48 Hours to 28 Minutes. Threats Stopped Automatically
48 Hours to 28 Minutes. Threats Stopped Automatically
48 Hours to 28 Minutes. Threats Stopped Automatically
How a global manufacturer cut identity-attack detection time by 96% and auto-resolved 35 incidents per month, using licenses they already owned.
96%
Faster attack detection (48h → 28 min)
Zero
unplanned AD outages in 12 months post-deployment
unplanned AD outages in 12 months post-deployment
+36 pts
Microsoft Secure Score uplift
35/mo.
Incidents auto-resolved by playbooks
Incidents auto-resolved by playbooks
Project Details
Client Snapshot
Client Snapshot
A global heavy-equipment manufacturer serving the surface and underground mining sectors, operating dozens of assembly plants and service depots across five continents. More than 15,000 engineers, mechanics, and field-support staff depend on the firm's IT backbone to coordinate design changes, parts logistics, and predictive maintenance data. Operations comply with reliability and safety regulations including MSHA and ISO 45001, driving strict uptime and cybersecurity expectations.
The Challenge
The Challenge
Recent industry reports showed a 200% surge in Active Directory-based attacks on mining suppliers, and the customer's identity environment was a concentrated target. Over a dozen Active Directory forests, some more than 20 years old, contained thousands of user accounts. A single breach could trigger costly operational stops and regulatory fines.
The core problem was visibility. With no modern monitoring tools in place, the small security team had no reliable way to detect exploited accounts, hacking attempts, or signals of compromise. The environment created fertile ground for attackers:
Multiple AD forests, some over 20 years old, with inconsistent Group Policies.
Stale administrative accounts that hadn't been audited in years.
No behavioral baseline for detecting reconnaissance, credential theft, or lateral movement.
A six-person security team responsible for the entire global identity footprint.
Legacy Active Directory forests, left unmonitored, put production uptime at risk. Executives demanded a rapid security overhaul.
Our Approach
Our Approach
X-Centric weighed three options, extending the existing SIEM, rebuilding AD, or overlaying Microsoft Defender for Identity. The team chose Defender for Identity for two reasons: speed, and native alignment with the customer's existing Microsoft 365 E5 licenses.
1
Phase 1: Sensor Deployment (Weeks 1–4)
Phase 1: Sensor Deployment (Weeks 1–4)
Deployed Defender for Identity sensors on all domain controllers across the global AD footprint.
2
Phase 2: Hybrid Visibility (Weeks 3–5)
Phase 2: Hybrid Visibility (Weeks 3–5)
Integrated with Microsoft Entra ID for end-to-end hybrid identity visibility across on-premises and cloud environments.
3
Phase 3: Tuning and Automation (Weeks 5–7)
Phase 3: Tuning and Automation (Weeks 5–7)
Tuned alerts, established machine-learning behavioral baselines, and built automated ticket routing through Microsoft Defender XDR correlation.
4
Phase 4: Knowledge Transfer (Weeks 7–8)
Phase 4: Knowledge Transfer (Weeks 7–8)
Trained internal analysts and handed off operational playbooks for ongoing detection, response, and continuous tuning.
Outcomes
The rollout produced measurable, quantified results across detection speed, operational uptime, and analyst capacity.
Metric | Before | After | Benefit |
|---|---|---|---|
Mean time-to-detect identity attack | 48 hours | 28 minutes | -96% |
Unplanned AD-related downtime | 2 hrs/quarter | 0 hours | $150K production loss avoided |
Incidents auto-resolved by ML playbooks | 0/month | 35/month | ~0.6 FTE freed |
Microsoft Secure Score | 43% | 79% | +36 points |
Analysts now receive contextual, ranked alerts instead of raw log floods.
Shift hand-offs start with “zero active ID threats” dashboards rather than triage backlog.
IT-OT coordination drills cut containment time below one hour.
Automation boosted analyst productivity by 60%, postponing the need to hire additional Tier-1 responders.
The deployment laid the foundation for Zero Trust, fast-tracking MFA rollouts, conditional access and future OT/IoT onboarding.
Ready to Solve Your Next Challenge?
Ready to Solve Your Next Challenge?
See how we help organizations improve efficiency, modernize operations, and achieve measurable results.
What This Means For Your Business
If you operate critical infrastructure or production environments, identity is your most likely attack surface, and the threat trend is moving the wrong way. The fastest path to measurable risk reduction usually isn’t a new tool; it’s activating capabilities you already license. An 8-week Defender for Identity rollout can take detection from days to minutes, often before your next board cycle.
Project information
Industry:
Manufacturing
Solution:
Cybersecurity · Identity Security
Engagement:
8-week deployment
Ready to Solve Your Next Challenge?
See how we help organizations improve efficiency, modernize operations, and achieve measurable results.