In order to comply with industry regulatory requirements, Orifarm needed to secure proper backup of Office 365 email and in-place archives with a retention period of up to 30 years.
Strict Regulatory Requirements for Data Security
From the very beginning, IT Manager Kristian Lilholm has been looking at how to consolidate the many IT environments of Orifarm. One of the obvious decisions was to migrate to Office 365. In doing so, Orifarm was facing some challenges: The Office 365 solution was not able to meet the strict regulations for data security, nor the long retention periods, which is a legal requirement for Orifarm. As a provider of pharmaceutical products, Orifarm is governed by the pharmaceutical industry’s regulatory requirements for data security and archiving. One of the requirements states that some productdata must be stored for up to 30 years.
'Retention periods and data security are paramount for us. Neither Microsoft nor the other backup solutions that we looked at could meet our needs. We had to investigate how to comply with the regulatory requirements with regards to data retention', Lilholm explains.
Only Vendor to support In-Place Archives
Orifarm was looking for a backup solution that could cover Office 365 mailboxes including both active mailboxes as well as in-place archives. With an email policy placing all emails of more than one year old in the archive, it was obviously vital for Orifarm that the backup solution could support in-place archive:
'We initially looked at an American product that we thought would cover everything - until we had it tested! It turned out that the product could not support the backup of our archive mailboxes', says Lilholm.
Orifarm ended up choosing Keepit as one of the few suppliers in the market that could ensure automatic backup of Orifarms in-place archives.
Keepit as a Strategic Supplier
Orifarm is in the process of deploying several Office 365 modules, and Orifarm’s 365 data is becoming increasingly business critical. That’s why it’s crucial for Orifarm that data security is top notch, also over the long term.
Every time Orifarm chooses a new vendor, the vendor must pass an extensive approval process. As a pharmaceutical company, Orifarm would never compromise on safety, and this also applies to new vendors.
For the same reason, Keepit had to undergo a particular risk assessment and QA to meet industry standards in GxP to be supplier to Orifarm.
The key here is that I do not wish to change our systems too often. So it is now a strategic decision that we have decided to run Keepit
Kristian Lilholm IT Manager, Orifarm
Keepit Ensures Control of Data
With Keepit Office 365 backup, Lilholm is sure to obtain the control of data that he needs as IT Manager for a pharmaceutical company.
'We need to be in control, and therefore cloud backup on a secondary site is an absolute must! With the extra layer of data security we now have with Keepit, I can look my boss in the eye and without blinking say that I am in control of our data security,' says Lilholm.
IT security is key - not only in the Pharma industry.
Keepit is a Good Business Case
As an added bonus, Orifarm realized that with the option for long retention periods, Keepit could help Orifarm save a significant amount of money otherwise spent on expensive licenses. Orifarm used to depend on the licensing of shared mailboxes. Rather than a free shared mailbox, Orifarm had to acquire the expensive E3 license to ensure the long retention period, which is one of Orifarm's regulatory requirements.
'Now that we have implemented Keepit, I can release the expensive licenses. Keepit backup puts me in full control of the company's data. Implementing Keepit cuts my cost in half - and that’s a good business case!' Lilholm states.
Orifarm is currently removing the expensive licenses. So it was key that Keepit's backup solution could be scaled and adapted continously. With more than 200 costly E3 licenses, Keepit can provide Orifarm significant financial savings.
IT Audit: Find and Restore Quickly and Easily!
Whenever Orifarm undergoes an IT audit, they must demonstrate the ability to search and retrieve even old emails. It is a requirement that this can be done with a fast response time.
'You must be able to prove that you are in control of your data,' as Lilholm stresses.
Keepit makes this possible with the solutions's search function that applies across Exchange, SharePoint and OneDrive.
User Friendly and Simple
Keepit has met Orifarm's requirements for a secure and user-friendly cloud backup solution. And for Orifarm it has been easy to install and get started with Keepit.
The implementation went really fast; three clicks and done! Just as simple and straightforward as it should be when talking cloud solutions! We are very pleased with Keepit to secure that our data backup is running safely and automatically every day,
Kristian Lilholm IT Manager, Orifarm
Orifarm has experienced these benefits using Keepit:
- Regulatory compliance
- Significant financial savings on licenses
- Automatic backup of in-place archives
- Proven controls related to IT audits
The Right Solution for Orifarm
With Orifarm’s approval, it is evident that the Keepit backup solution meets the pharmaceutical industry's extensive validation requirements - a recognition that emphasizes the high level of security and technology that Keepit represents.
With the long retention periods provided by Keepit, Orifarm can save significant amounts on expensive licenses. At the same time, Keepit is the only solution that can secure the backup of in-place archives.
Keepit strives to secure the digital business, and takes pride in developing quality user-friendly solutions that create security for customers. Orifarm is a good example of this.