Cyber incidents, like theft of confidential intellectual property (think research data and patents), are the biggest fear of companies worldwide, according to a 2024 global business risks report. And with six out of ten companies experiencing a cyber attack each year, the concern is well founded, resulting in a clear need for increased research data protection.
If your company handles confidential and/or sensitive data on a daily basis, it’s vital to ensure you’re using the best email security systems. A data breach would have huge implications. The cost of such a breach could run into the millions.
This was the situation for innovative biotechnology company, DiNAQOR and its subsidiary, DiNABIOS who approached Planck for research data protection solutions. Here, we’ll show how the life sciences company worked with Planck to ensure their confidential data remained safe and secure, yet shareable amongst colleagues and trusted partners.
DiNAQOR is an innovative biotechnology company active in early-stage drug development. Its subsidiary, DiNABIOS is focused on advancing cutting-edge tissue engineering technologies. Both life sciences companies are headquartered in Zurich, Switzerland with a presence in Hamburg, Germany. DiNAQOR has operations in California, USA too.
“Planck provides the strongest email security while being less complicated and expensive than email gateways.” - Marcel Grunert
Both DiNAQOR and DiNABIOS regularly exchange sensitive and proprietary information via email with customers in the pharmaceutical sector and with their peers in the academic world. Typically, the company’s data includes intellectual property such as details about their drugs and tissue engineering research. In addition, they communicate sensitive financial and strategic information with partners and investors.
Each company, and the individuals within them, securely store the information in their infrastructure. However, email and file exchange is used regularly to collaborate with internal teams and across the two organizations, exposing that data to cyber attacks.
First and foremost, the customer needed to ensure proprietary information was communicated securely, within and outside the organization, reducing exposure to data leaks. It was also important to minimize user friction and costs, maintaining the existing email and file infrastructure of each company and the workflows every stakeholder was already familiar with. This was the problem that they presented to Planck for secure solutions.
“Planck was the only one that implemented truly end-to-end encryption.” - Andrew Hartmann
“We evaluated various research data protection options when looking for the best option for our business needs. Planck was the only one that implemented truly end-to-end encryption,” explains Andrew Hartmann, Head of IT at DiNAQOR.
Planck’s encryption is applied to communication automatically, including group emails and distribution lists. Content is encrypted on the device, rather than via third-party platforms on a remote server - the solution offered by other providers. With them, the confidential information would need to be sent externally to the provider for it to be secured. A factor that the team at DiNAQOR and DiNABIOS saw as a serious flaw.
Planck’s genuinely end-to-end encryption ensures full privacy and information control. In addition, Planck’s robust and comprehensive email solution for research data protection allows every employee to communicate safely from their workstation and also remotely, using the same tools they are already familiar with. This robust approach appealed greatly to the clients at DiNAQOR and DiNABIOS.
"Planck was the perfect solution for our needs.” - Johannes Holzmeister
DiNAQOR Co-Founder, Chairman, and Chief Executive Officer, Johannes Holzmeister, commented, “it is our goal to utilize the most advanced cyber security technology to protect our and our customer’s data. I was thrilled to see that Planck was the perfect solution for our needs.”
“We were surprised and delighted that Planck could provide such a user-friendly email solution for research data protection. It did not disrupt our working habits or experience. And in addition, they implemented the most robust security architecture in the market, much less complicated and expensive than any email gateway” explained Marcel Grunert, PhD, Head of Data & Business Operations at DiNABIOS.
Well aware that complicated tools are poorly adopted by people, we designed Planck to be incredibly user-friendly. Because Planck plugs into your current email tool, you can continue working as normal with the assurance that your communication is protected. It’s a seamless, frictionless approach that benefits the company as a whole, as well as all of the users involved.
DiNAQOR’s Andrew Hartmann enthused, “Planck's focus on customer care and their high level of support were paramount in securing a smooth roll-out to every user during the implementation phase, providing assistance at every step. Planck's engineers went out of their way to ensure an optimal setup on our infrastructure.”
At DiNAQOR and DiNABIOS, sensitive data is shared across the business. Many of the employees aren’t technical experts, so it was vital to roll out a solution that could be adopted by everyone. Our user-friendly email security solution ensured research data protection, meaning that the company’s confidential and sensitive data remained guarded at all levels.
For companies like DiNAQOR and DiNABIOS, their intellectual property (or IP) is crucial to the business. It comprises their pioneering research, development and discoveries. IP spans patents, trademarks, copyrights, and trade secrets. Consequently, IP is highly valuable to the organization that owns it, but also to others. Hence, IP is a prime target for a theft attack.
With cybercrime on the rise, the risk of an attack becomes more and more likely. The global cost of cybercrime is forecast to surge, increasing from $9.22 trillion in 2024 to a staggering $13.82 trillion by 2028. And the cost of those attacks is increasing too. PwC’s 2024 Global Digital Trust Insights survey found that the proportion of businesses that had experienced a data breach of more than $1 million (USD) had risen from 27% to 36%, year on year.
Confidential company information can be targeted in many ways. Email is a common route with vulnerabilities being exploited. By using email security software, like Planck, for research data protection, your emails will be encrypted end-to-end, your senders authenticated and your company data remains safe.
No company wants its internal information and sensitive data to be exposed. It’s a prime asset and the lifeblood of a business. But around 60% of companies will experience this. Emails are exceptionally vulnerable and they’re the starting point for 91% of cyber attacks.
Planck’s email solutions are the most user-friendly, seamlessly integrated business communication protection software on the market. Designed to protect organizations from sophisticated cyber threats and attacks, it ensures sensitive data remains private and secure. You can share confidential data with confidence.
Contact us to discuss your specific email security and/or research data protection requirements. Discover more about Planck’s innovative features and flexible pricing options.
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