Capricorn Energy benefits from receiving regular service reviews, useful and timely threat intelligence reports, vulnerability management meetings, and practical advice to improve their quality of signals and data quality.
Achieving cyber maturity
“While we’ve been maturing as a company, our relationship has matured along the way, so that’s definitely been beneficial,” says David Malone, Capricorn Energy’s IT Service Delivery Manager. “Over the last 18 months we’ve had a seismic shift in terms of the maturity of the relationship and that’s good for both parties.”
Despite the steady improvement in their security posture, the company is determined not to let their guard down in an increasingly unpredictable digital environment. “Going forward, our goals are to achieve a higher score in the US National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) cyber security framework by the end of 2024 and to focus on automation,” Nick says. “While partnering with Quorum Cyber we’ve doubled our score in the past three years. We also aim to tighten up on data security and insider risk.”
MCi Protects its Customers Worldwide with Enterprise-Grade Cyber Security
Serving state, local governments, and global Fortune 100 companies in the energy, mining, manufacturing, and chemicals industries, Management Controls, Inc. (MCi) needed to transform its cyber security to the world-class level expected by its long list of prestigious customers. As a software technology and services leader, MCi provides critical Software-as-a-Service (SaaS) solutions and its unique TRACK® platform for tracking and managing contract labor, equipment rental, and material spending. MCi counts many of the world’s largest companies as loyal customers, some of whom it has served for over twenty-five years.
Privately owned, the Houston-headquartered business has ambitions to grow in the U.S. healthcare, automotive, aerospace, chemical and upstream energy sectors and extend its footprint across North America, Europe, Asia, Australasia, and Africa. Safeguarding its customers’ data is essential to achieving its international expansion plans.
Customers demand world-class security
“Our customers are increasingly asking us detailed questions about our security, including disaster recovery and how we’ll respond to severe incidents. We must confidently reassure them that we have enterprise-grade protection in place,” explains Daniel Iturbe, Vice President of Infrastructure, Security & Compliance at MCi.
“To achieve this, we have implemented rigorous security protocols and business continuity and recovery plans that ensure the safety and confidentiality of our customer’s data. Our team of experts is continuously monitoring and updating these measures to stay ahead of potential threats.
“We understand that our customers trust us with their sensitive information, and we take that responsibility very seriously. Rest assured, our commitment to providing top-notch security measures is unwavering, and we are always ready to respond swiftly and effectively in any security incident.”
After completing a comprehensive program of preparation internally, MCi was ready to find a cyber security partner to provide a Security Operations Centre (SOC) that would match their business needs and meet the high standards of cyber security demanded by their customers worldwide.
MCi searched Quorum Cyber online, and a local Microsoft representative assured them they were worth talking to. Founded in 1989, MCi is predominantly in the cloud, and its cloud hosting is 100% provided by Azure. Hence, being a Microsoft-only house and a Microsoft Solutions Partner for Security, Quorum Cyber seemed like a good candidate. However, there were many other companies to assess as well.
Five essential criteria for a long-term partner
MCi took a diligent approach in selecting a long-term cyber security partner. They conducted an exhaustive Request for Proposal (RFP) discovery and execution phase over five months. During this time, they carefully evaluated over ten cyber security companies and thoroughly assessed their service offerings. Price was not the only determining factor, and the companies were assessed based on several essential criteria:
- Vendor qualifications: Experience, expertise, and financial stability.
- Technology and tools: A vital matrix component consisted of selecting a SOC company focusing only on Microsoft Azure Security Stack and Azure toolsets.
- Service Level Agreements (SLAs): Response times, escalation procedures, and reporting capabilities needed to comply with MCi contractual and compliance requirements.
- Flexibility and customization: The ability to tailor and customize services to meet MCi annual reports and audits for MCi customers.
- Security and compliance: SOC requirements to have Microsoft and industry-accepted certifications and accreditations.
- Cost and value: SOC’s pricing structure, schedule, add-on services, and overall were collectively categorized and analyzed independently.
- Reputation and references: The SOC’s reputation in the industry and references from current and past customers were scored using an internal MCi review process.
After evaluating all proposals, MCi trusted Quorum Cyber as their long-term cyber security partner. This decision was made after considering the added complexity of working with multiple vendors and that Quorum Cyber met all their requirements, including their need for an experienced and reputable Microsoft partner with a complete set of security competencies, certifications, advanced SIEM services, and strong customer support.
A true partner that lives and breathes cyber security
“I strongly believed that we needed a partner dedicated solely to the Microsoft ecosystem, who deeply understood cyber security and could fully support our Security Operation Center’s needs. We wanted a partner who would invest the time to comprehend our cloud infrastructure, unique business model, and even our customers and be part of our growth journey and continued success,” said Daniel.
Moreover, MCi needed an expert in Microsoft Sentinel, Azure, and cloud computing that can proactively detect and defend against zero-day attacks and possess strong automation skills to improve efficiency and reduce the risk associated with cyber incidents. The ideal partner should also have experience working within a single, integrated security ecosystem.
After onboarding MCi onto their SOC in early 2022, MCi is confident that Quorum Cyber, whose SOC team runs the Microsoft Sentinel Managed Detection & Response (MDR) service, has already helped to improve its cyber security posture and security scores significantly.
“I am thoroughly impressed by the exceptional customer service provided by Quorum Cyber. Their attention to detail, quick response time, and efficient triaging of information by their SOC is outstanding,” said Daniel.
“The single-pane-of-glass view offered by their customer portal, Clarity, has been an invaluable asset to my team. This enables us to access all the necessary information from one dashboard easily.
“Quorum Cyber’s technical expertise and account management skills are second to none, and their professionalism is truly commendable. They maintain continuous communication with their customers and offer top-notch customer support, a rare quality in today’s business world.
“Overall, Quorum Cyber is a fantastic extension of our organization and a true partner. Their unwavering commitment to excellence is reflected in every aspect of their services, making them a top-class provider in the cyber security industry.”
Peace of mind around the clock
“We couldn’t get the security and visibility of the SOC by recruiting more people to cover the same things in-house,” concludes Daniel. “In a nutshell, MCi has been able to catapult our cyber security posture to an enterprise-grade level, thanks to the mutual partnership in working towards the same goals.”
