Swiss Logistics Company F. MURPF Employs macmon
Transporting Food Requires Reliable Processes
The company F. MURPF AG was founded by Fridolin Murpf in Hägendorf, Switzerland in 1962. Murpf originally worked for himself with a used tipper truck, primarily transporting gravel for the large construction sites nearby. Today the logistics company has 500 employees, 230 vehicles, 7 locations, and supports business processes with its own app for iOS and Android. Its primary operation is national distribution and transport logistics for food in all temperature zones.
Key Facts about Case Study F. Murph AG
Biggest challenges:
- Decentralised and heterogeneous network infrastructure at multiple locations
- Large number of mobile end points of various device classes
Reasons for macmon NAC:
- BYOD functionality
- Efficient network monitoring
Successes through macmon NAC:
- Clear identification of all end points in the network
- Significant increase of the security level
- Standardization and acceleration of administrative processes
Michael Zeidler from German supply chain management expert Körber has been supporting the transport professionals for more than ten years. Körber offers well-founded advice, innovative, practical software products and professional integration of solutions for optimizing customer-specific logistics processes.
The focus is on warehouse management, transport management and distributed order management.
With growing awareness of network security among medium-sized companies in recent years driven by themes such as the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) or cyber-crime, Zeidler contacted the security experts at macmon secure in 2019 on the basis of a recommendation from one of his customers. Following in-depth training by the macmon Academy and subsequent certification, Zeidler launched the “Network Access Control” project at F. MURPF AG in summer 2020.
The objective was
to get a better overview and control over the steadily growing, heterogeneous network infrastructure distributed over multiple locations.
A further objective was
to securely manage mobile Android devices and PDAs — compact, portable computers that are used for task management in the warehouse sector and for the ordering process. Mobile vehicle computers — also known as forklift terminals — are also used in many areas of operation. And of course the employees bring their own devices into the company.
In terms of network management, the geographical situation at F. MURPF AG presents a particular challenge. Communication takes place across the Swiss mountains via LTE radio relay systems that meet the growing need for increased data rates. They also satisfy the Internet users' demand for a fast network that is available in any location.
Michael Zeidler, Körber Supply Chain: “With macmon Network Access Control we now know at all times which devices are on F. MURPF's network and where they are located. All devices used such as PCs, printers, laptops or technical devices in warehouse management are identified, efficiently monitored and protected against unauthorized access at all times. Guest devices and employee devices (BYOD) can be easily and securely authorized via the guest portal thanks to dynamic management of the network segments. The implementation was quick and easy, and all locations were connected on schedule. We have now made significant improvements in network security and the management of the devices runs automatically in the background.“
Existing Security Level Significantly Increased Thanks to macmon NAC
macmon NAC was quickly and easily implemented by partner firm Körber without any problems and with no further involvement from F. MURPF. Since there was already comprehensive support for the infrastructure and thus also the network, macmon NAC simply provides an expanded overview and a higher level of security for F. MURPF. Information from the NAC solution now forms part of the regular service report provided by Körber.
The advantages of macmon NAC
- Convenient and automatic visualization of all network components of the distributed locations for an effective network overview. Significant reduction in administrative effort. Constructive handling of requirements from audits and inspections.
- Collection of endpoints’ operating system, domain and name for clearer identification. In conjunction with macmon NAC, the information is used to detect, defend against and localize internal and external attacks on the logistics company.
- Comprehensive overview of all devices in the Murpf network — from PDAs to iPhones, live inventory management, immediate alerts for unknown devices and automatic initiation of countermeasures to protect against criminal attacks such as blackmail.
- Intelligent and flexible management of all third-party devices, for example from service engineers or logistics partners, through a granular guest ticket system for controlled, temporary LAN and WLAN access, including a sponsor and BYOD functionality.
macmon NAC Under the MSP Model
The macmon license model offers partners the opportunity to provide their existing expert knowledge in the area of network security as part of a managed service and thus to consolidate and expand the services offered to customers. macmon secure provides partners with the necessary specialist knowledge for professionals through a regular flow of information, training courses or webinars and, of course, also provides support through an internal support team.