Embracing the Journey
In a sweeping cybersecurity transformation, National Oilwell Varco (NOV) is rewriting its security playbook under the guidance of CIO Alex Philips. Philips’ ambitious initiative has yielded dramatic results – a 35-fold drop in security events, the elimination of malware-related PC reimaging, and millions saved by scrapping legacy hardware. VentureBeat recently sat down (virtually) with Philips to explore how NOV achieved these breakthroughs with Zscaler’s Zero Trust platform, aggressive identity protections, and a generative AI “co-worker” for its security team.
A New Castle-and-Moat Model
When NOV began its Zero Trust journey, it was a traditional castle-and-moat model that wasn’t keeping up. The company didn’t know what Zero Trust was, but it knew it needed identity and conditional access at the core of everything. Philips says their approach was simple: “We started by adopting an identity-driven architecture on Zscaler’s Zero Trust Exchange and it changed everything.” With visibility and protection coverage dramatically increased, the team experienced a 35x reduction in security incidents. The shift also eliminated malware-related PC reimaging, saving considerable time and money.
| Before Zero Trust | After Zero Trust |
|---|---|
| 35x reduction in security incidents | 35x reduction in security incidents |
| 100 malware-infected machines per month | virtually zero malware-related PC reimaging |
| Reimaging time and money | Annualized savings over $6.5M |
A Cloud-Based Zero Trust Experience
The new Zero Trust approach gives 27,500 NOV users and third parties policy-based access to thousands of internal applications, all without exposing those apps directly to the internet. Philips notes that the solution is cloud-based, eliminating “appliance hell” and freeing up resources.
- 27,500 users and third parties have policy-based access to internal applications
- The solution is cloud-based, eliminating legacy hardware
- Appliance hell is gone, freeing up resources
Reducing Security Noise
Philips attributes the massive reduction in security incidents to the Zero Trust approach, which provides full SSL inspection, sandboxing, and data loss prevention. The security service edge (SSE) peers directly with Microsoft, improving Office 365 performance and security.
- Full SSL inspection, sandboxing, and data loss prevention
- Security service edge (SSE) peers directly with Microsoft
- Office 365 performance and security improved
Enhancing Identity Protections
NOV has strengthened identity defenses by integrating its Zscaler platform with Okta for identity and conditional access checks. Conditional access policies verify devices have SentinelOne antivirus running before granting access, adding an extra posture check. The company has also limited who can perform password or MFA resets, separating duties to prevent insider threats.
- Integrated Zscaler platform with Okta for identity and conditional access checks
- Conditional access policies verify devices have SentinelOne antivirus running
- Separation of duties to prevent insider threats
A Generative AI “Co-worker”
Philips highlights the success of a generative AI “co-worker” in the security operations center (SOC). The AI assistant is used to perform threat hunts, providing insights and automating tasks. Philips notes that the AI tool has reduced mean time to respond by 30% and has increased team efficiency.
- Generative AI “co-worker” in the SOC
- Threat hunts performed up to 80% faster using AI assistants
- Mean time to respond reduced by 30%
Engaging the Board on Cyber Risk
Philips emphasizes the importance of engaging NOV’s board of directors on cyber risk. He briefs them on the risk posture and aligns them on why certain controls are necessary. Philips notes that the board views cybersecurity as a core business risk and has increased top-down support.
- Board of directors engaged on cyber risk
- Increased top-down support for cybersecurity
- Cybersecurity viewed as a core business risk
A Final Word
Philips offers several pieces of advice for other CIOs and CISOs:
- Recognize the importance of security transformation and digital transformation
- Focus on separation of duties in identity and access
- Embrace AI carefully but proactively
A Fighting Chance
With Zero Trust, strong identity security, and AI on its side, NOV is well-equipped to take on the evolving threat landscape.
