How UK’s Largest Building Society Reduced Downtime and Decreased Rollout Times for Application Patching

In the finance sector, where the integrity and security of data are paramount, staying ahead of cyber threats through timely updates and patches is critical.  

One of the UK’s largest building societies, a financial firm that offers banking and mortgages, was grappling with the challenge of accelerating the deployment of security updates. The traditional processes for rolling out updates and patches were time-consuming and risked disrupting both internal operational continuity and customer experience.  

To meet the pressing need for a more agile, secure, and efficient method to manage updates without compromising service quality, the building society selected the Rimo3 platform to improve security and continuous management. 

Objectives:

• Increase security with prompt adoption of security updates and patches 
• Confidently rollout updates with minimal disruption 

Challenges 

The financial firm used long, manual processes for security update deployment, which delayed fixing new vulnerabilities and cyber threats. This exposed the institution to security breaches and compliance risks. 

Additionally, manual application analysis of the impact of each update on the institution’s complex IT environment was resource-intensive and prone to inaccuracies, leading to further delays and potential system incompatibilities. 

Key challenges: 

• Lengthy time to rollout new security updates and patches 
• No real reliable pre-deployment data to predict successful updates 
• Application downtime occurring after update rollout causing business disruption 
• Increased helpdesk call volume which negatively impacted IT productivity 

Solutions 

The Rimo3 platform revolutionized the firm’s approach to security updates and patches. By automating the analysis of the impacts of change, the Rimo3 platform offered a proactive understanding of how each update would interact with the existing IT environment. 

"By significantly reducing the time from update availability to deployment, the institution strengthened its cybersecurity posture, minimized operational risks, and maintained high standards of customer trust and regulatory compliance."

The financial firm experienced considerable application management improvements.  

• Automated Impact Analysis: Using the Rimo3 automated platform, the building society could swiftly assess the implications of each update or patch on its systems and applications. This preemptive analysis highlighted potential compatibility issues, allowing the mitigation of risks before deployment. 
• Faster Deployment Cycles: With insights from the Rimo3 platform automated analysis, the building society was able to streamline deployment cycles. This agility enabled the institution to implement security updates much more rapidly than before, significantly reducing the window of vulnerability to cyber threats. 
• Continuous Compliance and Security: The automation provided by the Rimo3 platform not only accelerated the deployment process but also ensured that each update complied with the latest security standards and regulations. This continuous compliance bolstered the institution's defenses against both current and emerging cyber threats. 
• Implemented a New Automated Testing Process: The Rimo3 platform implemented a new automated validation process tailored for the pre-rollout evaluation of Windows security updates. This approach ensured that updates were rigorously vetted for compatibility and performance across the institution's digital infrastructure before being deployed. 
• One-Click Process Automation: The Rimo3 platform introduced a one-click process for automating what were previously manual and unstructured tasks. This innovation drastically reduced the time and effort required to prepare for and execute security updates, making the process more efficient and less prone to human error. 

Results

Using The Rimo3 platform empowered the UK’s building society to transform its security update processes.  

By significantly reducing the time from update availability to deployment, the institution strengthened its cybersecurity posture, minimized operational risks, and maintained high standards of customer trust and regulatory compliance.  

The automated analysis and deployment cycles introduced a new level of operational efficiency, allowing the building society to focus more resources on innovation and customer service.

Key Results: 

• Improved confidence with general security 
• Decreased rollout times from weeks to days 
• Reduced downtime related to an update process

Conclusion 

Leveraging The Rimo3 platform’s automation technology addressed critical challenges in the financial sector, particularly in maintaining a strong security framework.  

The building society not only achieved an enhanced security posture but also set a new standard for agility and efficiency in managing IT system updates.  

The Rimo3 platform showed how automation can transform traditional processes to help financial institutions better maintain security and compliance.