- Customer Profile: Commercial law firm; 389 employees
- Goals: Secure data on laptops in case of loss or theft; comply with customer requirements for data protection
- Solution: PGP® Encryption Platform: PGP® Whole Disk Encryption secures laptops; PGP® Desktop Email encrypts emails; PGP Universal™ Server provides central management
- Deployment: On schedule; within budget; by PGP® reseller
- Benefits: Security; scalability; good performance; easy to use
Henry Davis York chose the PGP Encryption Platform to lock down the contents of the firm’s laptops and safeguard confidential information in email.
Henry Davis York is one of Australia’s oldest commercial law firms. In the last 10 years, the firm has experienced significant growth and now has almost 400 employees, including 200 of the country’s brightest lawyers. The firm’s blue-chip client list covers a variety of sectors, including corporate, government, and financial services.
Like any law firm, Henry Davis York works with sensitive and confidential client information. When data breach stories started appearing repeatedly in the media—often due to lost or stolen laptops—Henry Davis York began researching the best way to protect its data and its clients’ confidentiality.
Laptop security. Laptops play a key role in keeping the Henry Davis York staff connected and productive while outside the office. The portable nature of laptops makes them ideal for working off-site, but also makes them vulnerable to loss or theft—and the sensitive information on them susceptible to exposure. Henry Davis York needed to safeguard this data to meet corporate, regulatory, and customer requirements.
Shared resources. Rather than having each employee work from a laptop at all times, Henry Davis York maintains a “library” of corporate laptops. When employees need to work off-site, they simply borrow a computer from the library. Henry Davis York needed a security solution that would work for multiple users sharing the same laptop.
Client security demands. Some of Henry Davis York’s clients are concerned about information security. As the company’s IT Security Analyst, Alex Clonaris, explains, “One of our banking clients required that we start encrypting all our email communications.” Realizing this requirement was the beginning of a trend, Clonaris wanted a solution that would meet current needs and also could scale easily to address client demands that might arise in the future.
Zero productivity impact. Henry Davis York is known for outstanding client service. To sustain this reputation, Clonaris wanted a data security solution that did not interfere with employees’ abilities to remain productive and responsive to clients.
Proactive approach. Australia does not yet have security breach regulations, but this situation may change. According to Clonaris, “Regulations like those in the United States are needed in Australia and are not far off. Individuals and organizations should be alerted when their data is exposed.” Clonaris wanted to take a proactive approach to security so that when regulations are introduced, Henry Davis York would be one step ahead in protecting its client data and its reputation.
“All our research on an enterprise encryption solution pointed us to PGP Corporation,” says Clonaris. He selected PGP Desktop Email and PGP Whole Disk Encryption, both centrally managed by PGP Universal Server. “PGP Corporation’s ability to manage multiple encryption applications with one server was especially appealing to us,” he adds.
Lock down laptops. Clonaris’s first encryption task was to protect the confidential data on the firm’s laptop library. “Rather than wondering if a laptop might be lost or stolen, we decided to proactively prepare for when this would occur,” explains CIO Kelvin O’Connor. With PGP Whole Disk Encryption, Henry Davis York can lock down the contents of all its laptops with nonstop encryption. Should a laptop go missing, the firm is assured that unauthorized individuals cannot access the data. This approach sends a strong message to Henry Davis York’s client base that the firm takes clients’ confidentiality needs very seriously.
Meet client requirements. Another challenge was how to meet a client’s demand for securing emails. “A lot of companies use PGP® products, and many of our clients do as well,” explains Clonaris. “I consistently heard positive feedback on PGP® implementations, so we chose PGP Desktop Email for lawyers that work with that particular client. The solution is transparent to users and automatically encrypts emails.”
Centrally manage encryption. “Our research showed that PGP Corporation was the one-stop-shop to secure our data,” says Clonaris. The PGP Encryption Platform provides Henry Davis York with an infrastructure to centrally manage its email and laptop encryption applications as well as easily deploy new ones, as needed.
“We are very pleased with the performance of all our PGP products,” reports Clonaris. “And the PGP partner we worked with was extremely knowledgeable. We really enjoyed working with them.”
Server ready within hours. Clonaris was surprised at the ease of the deployment. “I had a few doubts before we started. It seemed too good to be true,” he recalls. “But a technician from the PGP partner came in one afternoon, answered all my questions, set up the server, and started the deployment. It was that easy.”
Painless encryption. “Encrypting the laptops was simple,” reports Clonaris. “The PGP partner helped us figure out the best deployment approach for our unique environment. The PGP® technology allowed us to start the initial encryption process on a laptop and still loan it out while it was being encrypted. PGP Whole Disk Encryption happens in the background, so the user could continue to work on the laptop as usual.”
Emails secured. Henry Davis York also uses PGP Desktop Email to secure emails with select external partners. “Our banking client now has secure end-to-end email communication with our lawyers,” says Clonaris. “By meeting the bank’s security mandate, we were able to keep it as a client.”
No user disruption. User productivity has not been affected by adding the encryption applications. “Users only notice the different login password screen; everything else is transparent to them,” reports Clonaris. “Plus, they know their information is protected.”
Prepared for future demands. Thanks to the PGP Encryption Platform, Henry Davis York can now easily deploy additional encryption applications—without installing additional infrastructure—when new regulations or customer requirements arise.
Henry Davis York deliberately took a strategic approach to encryption. Rather than simply meeting current demands, the law firm has established a foundation from which it can address future needs as well. “Thanks to the PGP Encryption Platform, we’re now one step ahead,” says Clonaris. “This experience has shown me why PGP Corporation is the industry leader." |
