Expel > Case Studies > Global Real Estate Firm Optimizes Security with Expel's 24x7 Monitoring

Global Real Estate Firm Optimizes Security with Expel's 24x7 Monitoring

Technology Category

Cybersecurity & Privacy - Network Security
Networks & Connectivity - 5G

Applicable Industries

Buildings
National Security & Defense

Use Cases

Cybersecurity
Tamper Detection

Services

Cloud Planning, Design & Implementation Services
Cybersecurity Services

About The Customer

Ivanhoé Cambridge is a global real estate investment firm owned by a large pension fund in Quebec. The company develops and invests in high-quality real estate properties, projects, and companies that shape the urban fabric of cities around the world. It manages approximately $60 billion in real estate assets for the pension fund, including office buildings and shopping malls. The firm's security team, led by Patrick Gilbert, is responsible for managing a high volume of security alerts and implementing strategic security initiatives unique to the business.

The Challenge

Ivanhoé Cambridge, a global real estate investment firm, was facing a significant challenge in managing a high volume of security alerts. The process of ingesting and reviewing these alerts was described as 'gruesome' by the Head of Security and Senior IT Security Manager, Patrick Gilbert. The team was often required to investigate alerts after regular business hours, leading to concerns about alert fatigue and potential team turnover. Gilbert was also keen to free up his team to focus on more strategic security initiatives unique to Ivanhoé’s business, such as creating an insider risk management model. The firm needed a security partner that could easily integrate with their existing tech stack, automate the response to millions of alerts, and demonstrate value to both the security team and the company’s executives.

The Solution

After evaluating multiple managed detection and response (MDR) providers, Ivanhoé Cambridge chose Expel, a tech-agnostic provider that could work with more than 50 different security tools and cloud services. Expel’s transparency and the ability to monitor investigations in real-time were key factors in the decision. The firm was able to easily export information about Expel’s investigations and present these insights to other executives and the board of directors. Expel quickly turned on its 24x7 monitoring service for Ivanhoé Cambridge, connecting to tech like endpoint detection and response (EDR), network and SIEM tools, along with cloud platforms and SaaS apps like Amazon Web Services (AWS), Microsoft Azure and Office 365. The process was described as 'painless' by Gilbert, who also appreciated the straightforward pricing model and visibility into Expel’s roadmap.

Operational Impact

The partnership with Expel led to significant operational improvements for Ivanhoé Cambridge. The automation provided by Expel saved the team time and reduced the alert-to-fix time to minutes. The firm also benefited from rapid communication and a strong partnership between the Expel team and their own. Expel's proactive and collaborative approach not only helped the team get to 'done' faster but also strengthened their confidence in the Expel team. The partnership also facilitated faster onboarding of new hires. Gilbert predicts that Expel’s approach could set an industry standard, comparing it to the shift in home alarm systems where owners now pay a provider to install and manage their technology.

Quantitative Benefit

Ivanhoé Cambridge saved about $150,000 a year by optimizing their security signal with Expel.
The firm avoided purchasing another piece of technology to synthesize Amazon GuardDuty alerts, leading to additional cost savings.
Expel's automation drastically reduced the time-to-fix from hours to minutes.