Plant-Based CPG Powerhouse Flora Food Group Transforms IAM and PAM Operations through Automated IAM & PAM
Flora Food Group, the global leader in plant-based foods, faced unique challenges as a young company with century-old brands. With operations across 90 countries and 14 factories worldwide, Flora Food Group needed a robust identity and access management solution to protect its substantial workforce of 4,800 identities and its network of 1,200 external third-party suppliers.
The Challenge
As a spinoff from a larger conglomerate, Flora Food Group faced the unique challenge of building its IAM/PAM infrastructure from scratch. Alet Ferreira, IAM Cyber Security Manager reporting to the global CISO, explains: "We didn't really have access management or governance in place before. I was able to set up our environment from greenfield, to shape how I wanted to protect identity within Flora Food Group." The key challenges included the absence of established identity lifecycle processes, manual and error-prone account management, lack of formal request and approval workflows, absence of privileged access controls, and the need for a solution compatible with Flora Food Group's cloud-first, SaaS-centric environment.
The Solution
Flora Food Group partnered with Bravura Security to implement Bravura Identity for automated lifecycle management and Bravura Privilege for privileged access management. Alet highlights the value of an integrated solution, "We decided we really wanted a small digital footprint. The fact that Bravura provided both identity and privileged access management really helped. Why do I need to speak to two different vendors?" The implementation approach involved connecting Bravura Identity to Flora Food Group's HR system for automated provisioning/deprovisioning, establishing an access catalog and formal request processes, and deploying Bravura Privilege across Active Directory and Unix/Linux environments. Alet emphasizes the rapid deployment: "I've never implemented a system so quickly. We did it in 12 weeks, that's three months, and we rolled it out across our operating systems for Active Directory and Unix Linux. Every layer is protected in 12 weeks."
The Outcome
The implementation of Bravura Security's solutions yielded significant results for Flora Food Group. Automated lifecycle management resulted in 2,648 accounts created automatically, 1,791 accounts deprovisioned automatically, and 22,597 automated account modifications. Enhanced privileged access security saw 2,170 privileged accounts managed daily, 21,260 randomized passwords generated, and 1,008 privileged account checkouts in a year. The solution improved operational efficiency by eliminating manual ticketing for account creation/deletion, reducing human errors in access management, and streamlining access requests and approvals. It also strengthened governance and compliance by implementing formal access request and approval processes, gaining visibility into "who has access to what," and positioning Flora Food Group for upcoming access certification initiatives. Alet notes the cost-effectiveness of the solution.
Key Success Factors
Through this implementation, Flora Food Group learned valuable lessons and established best practices. These include securing and maintaining executive sponsorship, breaking implementation into smaller phases for quicker wins, being prepared to adapt business processes to fit the technology where appropriate, leveraging vendor expertise and managed services to complement internal resources, and continuously communicating value to stakeholders. As Alet advises: "Beat the drum all the time. I tell everybody all the time, please, please, please, IAM is important."
Future Plans
Flora Food Group plans to further mature its identity governance by implementing certification processes, segregation of duties management, and defining enterprise roles. The company is also working on new connectors for Azure AD and SAP, as well as automating server onboarding in their privileged access management system. Scalable IAM infrastructure and ongoing enhancements position the company to adapt to evolving business needs, ensuring readiness for future growth and technological advancements. Flora Food Group, through its partnership with Bravura Security, successfully implemented a comprehensive identity and privileged access management solution, dramatically improving its security posture. The project serves as a testament to the power of automation and the importance of a strong identity security foundation in driving operational excellence, enhancing security, and enabling future growth. By addressing key challenges, leveraging innovative solutions, and fostering a collaborative partnership, Flora Food Group positioned itself as a leader in the plant-based foods industry, poised for sustained success in the dynamic digital landscape.
