A food manufacturer finds its security blind spots with a comprehensive audit

About the Client

This North Carolina-based food manufacturer has provided a line of beloved, best-selling food products across the United States for many years, becoming a household name. They supply a wide range of distributors, with placement everywhere from small stores to big-box retailers. To maintain the trust they have earned, they know they need strong security measures to prevent any unwelcome access to their systems. (The client is kept anonymous at their request.)

The Challenge

The IT Director had proactively worked for about three years to improve security, using a wide variety of tools, running scans, and implementing best practices. He covered a lot of ground on his own, but as someone who understands the importance of cybersecurity, he wanted help identifying any remaining blind spots.

He spent nearly a year evaluating options but did not feel confident in what he found. The audit plans he was shown seemed inadequate. "They didn't give much confidence that they'd cover everything we needed, front to back." He knew he needed a more capable partner.

The Solution

A Katalyst sales rep the IT Director knew from a previous company reconnected him with the team, including Security Consulting Engineer Uriah Berry. In that first conversation, the IT Director recognized the expertise he had been looking for: a comprehensive list, well presented, with someone who could not just produce results but interpret, prioritize, and build a roadmap.

A careful, phased approach

Because the work required deep system access, Katalyst started small with lower-stakes systems and gradually scaled up, testing larger and more serious systems over time. Uriah was sensitive to the access he was given, took network concerns seriously, and documented everything found along the way.

Action before the final report

Value showed up early. About a month in, the team discovered that important security features the company had access to for years had never been enabled by the hosting provider. Uriah paused his process to walk them through turning those on right then. Katalyst then delivered a comprehensive report with over 150 actionable recommendations, plus an add-on Threat Analysis that gathered a month of data to drive further recommendations.

The Results

The three-month engagement gave the manufacturer clarity and a plan.

The vulnerability report was highly actionable, a 200-plus page document structured so the team could work through it and knock items off the list, with over 150 recommendations spanning 18 security domains, from directory services and email security to firewalls, endpoints, VPNs, and wireless. The company now has clear guidance on what to do and in what order, replacing guesswork with a prioritized roadmap, and plans to continue working with Katalyst on future projects.

Key Takeaways

• Even strong programs have blind spots. An expert audit surfaced features that had been available but never enabled.
• Prioritization is the value. Over 150 recommendations came with a roadmap for what to tackle and when.
• Access handled with care. A phased approach respected the manufacturer's network concerns at every step.
• Action, not just findings. Katalyst improved security mid-engagement, before the final report was done.