Executive Summary

A leading food manufacturing company with operations in South Africa, faced growing cybersecurity challenges in protecting its proprietary recipes, customer data, and supply chain information. After implementing Zecurion's Next Generation Data Loss Prevention (DLP) 12 suite with the innovative Screen Photo Detector module, the company achieved comprehensive protection against insider threats, noticeably reducing potential data breach within first six months.

Company Overview

The Corporation is a global food industry leader with significant operations in South Africa, including:

• Proprietary food formulations and manufacturing processes.
• Supply chain management for perishable goods.
• Customer data handling for B2B and B2C operations.
• Financial transactions with vendors and partners.

The South African division handles sensitive information requiring protection from both external and internal cybersecurity threats.

Challenges Faced

1. Protection of Proprietary Food Formulations

Organization's competitive advantage lies in its recipes and manufacturing processes. The company needed to prevent unauthorized sharing of this intellectual property, whether through digital means or physical photographing of screens displaying formulation databases.

2. High Employee Turnover Risks

Like many in the hospitality sector (which shares similar operational challenges with food manufacturing), the company faced risks from employees leaving with sensitive data:

• Frequent contractor rotations in IT systems.
• Limited visibility into data access patterns.

3. Regulatory Compliance

Operating in South Africa's strict POPIA (Protection of Personal Information Act) environment required:

• Comprehensive audit trails for all customer and employee data.
• Demonstrable controls against unauthorized data access.
• Immediate breach detection capabilities.

4. Supply Chain Vulnerability

With numerous vendors and partners accessing portions of their systems, the organization needed to:

• Monitor third-party access to sensitive areas.
• Prevent kickback schemes and procurement fraud.
• Protect supplier and pricing information.

Zecurion Solution Implementation

The company deployed a comprehensive Zecurion ecosystem tailored to food manufacturing security needs:

1. Zecurion Next Generation DLP 12 Suite

• Endpoint Security: Monitored all workstations accessing formulation databases and financial systems.
• Policy-Based Controls: Custom rules for different departments (R&D, Finance, Operations).
• Content Inspection: Real-time analysis of data transfers involving recipes or customer lists, etc.

2. Screen Photo Detector Module

This AI-powered solution specifically addressed sensitive data protection from smartphone photography attempts (0.06 second response) and automatic screen blanking when unauthorized photography is detected.

3. Staff Control & User Behavior Analytics

• Monitored unusual access patterns to formulation databases.
• Tracked employee efficiency while maintaining security.
• 15-indicator profiling to identify potential insider threats.

4. Investigation Workflow Automation

• Streamlined incident response for security team.
• Unified dashboard for all data security incidents.
• Audit trails meeting POPIA requirements.

5. Dynamic Watermarking

• User-specific watermarks on all sensitive documents.
• Automatic screenshot prevention for chosen applications.

6. Unified Console

• Single view of all data security events.
• Customizable dashboards for different departments.

Lessons Learned

1. Industry-Specific Customization Matters:

• Food manufacturing has unique security needs different from financial or hospitality sectors.
• Zecurion's flexible policy engine allowed precise tuning.

2. Visible Security Creates Culture Change:

• Screen watermarks and photo detection warnings improved employee awareness.
• Security became part of operational culture rather than just IT policy..

3. Integration is Key:

• Combining digital and physical security systems multiplied effectiveness.
• Existing web cameras and access control systems enhanced DLP capabilities.
  

Conclusion

By implementing Zecurion's comprehensive DLP suite with specialized Screen Photo Detector technology, the corporation transformed its data security posture from reactive to proactive. The solution addressed unique challenges in the food manufacturing sector while providing measurable improvements in intellectual property protection, regulatory compliance, and operational efficiency. This case demonstrates how industry-specific customization of cybersecurity solutions can yield dramatic risk reduction outcomes.