Wyanoke Group Boosts Data Security and Efficiency in the Cloud

“Any company doing business in today’s data security environment needs to seriously consider platforms like Egnyte.”

Chuck Hosier

Vice President of Cybersecurity and IT Services • Wyanoke Group

For Wyanoke Group, a publisher of healthcare information based in New Jersey, adopting a fully cloud-based infrastructure was a long-held dream. After years spent using on-premises technology to house, share, and collaborate on internal and external content, they realized they needed a better system to provide the level of security that their clients demanded.

“We tried setting up a hybrid solution through Microsoft that combined on-premises file management with backups in the cloud,” explains Chuck Hosier, Vice President of Cybersecurity and IT Services at Wyanoke, who has been with the company for 25 years. “But Microsoft sunsetted that system, so we were back at square one.”

After partnering with Egnyte, Wyanoke finally made their cloud dream a reality – and achieved greater data security as a result.

Challenge: Local File Servers Cause Security and Cost Headaches

The Wyanoke team dealt with numerous headaches and inefficiencies related to their local file system. As just one example, Hosier explains: “We had to back up our content on tape, which took time and forced us to maintain huge tape libraries.”

Their biggest challenge, however, was the insufficiency of their on-premises system to deliver the level of security Wyanoke required. Specifically, the system gave the team very little control over who had access to the many files they shared internally and externally every day. “When we needed to share files, we had to use email attachments,” explains Hosier. “These files could include sensitive customer information that’s now sitting in the inboxes of email recipients. We had no way of stopping them from forwarding it to other people, and no insight into whether the content was sufficiently encrypted.”

These data security shortcomings made local file storage untenable for Wyanoke’s clients. “Many of our clients are in Pharma, where security and integrity of data are absolutely paramount. These clients demand that vendors have a secure way to store and transfer their data. To meet that demand, we needed a better cloud solution.”

Solution: Migrate to the Cloud and Gain More Control

Hosier had recently learned that some of Wyanoke’s clients were Egnyte users and decided to evaluate Egnyte’s cloud-hosted file server. He was immediately impressed. “Egnyte was what we had been seeking for years,” says Hosier. “It’s a full cloud-first solution with great uptime and security.”

John Leibrand, Senior Director, Privacy and Compliance at Wyanoke, was particularly impressed with how Egnyte met the standards associated with ISO 27001. “As an ISO-certified company, we’re obligated to ensure data is encrypted both at rest and in transit, that access controls are solid, and that we have strong reporting. Egnyte provides all of this. The security is top-notch, and it’s easy to report on anomalies. For example, if someone who usually accesses 50 files suddenly accesses 1,000, we’re immediately alerted.”

Egnyte particularly impressed the team with:

• Access controls for company files
  Egnyte empowered the team to share content using password-protected links, which would expire after a specified date, instead of file attachments. Users could also set granular roles and permission parameters to limit who could view, modify, or delete files – and could do so on their own, without having to impose upon IT. “Egnyte really helped us meet our clients’ security demands,” explains Brandon Veiga, Director, IT Support Services at Wyanoke. “It also gives power back to the user, enabling them to share files more easily and securely than they could with a local file server.”
• Native integration with Salesforce CRM
  Integrating Egnyte with Salesforce allowed Wyanoke’s sales team to share files securely without having to pivot away from their preferred workflows. “Our sales reps practically live in Salesforce,” says Veiga. “With this integration, our 50-odd Salesforce users can go through the whole end-to-end process of creating, uploading, and sharing files from the Egnyte source, without leaving the Salesforce interface they’re comfortable with. And it was so easy to set up the integration and user licenses.”
• Rapid deployment and data migration
  Egnyte’s ease of use and attentive support team made it easy to migrate Wyanoke’s large volumes of content from their on-premises system into Egnyte. “We were able to handle the technical aspect of this large-scale migration, as well as get 300-plus people on board, as smoothly as possible, thanks to the Egnyte team, the available training and documentation resources, and the ease of using the system,” says Hosier. “And the support was great. They really made us feel like we’re part of the Egnyte family.”

"As an ISO-certified company, we’re obligated to ensure data is encrypted both at rest and in transit, that access controls are solid, and that we have strong reporting. Egnyte provides all of this. The security is top-notch, and it’s easy to report on anomalies."

John Leibrand

Senior Director, Privacy & Compliance • Wyanoke Group

Benefits: Secure Sharing, Efficient Workflows, and Happy Clients

Armed with Egnyte’s cloud-first data governance and collaboration solution, the Wyanoke team has gained the cybersecurity and file access controls that they need to succeed. “Our clients, particularly in Pharma, often send us long questionnaires to evaluate the level of security we have in place,” explains Hosier. “We can now check all the boxes they’re looking for and confidently meet any security standard a client may bring.”

The switch to the cloud has empowered Wyanoke to streamline workflows and operate much more efficiently. The team is able to access files from anywhere without relying on a VPN – a major benefit for a geographically dispersed staff that often works from the road. And their IT team has become much more productive. “Being responsible for IT infrastructure at Wyanoke, up to 25% of my time was spent maintaining local file store infrastructure,” comments Hosier. “My team and I now get that valuable time back.”

“Employees are getting set up in the system about 30% faster,” adds Leibrand. “And we’ve probably seen a 60% drop in support tickets related to file backups and recoveries because Egnyte saves changes and backs up files automatically.”

Hosier sums up Egnyte as more than just a content repository: “From secure file sharing and getting ahead of ransomware attacks, to easy setup and efficient workflows, we get it all with Egnyte.”