Municipality of Fuldatal Enhances Security and Ensures Continuity of Public Services While Doubling IT Efficiency with Action1

The Municipality of Fuldatal employs 190 staff members, supported by a two-person IT team that handles all aspects of IT maintenance, including server and network security, as well as desktop support. Despite its small size, the IT team carries the critical responsibility of keeping endpoints secure to protect sensitive data, ensure service continuity, and defend against increasing cyber threats.

However, keeping all endpoints updated with the latest security patches proved to be a challenge. The IT team relied on WSUS to push the updates, but the solution didn’t provide adequate visibility into endpoints and control over patches, increasing the risk of critical security vulnerabilities going unnoticed. Additionally, the previous approach to patching had limited capabilities to manage the patching process remotely, which became a significant obstacle for the IT team as the organization began the transition to a hybrid work model. “With limited IT staff and remote work becoming more prevalent, we urgently needed a solution to manage devices remotely. Travelling across various sites consumed too much of our time,” explains Christian Grams, the IT manager at the Municipality of Fuldatal.

To preempt security risks, ensure uninterrupted system performance, and enable management of remote endpoints, the IT team at the Municipality of Fuldatal decided to search for an automated OS and third-party patching solution with no dependency on on-premise infrastructure.

The IT department evaluated several solutions, including ManageEngine and Microsoft SCCM, and ultimately chose Action1, thanks to its powerful patching automation capabilities and cloud-native architecture. The team also appreciated Action1’s ease of use, which brings an effortless user experience compared with other complex tools overloaded with features. Moreover, during the test period, the team discovered Action1’s built-in remote desktop capabilities, eliminating the need to purchase and leverage separate remote support tools and making Action1 a cost-efficient choice.

Action1 has significantly transformed the IT team’s experience in managing security updates. Thanks to the platform’s real-time visibility into vulnerabilities, the team detected over 5,000 vulnerabilities across their systems and patched them easily with Action1’s automation capabilities. After deploying the platform, the team streamlined the patching process for both OS and third-party applications for the entire IT ecosystem, including remote endpoints. Now, with Action1, Christian and his peer preempt the risks associated with unpatched vulnerabilities, improving security across their IT fleet.

In addition, the team benefits from Action1’s customization capabilities. Christian particularly values Action1’s customizable scheduling and grouping features, which allow granular control over the patching process. For example, he can set the order in which software is patched or test patches on a non-critical group before deploying them to critical systems. These capabilities help the IT team minimize disruptions to daily operations and enhance the overall digital experience for employees.

“Action1 helps us minimize security risks while delivering an excellent ROI,” said Christian. “The cost of ownership is minimal compared to the time we previously wasted on outdated patching methods. It’s been a huge efficiency gain for us.” The IT team at the Municipality of Fuldatal elevated its productivity after deploying Action1. Thanks to its powerful automation, cloud-native architecture, and P2P patch distribution technology, the team notably reduced monthly server maintenance time—from up to 10 hours to as little as 4 to 6 hours.

In addition, Christian’s team benefits from Action1’s remote desktop feature, now providing comprehensive IT support to distributed devices while saving time and eliminating the need to pay for additional remote support tools. “Action1 saves us hours of work weekly and allows us to focus on more complex projects,” added Christian.

With Action1, the IT department at the Municipality of Fuldatal gained real-time visibility into endpoints, strengthened security against potential exploits, and significantly improved IT support efficiency. As a result, the organization benefits from a more secure and resilient infrastructure, ensuring uninterrupted public services while allowing IT teams to focus on strategic initiatives instead of time-consuming manual patching and troubleshooting.