Nipro Europe

Leading the way with innovation and setting a standard in the health care industry: that’s Nipro. For over seventy years, they have been reshaping the health care industry with groundbreaking renal solutions for hemodialysis and dialysis-related treatments. From the very beginning, a fierce dedication to patient safety and top-notch product quality lies at the heart of their strong innovation mindset.

Within this dedication and mindset, identity security is paramount. Nipro processes and generates massive amounts of sensitive data, making it crucial to meticulously manage access. Determining who gets access to which data is essential and, to put it mildly, vital for ensuring the security and performance of their systems.

Properly managing access to data is a key aspect of identity management, highlighting the evolution of security within organizations. Kevin Janssens, Cybersecurity Service Manager at Nipro, explains:

“In the past, organizations built strong fortresses around their data with sturdy walls and moats to restrict access. However, since COVID-19, this has changed dramatically: employees now require remote access to their accounts, anytime and anywhere.”

This identity and security evolution extends far beyond Nipro, influencing the entire enterprise market. No one can ignore it anymore: all organizations must recognize the strong connection between IT and Human Resources.With identity security bridging the gap between these two fields, it paves the way for solutions that seamlessly unite IT and HR.

And that wasn’t the only challenge Nipro faced in terms of identity and access management. The organization needed to handle a significant increase in employees to support their rapid growth. This increase in staff made managing secure access even more important.

Besides, Nipro was undergoing a massive shift to the cloud and a migration to the SAP cloud system that had been ongoing for several years. “We knew SAP was coming, making it a golden opportunity to implement a single central product for universal use across all groups and departments within Nipro. That’s why we saw this as the ideal moment to explore an identity management and security tool. This way, right from the start, we could seamlessly manage our accounts and integrate with other systems,” Kevin explains.

So said, so done. The first step towards a brand-new identity security solution for Nipro began with drafting an RFP.

“What made Upright Security stand out immediately was their sincerity and transparency. They took the time to examine our needs and organization thoroughly and worked with us to find a solution that would seamlessly integrate with our brand-new SAP package. That’s how we quickly arrived at SailPoint”, Kevin continues.

Combining this with the easily manageable ‘joiner, mover, leaver‘ flow quickly convinced Nipro to collaborate with SailPoint and our experts. This gave them a big step forward in quickly onboarding new hires and managing talent independently. Assuring newcomers that their accounts would be ready on their first day, along with immediate access to all necessary applications and training, would offer Nipro a notable competitive edge in the ongoing talent war.

Moreover, the wide range of options for seamless integration with other systems within Nipro, including Active Directory for account management and the existing HR tool, was crucial. Additionally, the requirement to adhere to regulations like J-SOX was another major driving factor behind choosing SailPoint.

The first step in our collaboration was an intake workshop. Together with Bart, Managing Partner and SailPoint Architect at Upright Security, Nipro delved into the needs, processes, current flows, and pain points to optimally draw out an identity governance strategy. This served as a solid foundation for the architecture of the solution.

Proximity is crucial when tailoring a solution to a company’s needs. That’s why we conducted the building process on-site at Nipro. “Having Upright consultants physically present expedited the process immensely. We could quickly test and deploy together, enabling us to pivot fast and facilitate the implementation,” Kevin explains.

Once the implementation was completed, we transitioned to a form of hypercare. This allowed us to remain close and closely monitor to ensure the new environment remained stable. “Throughout the entire process, I always felt we could turn to Upright quickly,” Kevin adds.

Nipro is experiencing rapid growth, faster than ever before. With the new platform, both HR and IT are relieved of manual tasks, making the hiring process smoother than ever. “A lot of manual work has been eliminated. Previously, for example, HR had to wait for IT to create a ticket when someone joined the organization, which often led to delays and IT being overwhelmed with manual routine tasks. This was not beneficial for anyone and left room for errors. Today, someone can sign a contract and smoothly start the next day with all necessary accounts and access”, according to Kevin.

Today, we stay closely connected with Nipro. Our goal is to empower them to work with SailPoint as independently as possible. They can rely on us for resources, support, and implementing new integrations.

Kirsten, our SailPoint Consultant, regularly collaborates with Kevin at their office to develop new integrations. This process, whether they are standard or customized integrations, always runs smoothly thanks to the SailPoint web service connector.

“What made Upright Security stand out immediately was their sincerity and transparency. They took the time to examine our needs and organization thoroughly and worked with us to find a solution that would seamlessly integrate with our brand-new SAP package. That’s how we quickly arrived at SailPoint”, Kevin continues.

“Nipro is a great environment to work in,” Kirsten adds. “Kevin has so much knowledge, so when I need input for onboarding a new application, he provides everything I need on a silver platter. This allows us to quickly pivot and make an impact.”

But it doesn’t end there. The rollout of an identity security solution also involves a change management process. A solution can only work as well as the structure and organization of the company. At Nipro, this meant thoroughly examining and standardizing roles within the organization, making it easier to grant access appropriately. When a new user is created under a certain role, they quickly receive an account with all necessary accesses, without the need for additional processes. VPN connections are also straightforward. “This process also made us evaluate responsibilities and required applications for each role, leading to more automation and less manual work,” Kevin explains.

Nipro’s journey with SailPoint showcases a strategic approach to identity security, emphasizing the importance of aligning IT and HR functions seamlessly. By leveraging SailPoint’s capabilities, Nipro has streamlined its onboarding processes, enhanced security measures, and adapted to evolving access demands effectively. Nipro’s success story further highlights the transformative impact of integrating identity security solutions into organizational strategies, setting a new standard for excellence in the healthcare industry.