How Cegeka Modern SOC helps BioFirst stay cyber-resilient

As BioFirst Group has grown, so have the challenges in managing cybersecurity across more than 35 worldwide subsidiaries. Partnering with Cegeka for its modern SOC service allowed the company to continue to grow while maintaining a high security maturity level. 

BioFirst Group grew out of Biobest, a pioneer in bumblebee pollination and biological pest control for horticulture since 1987. The company has expanded significantly over the years and is currently organized into four divisions: Biobest, BioWorks, Plant Products, and Biotrop. Guido Peeters, ICT Group Director at BioFirst Group, discusses how in recent years the company has become increasingly focused on cybersecurity: “When I presented IT to our shareholders, eight years ago, cybersecurity was just something I included on my last slide. Today, I open my presentation with the topic, and it takes up half of my presentation time.” 

More than 3000 employees worldwide are spread over 35 subsidiaries, often the result of an acquisition. Guido Peeters has been leading efforts to standardize the infrastructure: “I have been working on standardizing all subsidiaries in terms of firewalls, network equipment, ERP systems, and more, and bringing them onto the same Microsoft 365 and Azure environment. Without this level of standardization, achieving the same cybersecurity maturity level for newly acquired companies is challenging.” This also required BioFirst Group to effectively identify risks and quickly respond to potential cyberattacks. 

However, the company didn’t have the personnel to manage this internally, nor did they wish to expand their IT team, preferring instead to focus the team on their core business. As a solution, they sought an external Security Operations Center (SOC) provider. “We had several requirements,” explains Guido Peeters. “We wanted a partner who could monitor our IT environment 24/7. We also wanted them to have triage expertise, so we are only alerted to significant events. Moreover, we needed the SOC to be capable of actions like blocking compromised users or services, especially considering attacks typically occur outside business hours when everyone is heading home. Of course, we had set up alerts, but responding around the clock wasn’t viable for us.  

A team of experts 

After evaluating several international SOC services, Guido Peeters found that Cegeka ticked all the boxes with its Modern SOC service. “We also chose them to provide a CISO-Office-as-a-service. As of the first contact, Cegeka involved a full team of experts, covering a broad spectrum of cybersecurity areas. Each one of them was clearly an expert in their respective area, and they worked well together as a team.” 

BioFirst Group’s discussions with Cegeka began in the second quarter of 2024. By September, the SOC, using Microsoft Defender XDR, was already operational. “The implementation exceeded our expectations. Even during the two-week test period, the SOC had already started to pay off. Initially, we feared we would still need to examine numerous alerts, but that wasn’t the case. We receive only a few requests daily from their SOC team to inspect potential incidents” explains Guido Peeters. “This saves us a considerable amount of time and provides the assurance of having continuous, dedicated oversight of our security, something we previously lacked.”

“Cegeka Modern SOC saves us a considerable amount of time and provides the assurance of having continuous, dedicated oversight of our cybersecurity, something we previously lacked.”

 

– Guido Peeters, ICT Group Director at BioFirst Group  

Valuable security recommendations 

Guido Peeters also commends Cegeka for the SOC team’s proactive approach in regularly suggesting more secure configurations for their systems. “They identify an event, handle it without us having to take a look, and then draw insights to provide us with recommendations to prevent similar issues in the future.  

The close cooperation with Cegeka is also something Guido Peeters likes. “Some suppliers see us like a large company with 3,000 employees, but we are essentially a conglomerate of SMEs. Cegeka, as a large and international company like us, still demonstrates the flexibility to communicate with our companies, communicating not only with our central IT department, but also with our local teams. This is important for us.” He also praises Cegeka’s flexibility: “There are always gray zone situations when you wonder: was this in the contract or not? Every time we’ve faced this kind of issue, Cegeka has never let us down.” 

Overall, the partnership with Cegeka provides Guido Peeters peace of mind that his IT team can successfully manage BioFirst Group’s continuing growth. “When we acquire a new company, I know that with Cegeka Modern SOC’s support, we can elevate it to our expected security maturity level.” 

“When we acquire a new company, I know that with Cegeka Modern SOC’s support, we can elevate it to our expected security maturity level.”

 

– Guido Peeters, ICT Group Director at BioFirst Group