First National Bank in Olney, Illinois Strengthens Patch Management and Enhances Compliance Posture with Safe Systems’ NetComply One Solution

Patch management has become more important than ever for financial institutions as the lack of an effective program has contributed significantly to the increase in the number of security breaches. The most popular software products are tested by hackers for weaknesses, and vendors have to constantly release security updates to keep these applications safe and secure. However, monitoring and managing patches can be a cumbersome, time-consuming process, especially for community financial institutions with limited IT staff.

This was the case for Rick Johnson, assistant vice president of IT at First National Bank in Olney, Illinois. He was spending a significant amount of time on patch management. In fact, it had nearly become a full-time job, and the bank was looking into hiring additional personnel to assist the IT department with this task. This led Johnson to search for an outsourced service provider who offered a comprehensive automated patch management solution designed specifically for community financial institutions.

“Maintaining patches became a very time consuming task for me, in addition to my other responsibilities at the institution,” said Rick Johnson. “We are in a rural location, and it was extremely challenging to find someone who could manage the network, understand compliance policies, and maintain patches in a timely manner.”

Automated Patch Management Solution

First National Bank in Olney selected Safe Systems’ NetComply® One IT network management solution to efficiently manage all important network tasks including automated patch management, network monitoring, qualified alerting, and detailed reporting. In addition, the bank utilizes the Security Baseline Service that is built into NetComply One and is designed to help streamline the essential task of maintaining server hardening by automating the process, including a testing phase and ticketing notification.

“To ensure the security of our network and successfully meet examiner expectations, we needed an outsourced provider who could support our IT initiatives and offer insight on compliance updates and changes,” said Johnson. “NetComply One ensures that we are up to date with our patches and other IT functions, so we can focus on more revenue generating activities at the bank without having to add extra staff. Since implementing Safe Systems, we have increased network performance and improved our overall compliance posture.”

For more information, download the full success story, First National Bank in Olney, Illinois Improves Patch Management and Compliance with Safe Systems NetComply One® Solution.