Less operational pressure, more strategic focus on IT security

Mensura is an external service for workplace prevention and safety. The company inspires and guides organizations in looking after their employees better, to achieve longer and healthier employability. An internal audit showed there was room for improvement of IT security at Mensura. The exercise led to the development of a new IT security strategy.

CIO Gerrit Van Daele: "We are building around three axes: technology, procedures, and user awareness." The approach is new. Instead of making a leap with every investment round, Mensura prefers an approach that relies on continuous improvement.

Gerrit Van Daele, CIO at Mensura

High security maturity required due to personal data

Unsurprisingly, IT security is important to Mensura. The company works with the personal data of customers' employees. Bart Naelaerts, Cybersecurity Solution Advisor at Proximus: "We help Mensura develop a higher degree of maturity concerning security." In doing so, we act as the unique point of contact for the various facets of IT security. This way, we offer the company a complete solution without the worries that would otherwise inevitably arise when integrating among different partners."

SOC, ROC, and NOC

More specifically, this involves the end-to-end security of Mensura's IT infrastructure, from employees' smartphones and laptops to servers in the data center and network. Proximus provides these services from a SOC (Security Operations Center) through a subsidiary, Davinsi Labs. There is also a ROC (Remote Operations Center), which includes following up the operation and availability of IT services, and a NOC (Network Operations Center) that monitors the network. Besides infrastructure security, Proximus also deals with everything related to compliance and data security.

From IT infrastructure to applications

Gerrit: "We take a scalable approach. Today the focus is mainly on infrastructure, but we can eventually expand the scope toward the application landscape." CIOs never expected that security would require so much attention today, but they are purposefully choosing to invest in it. "We have to be up to date with it; with the technology, the procedures and our people."

Gerrit Van Daele, CIO at Mensura

Transparent security policy towards customers

"At the same time, we need to focus on our business and deal with everyday IT threats again." Support from a specialized external partner is then particularly timely. "Besides, security is also important for our customers. We have to be able to show that we have the right policy. And we do. We want to be very transparent about that."

Close relationship with nearby partner

As SOC, ROC, and NOC remove the pressure from operational security management, it frees up time for Mensura's CISO to work more on strategy and the longer term. Bart: "We provide the CISO with the necessary support in that area as well." We do this by collaborating on assessments, where we map out the areas where IT security can be further improved, and more." The fact that Proximus helps support this strategic role as an ICT partner is characteristic of the close relationship between the two companies.

Gerrit: "This way, we also learn what's happening in the market more quickly." Proximus' nearness is also an advantage in this regard. The headquarters of both companies are located close to each other at the North Brussels Railway Station.