Case Studies > Samsung Research America Enhances Mobile Security with Check Point

Samsung Research America Enhances Mobile Security with Check Point

Technology Category

Platform as a Service (PaaS) - Device Management Platforms
Robots - Wheeled Robots

Applicable Industries

Electronics
Telecommunications

Applicable Functions

Human Resources
Maintenance

Use Cases

Inventory Management
Tamper Detection

Services

System Integration

About The Customer

Samsung Research America is a wholly owned subsidiary of Samsung Electronics Company. The organization is responsible for researching and building new core technologies to enhance the competitive edge of Samsung products. Headquartered in Silicon Valley, Samsung Research occupies locations in key technology centers across North America. As an industry-leading manufacturer of consumer electronics, Samsung is committed to forward-looking innovation and bringing new products to market ahead of competitors. An extensive portfolio of patented intellectual property forms the core of Samsung innovation. Human resources, legal, and research and development employees routinely work with confidential product plans and proprietary information.

The Challenge

Samsung Research America, a subsidiary of Samsung Electronics Company, is tasked with researching and developing new core technologies to enhance the competitive edge of Samsung products. The organization deals with a vast portfolio of patented intellectual property and confidential product plans. With employees increasingly working on smartphones, tablets, and their own devices, the IT team had to support approximately 800 corporate-owned and 400 employee-owned devices. The challenge was to prevent data leaks from mobile users and defend against cybercriminals trying to break in from the outside via phishing emails and other tactics. The organization needed a solution that would prevent compromised devices from accessing the network or enterprise data, defend clean devices on the network, and protect both iOS and Android mobile devices with a single solution. The solution also needed to integrate with Samsung’s existing AirWatch by VMWare mobile device management (MDM) and Splunk security information and event management (SIEM) platforms.

The Solution

Samsung Research America chose Check Point's SandBlast Mobile for its ability to protect devices from app-based zero-day malware and other threats. SandBlast Mobile provides multiple layers of defense against exploits, targeted network attacks, mobile malware, and commercially available mobile remote access Trojans (mRATs) that enable spyware and data theft. The solution also integrated seamlessly with VMware AirWatch, enterprise mobile management (EMM) and Splunk SIEM platforms, providing comprehensive visibility into mobile threats and automated enterprise-wide security policy enforcement. Check Point SandBlast Mobile defends against threats on devices, in apps, and in the network, correlating and analyzing device, application, and network information in the cloud to deliver real-time threat intelligence. If a user downloads something malicious and Check Point identifies it as malware, it notifies the MDM system to quarantine the device, removes the security profile from the infected device, and prevents the device from accessing the corporate network.

Operational Impact

The Check Point solution has proven to be highly effective, identifying dozens of threats with no false positives. This success has given Samsung significant confidence to allow unknown, employee-owned devices onto its network. The solution finds malware on a daily basis from compromised links, downloads, or applications on new, user-owned phones. When the team installs the Check Point software on a new phone, it ensures that the phone and all pre-existing apps are clean. The solution has also simplified security management, with a cloud-based dashboard providing real-time intelligence and visibility into the number and types of mobile threats trying to gain entry. The software sits in the background, silently protecting Samsung’s mobile devices, and has given the organization peace of mind knowing that proactive security and multiple layers of defense now protect Samsung’s corporate data and intellectual property.

Quantitative Benefit

Achieved 100% protection for iOS and Android devices
Identified three embedded pieces of malware on employee devices on its first day in service
Caught more than 20 different kinds of malware