Garden Trade International
Vade provides extra security at Garden Trade International
Garden Trade International has been active on the B2B market for many years. During the lockdown, there was a strong demand from the consumer market, and activities were expanded to B2C. An online webshop was added. This new step required additional security.
A challenge that Office-IT was able to answer perfectly with Vade.
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Additional security was the main focus for Garden Trade International. “Due to COVID-19, online sales accelerated, and we expanded our activities to the B2C market,” says Simon Dreesen, Data & Process Manager at GTI. “This meant we had to move quickly online, resulting in a new webshop. Given the broader scope and the increasing number of cyber threats, we immediately decided to add extra protection on top of our Microsoft 365 environment. Our team is certainly aware of the risks, but we wanted to build in an extra layer of assurance. A safety net, so to speak, in case a malicious email slipped through the cracks.”
An extra safeguard
Although GTI has not yet faced major security incidents, they decided to act proactively. “We regularly receive phishing emails, but our staff are aware of the risks and handle them wisely. Still, with our new B2C focus, we felt additional security was needed. During the pandemic, employees also started working from home, which was an extra reason to act quickly. Recently, one of our customers was hacked, completely paralyzing their company, and that is exactly the kind of scenario we want to avoid at all costs. We see Vade as an extra safeguard. If our employees are ever a little less alert, we know there is a safety net that prevents problems. And all this without us having to worry. The first-line check is handled by Vade. All messages are screened preventively. Our employees see the checks happening, which gives them extra confidence. We notice no delays, so it has absolutely no impact on our way of working.”
Relying on the expertise of Office-IT
Are they satisfied with Vade at GTI? “Honestly, we didn’t even consider other systems because we trusted Office-IT’s advice. When they suggested this solution, we quickly went along. Security threats are blocked, and operationally we notice no negative impact. It is definitely user-friendly and also affordable. A detailed reporting is available, but you don’t even need to check it in order to work worry-free. We know Office-IT can monitor everything remotely, so we don’t feel the need to dig into the details ourselves.”
The company’s sales representatives received an extra layer of protection. “A smartphone can easily get lost, and with AuthPoint, WatchGuard’s multi-factor authentication solution, we added extra protection to our sales reps’ iPhones. Authentication is done simply via an app on the smartphone, without codes or tokens. It is very user-friendly and efficient. This multi-factor authentication ensures we know for sure who is logging in and provides additional security for remote network users.”
Towards an even closer cooperation
The fact that GTI fully trusted the solution proposed by Office-IT shows the strong relationship between the two companies.
“As mentioned earlier, we fully relied on Office-IT’s expertise in choosing Vade. We have been working with them for years and recently signed a new framework agreement. They are flexible, think proactively, and provide solutions – exactly what we need. It is only logical that we are satisfied and have committed ourselves for the coming years. Office-IT will be our leading partner in moving towards fully cloud-based working and in implementing a new ERP system planned for the end of this year.”
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“We didn’t even consider another solution. We trust the expertise of Office-IT.”
Garden Trade International