Invitalia implements secure cloud-first strategy with Check Point and Microsoft Azure

Invitalia, facilitating economic development across Italy

An offshoot of the Italian Ministry of the Economy, Invitalia is charged with boosting economic activity, helping startups find funding, managing the tender process for national infrastructure projects, and driving regional growth. The agency acts as a bank, an insurance company, and a data analysis unit to influence the lives of Italians both nationally and personally.

Invitalia’s activity is full of peaks and valleys, with its on-premises servers being extremely overworked at certain times and dormant at others. Sitting on great swaths of unused IT resources wasn’t a good way forward, and the alternative would grind the agency’s systems to a halt when demand was high. 

Invitalia implemented Azure to maximize efficiency and increase agility and flexibility. But Invitalia had a problem: It needed to move a massive amount of sensitive data to Azure. All that commercial and funding data creates a mouthwatering target for cybercriminals – and Invitalia knew it. 

“Security is not just a concern in terms of cost,” said Alessio Antolini, Security Architect at Invitalia. “There is also a political and reputational impact.”

Invitalia’s two-person IT department recognized many areas hackers could take advantage of, including mobile devices, zero-day malware, and compliance issues across cloud assets. 

“A cloud-first strategy dramatically alters your perimeter,” Antolini said.

Simplified management and the scale to cope with spikes in demand

Invitalia contacted Check Point to secure its Azure infrastructure with CloudGuard Network Security, available in the Microsoft Azure Marketplace, and CloudGuard Posture Management. Invitalia also deployed Harmony Mobile to help secure users’ mobile devices.

A leading provider of cybersecurity solutions to governments and corporate enterprises globally, Check Point was the right choice for Invitalia. 

“We no longer need a tool for mobile, a tool for the firewall, and a tool for the software-as-a-service,” Antolini said. “We have everything in one place.” 

The result? Not only does Invitalia have the scale to cope with spikes in demand, it also has the enhanced security to thwart cyberattacks and the simplified management to do it all with a two-person team. Check Point’s unified console delivers consistent visibility, policy management, logging, reporting, and control, meaning Invitalia no longer has to toggle between different security consoles. The Azure infrastructure, protected by Check Point’s CloudGuard and Harmony products, was a huge success.

“Microsoft Azure gave Invitalia everything they needed in a cloud platform,” said TJ Gonen, Vice President, Cloud Security at Check Point. “The agency was able to burst into additional cloud servers during periods of high activity and contract them when needed. This gave Invitalia not only flexibility but cost savings as well.” 

Navigating the COVID-19 pandemic with Check Point and Azure

But that’s not where this story ends. 

March 2020: COVID-19. Italy was one of the hardest-hit countries in the early weeks of the pandemic, and Invitalia was thrust into the limelight.

The agency took the lead in the government’s response, coordinating the procurement of masks and personal protective equipment and directing emergency funds to those in need. Antolini compared the shift in agency focus “from playing the bass in an orchestra to the lead violin.”

When there’s a crisis that requires the distribution of money, cybercriminals often come out in full force. Italy’s COVID-19 financial response was no different. The Azure infrastructure and its Check Point protection was tested dramatically. 

“We saw a 300 percent to 400 percent increase in attacks in a matter of days,” Antolini said. “This is complicated, since we had to manage engagements with a completely new set of providers. It’s not easy to identify whether the new mask manufacturer is legitimate or a criminal front. We have to interact, and that could leave us exposed.”

But Check Point and Microsoft were up to the task. 

“A security vendor is not a normal service provider,” Antolini said. “They’re like a bodyguard. They know everything about you. You must have trust.”

Azure gave Invitalia the ability to expand as much as needed during the crisis, and Check Point’s threat intelligence protection helped Invitalia recognize and respond to risks and threats more quickly.

As the worst parts of the COVID-19 pandemic passed in 2020, Invitalia saw how Check Point and Microsoft helped them succeed. 

“Today, we need data and security everywhere,” Antolini said. 

With Azure powering its cloud infrastructure and Check Point protecting its cloud assets, Invitalia is ready for the future.