Wrapped & Packed: Bischof+Klein secures every email using Z1 SecureMail Gateway

“By signing all outgoing emails, we want to show our business partners that electronic mail from Bischof and Klein can be trusted. We’ve deployed Z1 SecureMail Gateway which protects all emails against forgery and manipulation.”

Michael Ebbeler, Director of Information Services

Bischof + Klein protects against spam, phishing & hacking

With over 700 PC users, production plants and sales partners in 22 countries, the B+K Group is exposed to a multitude of digital threats: unsolicited advertising (spam), computer viruses which use internal address books to generate spam and phishing attacks from criminals have become a global problem.

Aim: Sign outgoing emails to prevent fraud and manipulation

Influenced by the packaging manufacturer‘s maxim “remain our customers’ long-term preferred partner” the IT managers wanted to offer their business partners increased email security and reliability. The decision was made that in future every email that leaves the B+K Group, should be electronically signed. By signing emails, manipulation is prevented and it can be determined with mathematical precision that the mail originated from a B+K Group employee.

Central server based security solution

The B+K Group sends all emails via a central mail server and it was therefore logical to deploy a central server based security solution. In addition, outgoing mails need to be checked for viruses prior to encryption, whilst incoming mails need to be scanned after decryption and prior to delivery to the recipient’s inbox.

In order to provide each email with a proof of origin, the B+K Group has decided to use MailPass certificates from T-Systems International GmbH. The validity of the certificate – i.e. the authenticity of the signature – can be displayed by all email clients such as Microsoft Outlook and Lotus Notes, as well as by open source clients such as Mozilla Thunderbird.

For partners who deploy a Z1 SecureMail Gateway, the certificate validity check is performed automatically. When the business partner provides an S/MIME or PGP key, the email is automatically encrypted and cannot be read by third parties.

More focus on IT Security

Employees won’t notice any changes when emailing. The search for external keys and the application of security mechanisms are all performed in the background. What the employees will see however when Z1 SecureMail Gateway is deployed, is a footer at the bottom of each email which shows whether the email was encrypted and/or signed. Within a short time, the presence of the footer alone increased employee awareness of IT security.

The interest in more secure and trustworthy email communication is growing. Employees are asking questions and are thinking about their own private email communication.
– Michael Ebbeler

Advantages of Z1 SecureMail Gateway

The B+K Group deployed the solution from Zertificon Solutions “because it was economically convincing, is very compact and very simple to integrate into the existing infrastructure. It offers high-availability and redundancy, can be combined with other IT security systems and automatically applies our security policies for all users” said Michel Ebbeler.

“Z1 SecureMail Gateway requires only minimal changes to the existing environment. Complying with security guidelines i.e. firewalls and virus scanning wasn’t a problem. In addition, the administration is transparent and simple” added Peter Neugebauer, System Technician Networks/Communication. Michael Ebbeler praised the cooperation with the manufacturer: “Zertificon incorporated all our required modifications into the product. For example, at our request it is not only possible to force Z1 SecureMail Gateway to sign emails for individual domains, but also to disable signing for domains when required”.

Transparent turn-key solution for email encryption and signing

Implementation of B+K Group’s security policies regarding the protection of email authenticity and integrity.

The implementation of Z1 SecureMail Gateway was transparent and simple. Also, the configuration of the system using the web-based interface was simple to understand. The complete installation and configuration took only one and a half days. The solution is transparent and can easily be managed with very low administrative effort.
– Peter Neugebauer.