Elanco enhances its security posture and reduces response times by approximately 50% using Security Copilot and Defender Experts for XDR

Elanco is a global leader in animal health products for farmers, veterinarians, and pet owners. The company’s offerings help keep animals and the people around them healthy and safe. In 2018, Elanco began an effort to modernize its cloud architecture, boost security, and promote ongoing innovation.

Elanco began a cloud transformation, migrating some of its on-premises infrastructure to Microsoft Azure and adopting solutions including Microsoft Defender for Cloud to enhance security and operational efficiency. Thus, it has built a strong foundation ready to nimbly develop new business opportunities. Elanco’s collaborative culture has also positioned the company to continue innovating in animal health.

Rebuilding IT infrastructure in 18 months while enhancing security with Microsoft Defender Experts for XDR

Elanco is one of the largest independent animal health companies in the world. Its central focus on research and development leads the way to improve the health of animals, people, and the planet by discovering important medicines and treatments in more than 90 countries. “Animal health is connected in so many ways, both in terms of pets—which enrich our lives through companionship—and raising healthy farm animals to meet growing demand for protein and quality nutrition,” says Matthew Bull, Chief Technology and Information Security Officer at Elanco.

Elanco needed a reliable technology foundation for its crucial in-house drug discovery work, which helps it treat and prevent diseases worldwide. The company’s portfolio spans six core species and is balanced across farm animal and pet health products. “Innovation is at the core of Elanco, and we recognize that technology and data are going to be the force multipliers of the future,” says Bull.

Elanco had previously used on-premises datacenters, workloads, and many disparate tools. It also used a third-party security provider for its infrastructure. When it separated from its parent company in 2018, Elanco saw an opportunity to streamline its architecture. “We were a 70-year-old business exiting from a 150-year-old business,” says Bull. “Legacy architecture can result in technical debt and inertia, which can be a bit of an anchor as it relates to innovation.” To modernize its operations, the company rebuilt its IT infrastructure in 18 months with Microsoft.

Elanco decided to migrate some of its infrastructure to Microsoft solutions to create an environment that would strengthen security, accelerate development, and improve resiliency. The company was already using Microsoft 365, and it began its transformation by upgrading to the Microsoft 365 E5 enterprise plan. Elanco’s engineers wanted to promote operational efficiency, so the team modernized its systems as it migrated them. “We wanted to make sure that we seized this opportunity with both hands,” says Bull. “We see our technology ecosystem as a differentiator, one that will ultimately lead to a competitive advantage.”

Next, the team replaced its previous third-party security service with Microsoft Defender Experts for XDR, which provides extended detection and response around the clock, saving Elanco more than $300,000 annually. Now, the team can better help protect its entire cloud environment at scale using Microsoft offerings. “We can make improvements to efficiency and response time because everything is designed to work together on Microsoft technology, and the people who support it are also Microsoft experts,” says Brad Klotzsche, Senior Adviser for Cyber Detect and Respond at Elanco. “That’s why we invest across the entire security stack, from endpoint security to identity and cloud management.”

Streamlining infrastructure and reducing response times by approximately 50%

Elanco’s approach to using Microsoft offerings has enhanced its security posture and operational efficiency. “We’re very much leaning into Microsoft solutions, not just from a technology standpoint, but also from the expertise that its resources can bring as part of a managed service offering,” says Bull.

To advance this transformation, Elanco offered training and professional development to its IT team and recruited talent to bring in fresh perspectives. “People and processes are at the forefront of how you drive transformation, with technology being the foundation,” says Bull.

Elanco migrated about 90% of its workloads to the cloud, running some of them on Azure and implementing conditional access policies in Microsoft Defender for Cloud to manage their use. “Having the single platform from Microsoft has helped us to turn up our security posture in a way that is fairly easy,” says Mike Chilvers, Deputy Chief Information Security Officer at Elanco. “Using identity and endpoint security and privacy in an all-in-one package using Microsoft solutions is incredibly powerful.”

Elanco uses Microsoft Sentinel for security analytics and Microsoft Security Copilot for AI assistance. The company has shortened the time it takes to detect and respond to security issues by approximately 50% using unified management tools and automations. And it can configure security controls to meet its exact needs. “Microsoft Defender for Cloud uses Copilot for remediation action plans, and as they get escalated to our team, we also use Copilot for assistance with queries on Sentinel or other Microsoft products,” says Klotzsche. “Using the same technology creates efficiencies to get us where we need to get faster.”

The company also uses Azure OpenAI Service to incorporate AI into its workloads and unlock further efficiency gains. “We have thousands of users, every single day, using all the Azure OpenAI models—both the foundational models that are available and some of the new reasoning models that have a tremendous opportunity to influence and shape how we run our business going forward,” says Bull.

Engineers also have a better development experience. Because the Microsoft solutions that Elanco uses are designed to work together, the company can iterate on its internal workflows without worrying that the changes will affect efficiency or security. Furthermore, the company deploys all apps within its security boundary, so that engineers can focus on building features instead of managing security. Thus, Elanco can develop new ideas in days instead of months. “We can focus on being effective and efficient with our resource allocation and prioritize the research and development work that drives innovation in our animal health products,” says Bull.

Improving the lives of animals and the people who care for them with Microsoft technology

Elanco created a secure and resilient environment that supports its ambitious goals and promotes innovation, adding features such as predictive cyberthreat detection and customizable controls. Now, the company is exploring additional AI use cases and implementing sensitivity labels from Microsoft Purview Information Protection to help categorize and further protect its data.

At the heart of Elanco’s mission is a deep dedication to improving the lives of animals and the people who care for them. This mission drives every decision, from adopting a cloud-first approach to adding robust security measures.

“With Microsoft technology, you can go from nothing to something very quickly,” says Bull. “That spirit of discovery is powered by technology and helps us deliver the animal health solutions that really matter. It’s exciting to witness its benefits across the business.”

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