NC Nov-Dec 2023

CASE STUDY
Computer Security and Visibility: In a world
where data breaches and cyber threats
loom large, Rentokil Initial recognised that
safeguarding their digital assets was
paramount. Security became the chief
motivator for embracing Lansweeper,
enabling them to gain a comprehensive
view of their IT assets, including Windows
devices and software, and pinpoint
potential vulnerabilities.
Rentokil Initial bid farewell to spreadsheets
and manual processes, which often left room
for errors and inefficiencies, and ushered in
streamlined operations with enhanced
accuracy. By eliminating the time-consuming
manual tasks that plague IT asset
management, Rentokil Initial was able to foster
a more agile and responsive approach.
Integration was a cornerstone requirement
for enhanced IT asset management, and
Mark Blackman, Global Configuration
Manager at Rentokil Initial, underscores the
importance of this, "We needed a solution
that would complement what we already had
in place and simplify software audits. While
our ServiceNow platform provides asset and
configuration management, if somebody
didn't manually register an asset, or if there
were connected Windows devices that had
not been identified, we were blind to those
asset's existence."
Understanding the magnitude of security
risks, including identifying and alerting when
an unknown asset connects to the network,
was deemed critical. This integration with
ServiceNow empowered Rentokil Initial to
proactively monitor their IT landscape,
fortifying their security posture.
"Rather than relying on a single tool, we have
multiple tools in place, which feed information
to the CMDB within ServiceNow," explains
Blackman. "Having data from many tools
creates data "triangulation," providing a depth
and breadth of information across all virtual
machines, physical devices and software on
the assets we want to manage."
Compliance with the General Data Protection
Regulation (GDPR) was a compelling driver for
embracing an IT asset discovery solution.
Lansweeper provided the necessary tools to
maintain GDPR compliance, ensuring Rentokil
Initial remained in harmony with the everevolving
legal landscape.
A SEAMLESS PATH TO ORGANISATION-
WIDE VISIBILITY
In the quest for comprehensive IT asset
management and security compliance,
Rentokil Initial deployed Lansweeper scanners
across regional data centres in North America,
Asia, and EMEA. This was a significant
milestone and set them on a journey to
revolutionise their organisational visibility.
All the data gleaned from these scanners was
centralised in a data hub in the UK. This data
repository served as the linchpin of Rentokil
Initial's IT asset management strategy,
facilitating real-time insights and compliance
tracking on a global scale.
While ServiceNow operated in the cloud,
Lansweeper's on-premises "mid server" acted
as the bridge between the two. This onpremises
component perfectly executed
Lansweeper queries, ensuring accuracy and
efficiency. The results were then seamlessly
transmitted back to the cloud instance of
ServiceNow, creating a harmonious marriage
of precision and convenience.
ILLUMINATING THE IT LANDSCAPE
Rentokil Initial gained the ability to peer into
every possible area of their IT assets connected
to the corporate network. This panoramic view
extended across continents, helping them
gauge the state of IT globally.
Moreover, this newfound visibility wasn't just
about counting assets - it was about identifying
potential vulnerabilities and risks lurking
beneath the surface. Armed with this insight,
Rentokil Initial could proactively fortify their IT
infrastructure, safeguarding their business from
potential threats.
The combination of agent-based and
agentless scanning is ideal for managing
devices across global locations. The agentless
scanning provides the ability to determine
whether a lost or misplaced device is GDPR
compliant and/or free from vulnerabilities, and
therefore not at risk of being compromised.
A key use case for these features was for
mergers and acquisition integration, which is a
key part of Rentokil's Initial strategy. "When we
acquire a new company, we simply deploy
Lansweeper on the company's infrastructure,
and we can immediately see all the devices
they have, what operating systems are not
supported, and whether they've been patched
properly," said Blackman. "That helps us
budget appropriately for any hardware
upgrades or remediation work to bring these
assets up to our corporate standards."
The data in the CMDB keeps Rentokil Initial's
senior management team informed via KPI
reports generated by the ServiceNow platform,
and data from Lansweeper is essential to
creating those reports.
NINE MONTHS TO GLOBAL
TRANSFORMATION
The global rollout was no small feat - the
networking team played a pivotal role,
meticulously identifying subnets and
credentials. These details were the keys to
unlocking a comprehensive scan, and the
infrastructure team meticulously verified them
to ensure the initial scan's success.
It stands as a testament to Rentokil Initial's
commitment to organisational visibility and
security. It's a journey that has not only
illuminated their IT landscape but also fortified
their defences against the ever-evolving threats
of the digital realm. NC
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