The Market Leader in Electrical Engineering Protects Supplier Communication with bowbridge
The Challenge
With over 60,000 products and more than 100 years of experience, Phoenix Contact Group is the world leader in electrical connection technology.
To ensure a smooth and efficient sourcing process with suppliers, Phoenix Contact built an SAP-based central management portal for data and information exchange. Suppliers use the portal to upload files to Phoenix Contact’s SAP system, including certificates, company presentations and other purchasing documents.
The company immediately realized the portal needed to be secured. As Ferenc Mate, SAP expert at Phoenix Contact, explains, “Allowing external users to upload files absolutely requires comprehensive protection against viruses and other malware. A single infected file can otherwise threaten the entire SAP system, intentionally or unintentionally.”
However, it was not possible to protect the portal with SAP alone. The company’s IT team needed a more powerful security solution that could also seamlessly integrate into their SAP system.
Mate knew his best option, based on previous experience. “We already had a great experience with bowbridge protecting our E-Recruiting and CRM, which of course made the decision easier,” he says. “It is our opinion that bowbridge is clearly the market leader when it comes to protecting SAP from malware.”
At a Glance
Customer:
Phoenix Contact Group, headquartered in Blomberg, Germany
Industry:
Manufacturing of electrical connection components
Challenge:
To permit external users to upload files into SAP without exposing the system to cybersecurity risks.
Solution:
bowbridge Anti-Virus for SAP Solutions
Results:
Efficient data and information exchange between purchasing and external suppliers, with maximum protection against viruses, malware and files with active content.
“It is our opinion that bowbridge is clearly the market leader when it comes to protecting SAP from malware.”
— Ferenc Mate, SAP expert with the IT team at Phoenix Contact
The Solution
The SolutionPhoenix Contact first limited the number of allowed file formats using standard settings in SAP. Microsoft Word and Excel files were specifically excluded, as these file types are widely used for ransomware attacks due to their macro functionality.
Phoenix Contact then added bowbridge Anti-Virus for SAP Solutions to reliably protect their SAP system against viruses, malware and active content, such as files with JavaScript, Java Archives, Flash and Silverlight.
In addition to improving security, bowbridge provided a convenient and easy implementation. This is because bowbridge Anti-Virus for SAP Solutions is the only four-time SAP-certified security product on the market. The solution meets all requirements of NW-VSI 2.0 and therefore seamlessly integrates with SAP’s own monitoring and protocol functions, and even with third-party products.
After initial quality assurance testing, the setup in Phoenix Control’s production system proceeded completely trouble-free. “No inconveniences, no adjustments,” says Mate.
“bowbridge was the only provider to offer us the highest level of security combined with easy implementation and a tight SAP integration. We will definitely trust bowbridge for future projects in this area.”
— Ferenc Mate, SAP expert with the IT team at Phoenix Contact
The Results
The ResultsCommunications can now take place efficiently between purchasing and external suppliers on a daily basis — all while the availability and security of their SAP system is safely maintained. bowbridge Anti-Virus for SAP Solutions prevents malware and dangerous content files from entering the system and guarantees maximum stability, reliability and data integrity.
Mate is also pleased there have been no false positives. “If files are blocked by the solution, we check these afterwards,” he says. “So far, every single decision was correct. This fits in with the thoroughly positive experiences we’ve had with bowbridge thus far.”
The entire project has delivered everything Phoenix Contact sought. As Mate affirms, “bowbridge was the only provider to offer us the highest level of security combined with easy implementation and a tight SAP integration. We will definitely trust bowbridge for future projects in this area.”
