Rema Tip Top South Africa, part of a global provider of conveying and processing technology and tyre repair, operates a vast network of services and products across the industrial and automotive sectors. For a manufacturing company, robust cybersecurity is essential to protect valuable intellectual property, ensure uninterrupted production and secure sensitive data.

Although Rema Tip Top has an advanced suite of security measures in place to fight against network threats, the random use of a memory stick introduced ransomware behind the company’s firewall, encrypting a sizeable percentage of its data.

Jason Pillay, group IT manager at Rema Tip Top, approached Ricoh South Africa for a solution to prevent further breaches. “Rema Tip Top needed to have an additional security layer to isolate infected computers from its other IT systems when ransomware attacks bypass traditional security defences,” says Schalk van Wyk, head of digital services at Ricoh.

Cost of cyber vulnerability

A good reputation is the foundation of a thriving and stable business. Preventing reputational damage from cyberattacks is vital because such incidents directly impact a company’s credibility and customer trust.

When a business falls victim to a cyberattack, it not only faces the immediate fallout of data loss or financial theft, but also a long-term erosion of customer confidence. Customers and partners will hesitate to engage with a company perceived as vulnerable or negligent in protecting sensitive information. The result is lost sales, strained relationships and a challenging recovery process.

Growing threat of ransomware

“Ransomware attacks are increasing by 715% and one happens every 14 seconds,” Van Wyk says. “It’s not a question of if your organisation will be attacked, but when. According to Interpol, South Africa is the second most targeted country in Africa. We also have the third highest number of cybercrime victims worldwide at a cost of R2.2-billion/year.”

“You need to have advanced, multi-layered cybersecurity strategies that go beyond traditional defences to protect against these increasingly complex and damaging threats.,” he adds. “Ransomware attacks can encrypt up to 10 000 files per minute. How do you stop the ongoing encryption quickly before significant damage occurs? That’s what makes prevention-based detection methods inadequate.”

Robust defence mechanism

To fix the gap in Rema Tip Top’s defences, Ricoh installed RansomCare, a complementary solution that forms part of a multi-layered security framework. Powered by Ricoh partner BullWall, Ricoh RansomCare detects and halts unauthorised encryption activities in real time, using 20 detection sensors to monitor file changes across file- and cloud-based shares. When it identifies ransomware activities, it isolates and disables the compromised device, stopping the encryption process in its tracks. Van Wyk describes it as the critical extra layer of defence when other security solutions fail.

Following a live demonstration, a brief proof of concept and remote installation across Rema Tip Top’s network, Ricoh onboarded 272 licensed users with no disruption to business operations or IT resources.

Installation took less than a day, and because it was Ricoh’s first, BullWall’s global support team oversaw the setup to ensure that RansomCare was optimised for the company’s network architecture and security needs.

“Post implementation, we can expect the solution to proactively isolate and disable breaches,” says Pillay. “RansomCare’s ability to block multiple attacks and neutralise them immediately will protect our business from data loss, financial cost and reputational damage.”

Van Wyk says Ricoh RansomCare is a must-have for safety. “A key question is how long it will take after an attack to restore encrypted files, and at what cost? That’s what makes a containment solution a vital element of your overall defence strategy. Because it’s cost-effective, your organisation gets critical protection for a small portion of your available security budget.”

About Ricoh
Ricoh is a leading provider of integrated digital services and print and imaging solutions designed to support digital transformation of workplaces, workspaces and optimise business performance.

Headquartered in Tokyo, Ricoh’s global operation reaches customers in approximately 200 countries and regions, supported by cultivated knowledge, technologies and organisational capabilities nurtured over its 85-year history. In the fiscal year ended March 2023, Ricoh Group had worldwide sales of about US$16-billion.

It is Ricoh’s mission and vision to empower individuals to find Fulfilment through Work by understanding and transforming how people work so we can unleash their potential and creativity to realise a sustainable future. Follow us on Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn and YouTube, and for further information, please visit www.ricoh.com.

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