Securing the Future: Nitec Solutions’ Strategic Adoption of ScreenConnect Privileged Access for Enhanced Cyber Defense

The Story

For over 25 years, Northern Ireland-based Nitec has operated MSP with a uniquely curated approach. They excel not only in what they do but also in how they present themselves—effectively capturing their unique charm and personality. If you’re curious, a quick visit to their services page offers a window into their clever and distinctive approach.

ConnectWise has been instrumental in Nitec's ongoing growth and evolution. By integrating ScreenConnect and ScreenConnect Privileged Access into their operations, Nitec has significantly streamlined service delivery while enhancing their cybersecurity measures, keeping them at the forefront of technological innovation and customer security. Johnny McIlroy, Managed Services Manager at Nitec, elaborates on their use of ScreenConnect:

"We've been using ScreenConnect to enhance our ability to support our customer base remotely and address any technical queries efficiently. This tool, in conjunction with ConnectWise Automate, forms the backbone of our service delivery, enabling us to respond swiftly and effectively to our clients' needs."

He also highlights their current strategic shift:
"We're currently transitioning from ConnectWise Automate to ConnectWise RMM, which marks a new phase in our technological evolution. It's still early days, but we're excited about the potential this change holds for further enhancing our service capabilities and cybersecurity posture."

Without question, the threat landscape has been a growing area of concern for organizations worldwide. The cyber-attack surface is expanding; and the rise and sophistication of attacks has been meteoric. Like never before - cybersecurity is not just an area of focus, but rather a critical component for every organization.

Therein lies the challenge and the opportunity.

“We chose ScreenConnect Privileged Access as the primary tool to service our customers. We saw it as a security product that filled the gap. We can be more cybersecurity aware by actively locking down devices to diagnose and prevent likely attacks. And it felt like the product was powerful, but nice and simple to install and manage. Not to mention it did exactly what we were promised it would do!”

Mcllroy further elaborates on the impact of implementing ScreenConnect Privileged Access:

"Previously, we didn't have a solution that effectively managed local admin rights, which led to a high volume of service desk tickets for installations and updates—a significant noise at the desk. With ScreenConnect Privileged Access, we've streamlined this process significantly. It's been instrumental in reducing ticket volume and simplifying administrative tasks with its auto-elevation and auto-installation features."

On the security benefits, Jonny adds: "From a cybersecurity standpoint, enabling ScreenConnect Privileged Access has been a game-changer. It has allowed us to completely remove local admin rights from many end users, aligning with Cyber Essentials certification requirements. This ensures that access and elevation requests are tightly controlled, significantly enhancing security. Our customers can feel safer, knowing they are dealing with a certified and secure provider."

This integration of ScreenConnect Privileged Access into Nitec's operations illustrates a proactive approach to addressing both operational efficiency and stringent cybersecurity needs, showcasing how the right tools can make a profound difference in managing modern threats and improving customer trust and satisfaction.

So, how quickly can a tool and a new process change the game?
Pretty quickly, it appears.

In just a couple of months, Nitec was already reaping the benefits of ScreenConnect Privileged Access:

“We’ve pushed this out to a small target group of end users (customers). ScreenConnect Privileged Access has helped reduce the noise; and the number of tickets created for our service desk. The ability to create rules to allow for auto elevation, auto procedure, and auto installation of applications has been very, very beneficial . It allows for a lot easier transition.”

He adds regarding the security improvements:

"This tool has transformed our cybersecurity approach. It allowed us to strengthen our defenses by managing access controls rigorously, aligning with Cyber Essentials certification requirements. This has not only enhanced our operational capabilities but has also increased our clients' confidence in our security measures."

“Once we turn the agent on, the system reports through requested escalations.” says Johnny McIlroy. “ScreenConnect Privileged Access allows us to set rules, auto-approve and detect control. This preempts requests, which made the customer experience frictionless. Of course, we all want to gain speed, and to be able to do more with less. ScreenConnect Privileged Access gives us the opportunity to serve our customers efficiently without the ‘noise’ or the burden.”

Speaking of the customer experience, McIlroy shared a bit about his ConnectWise journey.

“With respect to ScreenConnect Privileged Access, the on-boarding process was very simple! It’s really a matter of having the ScreenConnect agent on devices and the agent just works alongside that. Since we decided not to deploy it to everyone at the start, we were able to manage the rollout in a more dedicated way, and at certain times. It was seamless. Dealing with the ConnectWise support team has been very, very beneficial. The communication has been direct, consistent and guided – and any issues we’ve had we’ve been able to quickly resolve. It’s been a pleasant journey.”