How IAM is Used by Whole Foods, Western Union, FDM Group, Lighthouse Academies, and VLI: Case Studies

Identity access and management (IAM) is a policy framework that ensures users have sufficient access to technical resources. 

IAM solutions are used by companies that have ecosystems with numerous users. It helps them better implement and manage security policies and properly monitor for security violations and manage access privileges.

See the case studies below to learn how various organizations implemented an IAM solution to transform how they manage their user ecosystems:

1. FDM Group

FDM Group is a talent partner that helps tech professionals, graduates, returnees, and ex-military personnel find work opportunities with clients. With 250 employees, FDM Group is responsible for launching the careers of over 2,000 individuals around the globe yearly in a variety of industries.

FDM is rapidly growing, and it needs a digital environment that’s future-proof and doesn’t need to be re-architected every time it scales up. CyberArk allows them to manage its employees’ identity and access privileges, without having to install servers across all operating regions.

“Deploying CyberArk has tangibly streamlined the audit process for us. There is a lot of reassurance from having a recognized industry-leading brand in place,” says Patrick Wake, group head of information security for FDM Group.

“CyberArk automatically does things that are well beyond standard audit requirements, immediately instilling confidence and resolving any concerns.”

Industry: Professional services

IAM solutions: CyberArk Privilege Cloud and CyberArk Jump Start

Outcomes:

• Streamlined attaining compliance
• Improved visibility across on-prem and cloud environments
• Cloud-based solutions without physical servers
• Minimizes the window of vulnerability with fast implementation

Read the full FDM Group and CyberArk case study.

2. VLI 

VLI is a rail-based logistics solutions operator across five locations in Brazil. It controls a system of more than 8,000 KM of railroad, 100 locomotives, and over 6,000 railway cars, with a team of 8,000 employees and 1,000 contractors.

Working in the logistics and rail industry, VLI must meet numerous government regulations in compliance, security, and safety, among many others. In order to manage compliance with strict identity governance requirements, VLI decided on IBM’s portfolio of security solutions, including IAM.

“We have about 9,000 people who need access to our different systems to move the trains. It’s critical for timing — a new driver can’t be waiting to unload a truck. He needs access to records about product movement and transactions,” says Thiago Galvao, CISO at VLI.

“We decided on IBM for a combination of reasons: the technology, local support, and price.”

Industry: Transportation and logistics

IAM solutions: IBM Security Identity and Access Management, IBM Security Verify Governance, IBM Security Verify Privilege Vault, and IBM Security Verify Privilege Manager

Outcomes:

• Reduced time for access requests response from five days to seconds
• Built-in malware and ransomware protection
• Cost-effective solution
• Boosted productivity of line workers

Read the full VLI and IBM case study.

3. Lighthouse Academies

Lighthouse Academies (LHA) is a nonprofit network of schools that prepare students to becoming scholars. 600 faculty members instruct and guide over 6,000 students on their opportunities for higher education, careers, and a career in an arts-enriched environment.

Starting from scratch in 2016, LHA built various systems to manage student and faculty identities on its networks and servers. Without automation, the school would have a hard time scaling up to accept more students.

“From the beginning, it was clear that OneLogin understood our unique academic and nonprofit needs right away, and they were more about the partnership with LHA, which made a really big difference for us,” says Casey Muse, CIO and CTO of Lighthouse Academies.

Industry: Education

IAM solutions: OneLogin’s Active Directory Connector

Outcomes: 

• Management of over 7,000 accounts
• User identities managed in less than two hours instead of a day
• Help desk savings drive productivity

Read the full Lighthouse Academies and OneLogin case study.

2. Whole Foods Market

Whole Foods Market (WFM) is a series of grocery stores that started out in Austin, Texas and grew to more than 460 stores and just under 100,000 employees on two continents. It’s committed to offering organic foods with strict quality standards.

Looking to reduce operating costs, WFM started using software-as-a-service (SaaS) alternatives to apps and took advantage of Azure Active Directory Premium to simplify identity management for its employees.

“Identity is the new firewall of the future. We can’t continue to use our old way of controlling application access, because business isn’t happening exclusively in our network anymore,” says Will Lamb, infrastructure coordinator at Whole Foods Market.

“With Azure Active Directory Premium, we can stay in control, no matter where our users roam.”

Industry: Grocery

IAM solutions: Microsoft Azure Active Directory Premium, Office 365, and Microsoft 365 E3 Security

Outcomes:

• Reduced support costs by 32%
• Reduced pre-onboarding support costs for SaaS apps by 50%
• A single sign-on for more than 30 SaaS apps
• Employees can reset passwords on their own

Read the full Whole Foods Market and Microsoft Case Study.

5. Western Union

Western Union is a multinational financial services company based in Denver, Colorado. With more than 60,000 agent locations, Western Union enables people to transfer and receive cash funds instantaneously around the globe.

Western Union was using four solutions to identity governance, which wasn’t cost effective or functional. Looking to implement a dedicated, enterprise-wide IAM platform, it looked to SailPoint for help.

“We signed the contract on New Year’s Eve, and we had a complete cutover from the old application to SailPoint by the following December, for about 750 applications,” says Harold Black, business solutions architect at Western Union.

“We can now easily see what access a user has, and we can compare it with what levels of access was requested, and we can fix any deltas that need to be fixed.”

Industry: Financial services

IAM solution: SailPoint Identity and Access Management Platform

Outcomes:

• Gaining full visibility into users’ access privileges
• Efficient user access to applications management
• A single, centralized solution for over 600 applications

Read the full Western Union and SailPoint case study.

6. Nine Entertainment

Nine Entertainment is a media company that works in television, newspaper, radio station, and subscription video platforms. Based in Australia, it’s the country’s largest locally owned media company with over 6,000 employees and annual revenue of over $1 billion.

During a $4.3 billion merger with Fairfax Media in 2018, Nine introduced its partner to its ID management solutions from Azure, when it was struggling to implement a multi-factor authentication (MFA) solution.

“OneLogin has been our identity and access management tool of choice for years and continues to be. It’s how we make sure our people and brands are protected,” says David Tregoning, systems architect at Nine Entertainment.

Industry: Media and entertainment

IAM solution: OneLogin Trusted Experience Platform and SmartFactor Authentication

Outcomes:

• Minimizes maintenance for small technology teams
• Secures and streamlines access to web apps
• Enables secure and easy access to critical apps
• Single-sign on and self-reset password for employees

Read the full Nine Entertainment and OneLogin case study.