Templafy closes the security gap between macOS and Windows
The management of Templafy’s Mac computers was not at the same high level of security as the management of the company’s Windows-based computers.
With the help of Globeteam, Microsoft Intune was used to configure and adjust security settings, Microsoft Defender was deployed on Templafy Macs, and enhanced monitoring capabilities were set up in the Mac environment.
Templafy has gained full visibility and control over all devices that are handed out, as well as an automated client management process for deploying apps and configuring company-specific settings and content.
Templafy raises the security level of their Mac computers
By configuring and enabling security settings in Microsoft Intune, Danish-founded Templafy has raised the level of security on their Mac computers to match the company’s Windows-based computers. IT managers can now rest assured that security management follows best practice in the market and that all employees’ devices, regardless of product name, are protected to the highest standards.
Danish Templafy is a software company in rapid development. It is a cloud-based platform that streamlines and automates the creation of documents and presentations, ensuring they comply with corporate brand guidelines and policies. With offices in Denmark and abroad, Templafy has a global client portfolio of more than 800 organisations.
Templafy is a good example of a company that has scaled a business from a few employees to over a hundred in a short time. Therefore, it’s only natural that IT security challenges arise as the ambitious growth plans are rolled out. One of these security challenges has been the handling of Mac computers.
Templafy is a Microsoft-oriented company that uses many Microsoft technologies and that also has a tradition of providing Windows-based devices to its employees. However, like many other IT companies, Templafy also has groups of employees who are accustomed to using Mac computers – in Templafy’s case, mainly their product design team and marketing staff. In practical terms, this means that Templafy had a small number of Macs to support, maintain and keep secure. “This was manageable with only a handful of employees using Macs,” says Peter Busted, Head of IT at Templafy. But when Templafy’s developer team of around 60 employees recently announced that they would also like to be able to offer their employees Mac computers, the need arose for more uniform handling of all endpoints.
“Our MacBooks have always been added to the Apple Business Manager portal, which is synchronised with Microsoft Intune. So, it’s not that we haven’t been able to manage our Macs,” explains Peter Busted. “We could do a wipe if they were stolen, we could configure the machines, roll out policies and so on. We just didn’t have the same high level of security as when we handled our Windows-based computers. Among other things in relation to security hardening and compliance. We didn’t have the resources or competences to dive into that ourselves.”
Total control of security
In his search for a partner who could help with the security task, Peter Busted initially entered into dialogue with various companies he had a relationship with. However, it soon became clear that the consultants he was dealing with knew no more about Mac security than he did. This made him uneasy.
“That’s why I ended up contacting an acquaintance who works at Globeteam, and he quickly pointed me in the direction of one of their consultants. Already at the first meeting, I could feel that this consultant knew what he was talking about. I have a technical background myself and have a keen interest in Microsoft Intune and endpoint security in general. The process ended with us designing a project together to bring our Mac security up to the same level as our Windows security,” says Peter Busted.
Our Information Security Team and I had made a list of security challenges that needed to be addressed in relation to our Macs. I passed that list on to Globeteam and they worked their way through it. Today, all the risks we knew about have been removed and we have full control over all Mac devices. As the security manager, of course, that’s a great feeling.
Eliminating risk
In the early stages of the project, one of the main concerns was whether Templafy could use Microsoft Intune to manage both Windows and Mac computers, or if they needed to use Mac-dedicated tools. The Globeteam consultant confirmed to Peter Busted that through configuration and security settings, they could use the Intune tool to manage security on all devices. He also recommended adding Microsoft Defender to the Macs and installing monitoring capabilities so that IT could keep track of what was happening on the company’s Macs.
“Our Information Security Team and I had made a list of security challenges that needed to be addressed in relation to our Macs. I passed that list on to Globeteam and they worked their way through it. Today, all the risks we knew about have been removed and we have full control over all Mac devices. As the security manager, of course, that’s a great feeling. Optimising our Mac security is something that has always been on our to-do list, so it’s very satisfying that we have now eliminated that risk element,” says Peter Busted.
Best practice approach
In addition to the security element of managing Macs, Globeteam has also helped create an automated client management process for deploying apps and configuring Templafy-specific settings and content – such as auto-installing Slack, Zoom and OneDrive. Previously, only a small part of the installation process was automatic. The rest was a lot of manual steps that employees had to do themselves. Today, you simply log in to your company account and you automatically have access to all the tools you need.
“All in all, we have been happy with the deliveries from Globeteam. I have had full confidence in what has been done in our backend and that the right solutions have been found for us. You can really feel that Globeteam works from a best practice approach and that we have benefited from the many similar projects Globeteam is a part of,” says Peter Busted.
Templafy is already lining up their next projects for Globeteam – they want to do a major compliance review of their endpoints, which is also a task that can be difficult to find time and resources for internally during a busy workday.
“It’s great that we have now found a partner we can use as in-house consultants. Globeteam can help with both smaller ad hoc tasks and larger projects like the one we have just been through,” concludes Peter Busted.
About Templafy
Templafy is a software company founded in Copenhagen in 2014. The company helps over 4 million users improve productivity, branding and compliance across business documents, presentations and emails. Templafy has approximately 250 employees, offices in New York, Copenhagen, London, Berlin, Eindhoven and Sydney, and serves clients worldwide.
Can I help?
Do you want to hear more about how Globeteam can help you with a similar case? Please feel free to contact me at +45 3074 7474 eller pls@globeteam.com