The Challenge
Recently, Aryza has transitioned to a permanent hybrid work model. Nowadays, approximately 80% of Aryza employees work remotely at least part of the time.
Since the company adopted this new remote work approach, managing software and updates on corporate endpoints became challenging for Aryza’s IT team. Specifically, their on-premises tool for endpoint management and patching stopped working for endpoints located outside of the corporate network.
The IT team initially attempted to carry out these tasks manually. They began by configuring clients for auto-updates and attempting to manage the process through VPN. However, with the decrease in VPN usage resulting from the company’s overall transition to the cloud, the only viable method to control updates and ensure maintenance became relying on employees bringing their devices to the office.
Overall, this approach was time-consuming, error-prone, and didn’t provide any visibility or control over remote endpoints.
To improve the situation, the IT team started looking for a solution to automate patch management and software deployment on their machines, regardless of their location.
The Action1 Solution
Roy van den Berg, system administrator at Aryza, evaluated several endpoint management solutions for hybrid workplaces. He chose Action1 as it is a highly customizable cloud-native patch management platform allowing him to tailor patching strategies to his company’s needs. Roy explains, “I didn’t like how other software vendors forced the way of working with their products, such as using mandatory patching schedules. With Action1, I have more freedom.” The platform also outperformed other solutions with its extensive software deployment capabilities.
The Benefits
Improved security and continuous patch compliance. Thanks to Action1, the IT team can streamline patching of third-party applications and promptly install critical security updates to address zero-day vulnerabilities on corporate remote endpoints, ensuring security. “This is critical for us as a company complying with ISO 27001 and ISAE 3402, serving customers from regulated industries,” says Roy.
Streamlined software deployment for remote endpoints. With Action1, Aryza’s IT department can automate software deployment and removal on remote endpoints. Specifically, Action1 helps Roy streamline device provisioning through policy-based deployment and custom scripts. He also benefits from the Software Repository, which allows him to create custom packages for industry-specific applications and manage them accordingly. Overall, Action1’s powerful software deployment capabilities save Roy and his team up to 4 hours weekly.
Action1 saves us 4 hours weekly, as people no longer need to come to the office to install new software to their computers or resolve their IT problems.
Real-time visibility into remote endpoints. Action1 reports enable Aryza’s IT team to monitor the state of software and hardware on their endpoints in real time. For example, they can track the age of laptops, hard disk capacity, installed software, and more. These insights help them ensure the high performance of endpoints regardless of their location, elevating the quality of IT support to the next level.