Securing Healthcare and Biotech Manufacturing

Headquartered in Brescia, Italy, Copan Group is a pioneer in the healthcare and biotechnology industries, focusing on the development of high-quality sample collection products and automated workflow solutions for infectious diseases, human genomics, environmental, and forensic applications. Copan utilizes advanced machine learning to redefine laboratory automation, significantly improving diagnostic processes for over 5,000 customers world-wide. With a workforce of 1,500 employees worldwide, including strategic subsidiaries in North America, South America, and Asia, Copan is dedicated to safeguarding its advanced biotechnologies manufacturing, warehouse management and sensitive IT data against evolving cybersecurity threats.

Before the headquarters' IT team adopted Passbolt in 2021, Copan Group struggled with disjointed and insecure password management practices. Relying on a mix of methods for password sharing, including Excel files and a variety of personal password managers like 1Password, KeePass, and LastPass, led to operational inefficiencies and increased the manual effort required to mitigate security vulnerabilities. The lack of a consolidated system for password collaboration within teams, particularly noticeable during changes in staff, highlighted the urgent need for a more cohesive and secure approach to multi-user password management.

In its quest for a cohesive password management system, Copan Group chose Passbolt over other password managers for its focus on password sharing within teams, open-source nature, on-premise deployment capability, and sophisticated yet straightforward approach to password encryption. This selection was perfectly aligned with Copan's strategy to adopt a company-wide open-source infrastructure, avoid vendor lock-in, and reinforce as well as automate security measures at the highest level.

Unlike other password managers such as 1Password or LastPass, Passbolt's on-premise deployment offers Copan Group enhanced data security by storing credentials locally, mitigating risks associated with cloud storage and ensuring operational continuity across their global offices and IT data centers in Puerto Rico, Italy, and Asia, even in the face of internet outages or security threats.

Copan Group appreciated Passbolt for its comprehensive security measures, including multi-factor authentication and a secure encryption model, as well as its Linux support and transparent approach to security, demonstrated by the publication of penetration tests, affirming its dedication to reducing vulnerabilities and strengthening cybersecurity defenses.

The implementation of Passbolt began in 2021 among IT and cybersecurity team members and is set to expand to employees across various departments and global production facilities. These initial users are pivotal in managing passwords not only for IT systems but also for the production of healthcare and biotech equipment, such as Zebra industrial printers and robots, as well as Copan's warehouses. This comprehensive approach ensures that Copan can securely manage passwords for its servers worldwide.

When Copan Group needed assistance with the upgrade process, they found Passbolt's support to be exceptional, with highly responsive and effective troubleshooting and quick, helpful responses to inquiries.

Since deploying Passbolt, Copan Group has achieved remarkable improvements in password management efficiency and security. The solution has facilitated an 80% reduction in time spent on managing passwords, streamlining operations, and significantly improving security.

The strategic adoption of Passbolt for password management seamlessly addressed Copan's initial challenges, fostering a more secure, efficient, and productive work environment and underscores Copan's commitment to enhancing its cybersecurity measures for production machinery and IT, ensuring the protection of its state-of-the-art technologies and the invaluable data critical to their mission.