MD Anderson Selects PowerBroker for Servers
Customer Company Size
Large Corporate
Region
- America
Country
- United States
Product
- PowerBroker for Servers
Tech Stack
- Unix/Linux
Implementation Scale
- Enterprise-wide Deployment
Impact Metrics
- Cost Savings
- Productivity Improvements
Technology Category
- Cybersecurity & Privacy - Database Security
Applicable Industries
- Healthcare & Hospitals
Applicable Functions
- Maintenance
Use Cases
- Cybersecurity
Services
- System Integration
About The Customer
The University of Texas M.D. Anderson Cancer Center was created by the Texas Legislature in 1941 as a world-leading institution for cancer treatment and care. In 2008 alone, nearly 1,000,000 people turned to M. D. Anderson for cancer care in the form of surgery, chemotherapy, radiation therapy, and immunotherapy. Four out of the past six years, M.D. Anderson has ranked number one in cancer care in the “America’s Best Hospitals” survey published by US News & World Report. M.D. Anderson’s world-famous cancer treatment facilities are backed by a powerful and secure Unix network infrastructure that provides support to a faculty and staff of both M.Ds and PhDs numbering over 20,000. This network, which hosts in excess of 500 Unix servers, houses confidential patient information and several critical financial and health care applications, all key to providing the level of service and expertise associated with M.D. Anderson.
The Challenge
The University of Texas M.D. Anderson Cancer Center, a world-leading institution for cancer treatment and care, was facing challenges with its Unix network infrastructure. The network, which hosts over 500 Unix servers, houses confidential patient information and several critical financial and healthcare applications. With the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA) requirement deadlines quickly approaching, and critical patient care dependant on the reliability of network computer systems, the institution needed to find a secure way to manage and protect its IT infrastructure. The previous Unix environment was not centralized, and it was difficult to understand what activities were being performed at each machine.
The Solution
To improve network security at M.D. Anderson, David Nester, the Unix security architect at M.D. Anderson, selected BeyondTrust to implement BeyondTrust PowerBroker for Servers access authorization software. PowerBroker for Servers protects the superuser or root accounts, from users who might intentionally (or unintentionally) remove critical system files, gain access to confidential data and delete audit trails. PowerBroker for Servers sits on top of M.D. Anderson’s Unix servers and provides security and accountability by enabling systems administrators to delegate administrative privileges and authorization without disclosing the powerful root password. Other administrative tasks such as system programs mounting, performing backups, and adding new users can be delegated to individuals or groups at a granular level, thus reducing the risk of intentional or accidental damage. Additionally, PowerBroker for Servers also grants granular user access to files, directories and third-party applications and accounts (e.g. Oracle, SAP, etc.).
Operational Impact
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