Since its foundation in 2011, Hainke Computer has grown from a traditional retail store to a renowned IT system house. To meet the IT security needs of its growing customer base, the company needed a solution for comprehensive security audits and vulnerability assessments – and chose lywand. Managing director and owner Christian Hainke shares his experiences and describes how lywand has taken the efficiency and quality of his services to a new level.
Challenge: Hidden Security Vulnerabilities and Increasing Time Spent on Patch Management
Hainke Computer provides managed services to a large number of SME customers. Like many system houses, the company was faced with the challenge of seamlessly monitoring the security of customer networks and detecting vulnerabilities at an early stage. However, conventional patch management did not cover all security gaps: Hidden problems kept cropping up, including outdated software versions, missing updates and invisible configuration settings.
Solution: Why Hainke Computer Chose lywand and how it was Implemented
Key Factor: Outstanding Price-Performance Ratio
Christian Hainke explains that lywand's price-performance ratio was the deciding factor. “We looked around the market, evaluated several vulnerability assessment tools, and lywand stood out for its excellent price-performance ratio.”
Surprises and Eye-Openers When Testing lywand
The first tests with lywand were a revelation for Hainke Computer: They were surprised to find how many vulnerabilities lurked in their own systems, even though they regularly installed patches. Old software versions, such as different instances of Teams or Firefox, went unnoticed, as did important registry settings that need to be enabled for security updates. With lywand, Hainke Computer was able to gain a much deeper insight and realize that they needed to fundamentally revise their patch management approach.
The Approach: A Bird's Eye View of Vulnerability Management
Hainke Computer takes an effective approach to dealing with the detected vulnerabilities, which Christian Hainke describes as a “bird's eye view”. Instead of solving each customer problem in isolation, the team works with cross-customer analyses provided by lywand to fix problem areas on a global scale. This not only reduces the workload, but also increases security across all customers.
How Auto Healing Supports Java Patching
Due to outdated versions that stubbornly remain in systems, Java poses a particular challenge in patch management. To reduce this effort, Hainke Computer uses Auto Healing specifically for Java patching. The function automatically detects outdated Java versions and ensures a reliable update, without additional manual effort.
Integration Into the Portfolio and Price Adjustment
Lywand was seamlessly integrated into the service portfolio of Hainke Computer by adding the security audits as a fixed component for all existing customers with contractually agreed patch management as a managed service. After an eight-month introductory phase, the price was adjusted to reflect the expanded services. The feedback from customers was consistently positive, as they perceived the increased security and the additional service as clear added value.
Results: Efficient Troubleshooting, Enhanced Services and Increased Customer Satisfaction
Using lywand has enabled Hainke Computer to significantly increase security standards for all customers and to optimize vulnerability management considerably. By automatically detecting and fixing security vulnerabilities, the IT team has not only been able to reduce manual effort, but also to analyze and fix recurring problems across all customers. Lywand's cross-customer analyses enable Hainke Computer to centrally identify and effectively manage potential threats.
An additional added value for customers resulted from the option of scanning external areas such as websites for security vulnerabilities. This proactive approach often uncovered vulnerabilities that previously went undetected and led to specific measures such as changing hosting providers when outdated server environments posed security risks. Such measures provided Hainke Computer with an additional opportunity to expand its services and led to positive customer feedback, as the increased security was directly noticeable. The trust gained through lywand has strengthened Hainke Computer's position as a reliable IT partner and contributes significantly to long-term customer satisfaction.
Working With lywand and Fokus MSP: Flexible, Responsive and Collaborative
Another advantage for Hainke Computer is the excellent cooperation with lywand and its distribution partner Fokus MSP. Christian Hainke emphasizes the close and cooperative partnership with the lywand team, which impresses with fast feedback and support. Hainke Computer particularly appreciates the opportunity to submit suggestions for improvement directly via the Feature Request Portal. The answers are provided promptly and often include specific information on implementation or updates that are already planned – a service that represents real added value for Hainke Computer.
