The Endpoint Strategy Breakdown

The challenge

Incomplete inventory, inconsistent patching, and compliance gaps across HIPAA/FDA requirements.

The situation

With a decentralized workforce and a rapidly growing lab tech presence, this biotech company struggled to keep track of its devices—let alone secure them. Shadow IT thrived as some departments purchased their own laptops, while others reused old ones without proper reimaging. The security team couldn’t confidently answer, “What devices are in our environment?” Meanwhile, HIPAA and emerging FDA cybersecurity mandates loomed.

Our approach

Discovery & visibility

• Continuous asset discovery tools
• Tagging endpoints by business unit and risk score

Security baseline enforcement

• Minimum security posture definitions
• Automated policy engines

Threat detection & response

• EDR/XDR deployment with behavior triggers
• SIEM integration

Compliance enablement

• HIPAA/FDA alignment
• Audit-ready logs and reporting
• Monthly posture reviews

Results

• Visibility increased from 52% to 99.2%
• 100% patch rate on critical CVEs within 60 days
• Passed HIPAA security audit
• Detection time reduced from 2+ days to 15 minutes
• 92% completion of security training

“Before working with Ward and team, our endpoint map was mostly wishful thinking. Now it’s precise, secure, and aligned with real-world threats.”
— IT Director, Biotech Client