At a Glance
As part of a G8 national government, this agency works tirelessly to prevent tax fraud. Decision-makers at the agency have a massive drive to improve technology and reduce internal spending. BlackBerry® UEM represented a perfect opportunity in that regard.
The Organization
Tax fraud is an issue every government must contend with, and agencies like this one exist to tackle it. Efficiency is extremely important within this organization. For that reason, there’s a constant drive to find new, innovative ways to help agents work, while also reducing internal spending.
However, because the industry in which the agency operates is so highly regulated, security is also top of mind. In addition to regulatory compliance, the organization must account for legislation such as the GDPR. This mandate is frequently at odds with the other two, and the agency approached BlackBerry for help.
The Challenge
Before working with BlackBerry, agency workers had to contend with near-obsolete handsets that offered a poor user experience and required frequent maintenance. These devices were managed through a complicated mix of solutions, and a service integrator handled the agency’s systems and networks. Because each vendor had its own licensing and cost structure, the end result was a cumbersome budget and sprawling, complicated infrastructure.
According to the agency’s Technical Solutions Manager (TSM) at BlackBerry, this sort of thing is quite common in government.
“A lot of government bodies are on disparate legacy systems that haven’t been touched in five or ten years – sometimes longer,” explains the TSM. “But they’ll also sometimes seek to introduce newer technology, as well. This makes for a very complex, very expensive environment.”
The agency needed to replace its old mobile infrastructure with something more streamlined and flexible. It also sought a way to reduce overhead by shifting everything to a single vendor. Finally, it wanted to fully explore the capabilities of Microsoft® Office 365® – something it could not effectively do within its current environment.
The Solution
The agency had already considered a competitor’s product, but had issues with implementation. After discussing its mobility and security requirements at length, the TSM recommended that the organization consolidate its mobility infrastructure into BlackBerry UEM. He worked closely with the agency’s decision makers, educating them on the solution and introducing them to its capabilities.
“The agency purchased approximately 18,000 cloud licenses so they could move away from their legacy platforms onto new, cloud-enabled devices,” the TSM recalls. “They’re now extensively using Samsung KNOX™, Android™ for Work, and native iOS® – all managed through BlackBerry UEM.”
According to the TSM, the biggest challenge in implementation was that since the agency wanted to reduce its reliance on its service integrator, it didn’t want many on-premises solutions. It needed something that was easy to manage. BlackBerry UEM cloud delivered on this, allowing them to protect both their devices and their email data.
“Because the agency’s staff is so used to legacy technology, it’s been a bit of a learning curve for them,” notes the TSM. “However, they seem generally happy with it – and we’ve been able to do a lot to help them understand all the technology they’re now working with.”
The Results
Since choosing BlackBerry UEM , the agency has enjoyed several notable benefits.
Excellent Protection for Customer Data: At any given time, the agency is processing huge volumes of customer data. On legacy systems, that data is under constant risk of compromise. With UEM, the agency can eliminate that risk.
“Because of the industry they work in, the agency has to work very closely with the guidance regulations set by their government,” explains the TSM. “By consolidating onto a single UEM platform, they gain greater, more consistent control over their mobile environments and the data they contain.”
Superior Connectivity Without Unnecessary Overhead: With certain EMM platforms, setting up a secure corporate gateway requires an additional licensed component. That isn’t the case with BlackBerry UEM, which provides both a secure gateway and a container-wide VPN without any additional licensing fees.
“Competitors could have offered them the connectivity they required, but they’d have had to pay extra for it,” explains the TSM. “Our VPN solution doesn’t require anything extra – there’s no physical server resource required to enable it.”
Better Control over ActiveSync: Because of how BlackBerry UEM is configured, the agency can deploy Microsoft® ActiveSync® in a much more secure fashion. Its threat surface is significantly reduced, and it’s able to integrate EMM and mobility much more closely with its Office 365 email.
“With UEM, the agency doesn’t need to configure its Microsoft ActiveSync address to be accessible outside the organization,” says the TSM. “They don’t have to worry about unauthorized access, nor do they have to implement third-party two-factor solutions.”
Reduced Infrastructure, Lower Costs: The agency has now moved to the cloud and greatly reduced its physical infrastructure. Through BlackBerry, it’s also able to scale far better than before. And it’s achieved both of these goals without compromising on security.
“Prior to consolidation, the agency was using two separate environments,” explains the TSM. “We’ve now brought everything together onto a single UEM platform. They now have a wider scope of supported devices, reduced overhead, and better scaling and reliability.”
Future Plans: From here, the agency is exploring the possibility of using the BlackBerry® Dynamics™ Secure Container – for now, it’s pleased with the functionality offered by UEM, KNOX, and Android for Work.
Organization Profile
Industry Government
Employees 18000
https://www.aegonsonylife.co.jp/english/