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Outsourcing 24/7 MDR and security operations enables a sports equipment manufacturer to build a comprehensive cyber risk management strategy that scales with the business.
The Business
Rawlings Sporting Goods is a sports equipment manufacturing company based in Missouri. Founded in 1887, Rawlings specializes in baseball and softball clothing and equipment. The company also operates a Direct-to-Consumer digital storefront and serves as a leading sports equipment supplier to major retail chains.
IT infrastructure with 1500+ endpoints that leverages Microsoft Office 365
Cybersecurity program managed by VP of IT and an IT team wearing many different hats
Needed 24/7 security operations support and expertise to reduce alert fatigue, single pane of glass visibility, and strong cybersecurity expertise to minimize threat actor dwell time
Solution and Results
eSentire MDR partnered with Rawlings Sporting Goods to provide:
24/7 Multi-Signal Managed Detection and Response (MDR) for complete attack surface visibility, threat detection, investigation, and complete response.
Managed Vulnerability Service (MVS) to identify, investigate, and remediate vulnerabilities under the guidance of eSentire experts.
Virtual CISO (vCISO) to establish, and implement, security policies and procedures in addition to conducting a security programming policy review and a security maturity assessment.
Managed Phishing and Security Awareness Training to identify cyber risks, increase security awareness, improve user resilience, and alleviate resource constraints.
Incident Response (IR) Readiness Service to take a proactive approach to incident response and accelerate the IR process to reduce recovery costs in the event of a cyberattack.
Business and Security Outcomes
Around-the-clock security event monitoring with 24/7 threat detection, investigation, and response capabilities by a team of SOC Cyber Analysts and Elite Threat Hunters
Seamless integration with their existing best-of-breed technology stack for a scalable security solution
Improved multi-signal visibility with a centralized view of the environment
Cost-effective alternative to operating an in-house SOC
Trusted expert-level guidance to reduce cyber risk and build a resilient security posture
The Challenge
Operating at the intersection of Manufacturing and Retail industries, Rawlings Sporting Goods faced a wide range of cyber risks due to its expanding digital platforms, third-party supply chains vendors, and access to customer data.
When Mark Haubein joined Rawlings Sporting Goods as the VP of Information Technology, he recognized the challenges of an evolving threat landscape and knew they needed to build a cybersecurity program with 24/7 visibility, threat detection, and response capabilities across endpoints, log, and network environments.
With an in-house team focused on IT, a secondary challenge for Mark was lack of in-house cybersecurity expertise necessary to keep pace with emerging threats. What’s more, the IT team was stretched thin across various functions since hiring additional resources with cybersecurity expertise wasn’t possible. “With cybersecurity, staffing is difficult because it's a very in-demand skill,” says Mark.
Since staffing a dedicated in-house 24/7 SOC for continuous monitoring was out of reach, Rawlings began looking for a trusted cybersecurity partner who would proactively detect, disrupt, and remediate cyber threats before they impact their supply chain, business, and customers.
“We really needed to outsource it because not only can you struggle to find people, but it's very hard once you have people to keep them current in their skills.”
In addition, Rawlings didn’t have a full-time Chief Information Security Officer (CISO) so they wanted a partner who would help guide them establish, and implement, security policies and build a proactive security posture.
Why Rawlings Sporting Goods Chose eSentire as their Proven MDR Partner
After suffering through a security incident at his previous role, Mark knew he never wanted to go through an incident like that at Rawlings. Knowing Rawlings couldn’t support an in-house cybersecurity team, Mark started looking for an MDR partner who would act as an extension of their team to provide expert-level cybersecurity support and guidance.
After evaluating multiple providers, eSentire emerged as the clear choice due to the breadth and comprehensiveness of the security services offered.
“One of the main things we were looking for was more comprehensive coverage,” Mark notes. We had some degree of coverage in place with our existing people and some products, but this really gave us the ability to tie all those things together and put in place the right solutions to make sure that we have the company protected.”
As a result of partnering with eSentire, Rawlings benefits from:
Comprehensive vulnerability management with Managed Vulnerability Services (MVS) to continuously identify vulnerabilities across their environment and get expert guidance on remediating them
The engagement began with a Security Program Maturity Assessment (SPMA) and Security Policy Review and Guidance (SPRG), which evaluated the maturity of Rawlings’ cybersecurity program compared to industry benchmarks and assessed their ability to address the latest cyber threats.
Following this initial assessment, Rawlings worked with a Virtual CISO (vCISO) to develop a multi-year roadmap for their cybersecurity program that aligned with business objectives and helped reduce cyber risk.
This strategic planning was crucial in helping Rawlings build a more resilient security posture and stay ahead of the evolving threat landscape.
By outsourcing their SOC to eSentire, Rawlings achieved 24/7 monitoring, investigation, and threat response capabilities without incurring the cost of building an in-house SOC.
“The great thing about working with the SOC with eSentire has been not only their responsiveness, but really them becoming an extension of our team. We don't have the people to staff our own SOC, so it's been fantastic to have somebody that not only understands our business, but also our environment and allows us to continue to grow as a company because they're growing with us along the way.”
Mark Haubein
VP of Information Technology, Rawlings Sporting Goods
eSentire acts as an extension of the IT team at Rawlings, allowing them to allocate their internal resources towards initiatives beyond cybersecurity and rely on eSentire's expertise for long-term protection.
Given the extensive nature of Rawlings’ digital operations, it was critical that their security partner effectively manage alerts from all signals and reduce the noise from false positives without sacrificing the quality of response.
When asked about the quality of the threat response that the eSentire SOC delivers, Mark states, “They escalate [incidents] very responsively and respectfully. They're not calling us in the middle of the night about a minor situation. They're actually calling us when there is something that needs to be addressed.”
Additionally, eSentire equipped Rawlings with a centralized view of threats across their environment, enhancing their understanding of their current security posture, the threats targeting their business, and the areas for improvement. In doing so, eSentire enables Rawlings to reduce cyber risk and build a more resilient security posture.
“By having eSentire as a partner, we've been able to not only avoid the internal cost of trying to staff up our own SOC, but also really redeploy the mind space of my team on other initiatives. We can actually focus on things that are going to add value outside of cyber and really rely on the expertise of eSentire to make sure we're protected in the long run.”
Mark Haubein
VP of Information Technology, Rawlings Sporting Goods
Conclusion
The manufacturing sector has been a ripe target for ransomware attacks, and cybercriminals are increasingly targeting small-medium sized businesses (SMBs).
eSentire has proven to be a valued partner in providing end-to-end, comprehensive cyber risk reduction covering all attack vectors within Rawlings’ extensive environment.
“If we've got an employee that happens to bring a phone on-site that might have malware on it, eSentire is going to catch it. If we happen to have a vendor that comes in that they've got an issue that maybe was undiscovered, they'll catch that as well.”
This enhanced visibility plays a critical role in Rawlings' cybersecurity strategy. With the expert-driven threat insights and analytics provided by eSentire, Mark and his team can present measurable improvements in cyber risk reduction to Rawlings' senior leadership and board team. These metrics not only reflect the success of their cybersecurity initiatives but also make the case for the ongoing investment in cybersecurity.
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