PhosAgro chooses Cyber Immune workstations from Kaspersky

PhosAgro, one of the world’s leading producers of phosphate fertilizers and the largest supplier to Russian and international markets, has implemented a project to introduce the Kaspersky Thin Client solution

Background

PhosAgro needed to set up secure, controlled access to its information resources.

From the outset, thin clients were identified as the ideal solution forthis project, as standard desktops either fail to meet key security requirements for secure access or require a lot of additional security measures.

The company’s managers and specialists perform the following common tasks on workstations:

• working with emails and office documents
• using an internet browser
• playing audio and video content
• working with corporate information systems

It is important that thin clients not only perform these tasks but also meet the following additional requirements:

• centralized management of workstations
• easy scalability of workstations
• ability to update software from a single center
• reduced total cost of user equipment
• high level of information security, including centralized management of security policies
• secure access to remote desktops
• management of access to devices redirected to the user environment on the server

About the company

PhosAgro is a vertically integrated Russian enterprise and a leading global producer of phosphate-based fertilizers.

Its products help farmers to increase crop yields and quality in approximately 100 countries around the world. The company’s plants produce nearly 60 brands of mineral fertilizers, ammonia, feed phosphates, and high-grade phosphate rock.

Solution

A distinctive feature of Kaspersky Thin Client is Cyber Immunity. It provides IT systems with “innate” security that can withstand cyberattacks without the need for any additional security tools.

Based on the results of a pilot project, Kaspersky Thin Client’s Cyber Immune thin clients were chosen for employee workstations.

A scenario for connecting to virtual desktops located on the corporate network using a certain VDI platform was tested as part of the project.

The remote desktops run on Windows and Linux guest operating systems. The thin clients are managed via Kaspersky Security Center, a centralized management system that is also integrated with other Kaspersky solutions and is widely used in corporate infrastructure to ensure a unified security policy

Results

Cyber Immune thin clients were implemented at the Cherepovets plant of Apatit and PhosAgro. A scaled-up version of the project is planned for the next release, when Kaspersky Thin Client’s functionality is expanded.

The customer noted a number of positive results from the implementation of workstations based on Kaspersky Thin Client.

• Thanks to the Cyber Immune properties (built-in security) of the thin clients, the cost of protecting workstations from cyberattacks has decreased because it is no longer necessary to purchase and install antivirus software for this class of devices.
• The head of PhosAgro’s information security department noted the convenience of configuring thin clients via a centralized management console and the significant reduction in the time required to administer user devices. The solution has lowered the cost of IT infrastructure, as well as the cost of administering the management and monitoring system.

Drawing on the experience gained during operation, the customer formulated proposals for the further development of Kaspersky Thin Client functionality. The project continues to progress with close cooperation between Kaspersky and the customer. Planned stages involve the implementation of thin clients to solve a wider range of tasks.