Modernizing Identity Security at Colgate-Palmolive

Introduction

Colgate-Palmolive, a global leader in consumer-packaged goods, faced increasing challenges in managing and securing its vast digital ecosystem. With operations spanning nearly every country and complex cybersecurity requirements to protect corporate systems, manufacturing plants, and sensitive intellectual property, the company grappled with limited visibility into shadow IT, inconsistent user behavior leading to security risks, and gaps in enforcing security best practices like strong multi-factor authentication (MFA). These challenges required a solution to deliver real-time insights, drive user behavior change, and ensure compliance across diverse operations.
Savvy’s identity-first security approach gave Colgate-Palmolive the tools to overcome these obstacles and significantly enhance its identity and cybersecurity posture. By addressing identity blind spots and fostering proactive engagement with secure practices, the team successfully transformed its approach to cybersecurity, meeting the demands of a modern, interconnected enterprise.

Challenge

Operating on a global scale, Colgate-Palmolive’s cybersecurity team contended with:

• A growing need for real-time user guidance to reduce risky behaviors and promote secure practices.
• Limited visibility into shadow IT and unsanctioned apps, making it difficult to assess and manage hidden risks.
• Gaps in enforcing secure practices like multi-factor authentication (MFA), leaving the organization exposed to potential breaches.
• The complexity of ensuring compliance across a diverse range of corporate and manufacturing systems, where differing operational environments presented unique challenges.

Despite their efforts, the team found that traditional methods of user education and monitoring did not produce lasting changes. The need for a more dynamic, real-time solution became increasingly evident as the organization sought to modernize its identity security practices and keep pace with evolving threats.

The Savvy Solution

Colgate-Palmolive implemented Savvy’s identity-first solution to address these challenges. With its seamless integration capabilities and focus on real-time user guidance, Savvy:

• Provided visibility into both sanctioned and unsanctioned apps, surfacing previously unknown shadow IT and enabling actionable insights.
• Delivered real-time user guidance through non-invasive guardrails, educating users to avoid risky behaviors at critical moments.
• Enhanced MFA adoption by guiding users toward secure methods at the point of interaction, reducing dependency on less secure alternatives.
• Allowed easy global deployment through Colgate-Palmolive’s managed browser solution, requiring minimal effort and ensuring a smooth transition.

Savvy’s ability to adapt to Colgate-Palmolive’s unique operational requirements ensured that every solution component addressed current and future needs. The deployment showcased how intuitive design, and real-time feedback can seamlessly integrate into a global organization’s cybersecurity strategy.

The Results

Within weeks of deploying Savvy, Colgate-Palmolive achieved measurable improvements in their identity and cybersecurity posture:

• Enhanced Visibility: Discovered unsanctioned apps and gained insights into user behavior patterns, enabling better prioritization of resources.
• Real-Time User Guidance: Transformed how employees approached secure practices by providing immediate, actionable feedback before risky actions occurred.
• Improved MFA Adoption: Encouraged secure MFA methods, significantly reducing reliance on outdated or less secure authentication practices.
• Streamlined Deployment: Rolled out Savvy globally with minimal disruption, leveraging existing identity and access management resources.

Additionally, employees reported greater confidence in navigating secure practices, thanks to the intuitive and supportive nature of Savvy’s just-in-time guidance. The solution not only improved cybersecurity metrics but also fostered a culture of security awareness across Colgate-Palmolive’s global workforce.

Key Use Cases

• Addressing Shadow IT: Savvy’s visibility tools uncovered shadow IT apps, enabling the team to prioritize onboarding critical apps into their identity management solution.
• AI Governance: The team utilized Savvy to enforce their AI governance policies by redirecting users from unsanctioned AI tools to approved solutions, ensuring compliance without disrupting workflows.
• User Guidance: Savvy’s just-in-time guardrails guided employees on secure passwords and MFA practices, reducing security risks and improving organizational resilience.

For the Colgate-Palmolive team, Savvy stood out for its:

• Seamless Integration: Quick deployment through managed browser infrastructure, ensuring a frictionless adoption process.
• Behavioral Impact: Real-time user guidance that was intuitive, educational, and non-disruptive, driving long-term changes in user behavior.
• Partnership Approach: Savvy’s responsiveness to feedback and commitment to continuous improvement made it feel like an extension of Colgate-Palmolive’s team.

By leveraging Savvy, Colgate-Palmolive significantly enhanced its cybersecurity operations, creating a safer digital environment for its global workforce. With real-time education, robust visibility, and seamless integration, Savvy proved to be a transformative partner in Colgate-Palmolive’s journey to modernize cybersecurity.