Valmet is one of the world’s leading suppliers and developers of process technology, automation solutions, and services for the pulp, paper, and energy industries. With its automation and flow control solutions, Valmet serves an even broader range of process industry customers. The company has over 19,000 employees and a 225-year industrial history, with a strong track record of continuous improvement and innovation. Valmet operates in more than 100 countries, with over 110 service centers, more than 160 sales offices, 76 production units, and 34 research and development centers. In 2024, Valmet’s revenue was approximately 5.4 billion euros. The company’s shares are listed on Nasdaq Helsinki, and its headquarters are located in Espoo, Finland.
Background and Challenges of the Solution
Previous solutions for Valmet’s partner remote connections no longer met business needs and were difficult to manage. VPN connections did not provide sufficient cybersecurity or flexibility to meet the demands of a complex operational environment. Additionally, maintaining VPN solutions was complicated and required significant resources. This limited Valmet’s ability to scale its operations and integrate new production facilities and partner network access to its resources in line with business needs.
Valmet also recognized cybersecurity risks and wanted to ensure that its global VPN connections for partners were secure while maintaining high performance.
To address this need, Mintly, a network security service provider, offered the Zscaler cloud-based solution, which not only replaced traditional partner VPN connections but also improved security and manageability.
Implementation and Continuous Development of the Zscaler Solution
After carefully evaluating market alternatives, Valmet decided to implement the Zscaler solution. The new solution had to enable secure, high-performance, and easily manageable remote connections for production facilities worldwide. Zscaler’s cloud-based technology eliminates the limitations of traditional VPN connections and provides scalability to support Valmet’s global operations growth.
Mintly is responsible for maintaining and operating the solution and for continuously developing the Zscaler solution according to Valmet’s needs. This ensures that the solution remains up to date and adapts to Valmet’s evolving business requirements. The partnership with Mintly and Zscaler also allows Valmet to expand the solution quickly and efficiently into new application areas in the future.
Enhancing Cybersecurity and Simplifying Management
With the Zscaler solution, Valmet’s production facility remote connections have significantly improved in terms of cybersecurity. Key features such as zero-day vulnerability protection, encrypted traffic, and access control ensure that Valmet’s systems are protected from external threats. Zscaler’s Zero Trust-based approach means that access to systems is restricted and closely monitored, significantly reducing the potential exploitation of security vulnerabilities.
From a management perspective, Zscaler provides a clear interface that allows both Mintly and Valmet’s IT team to manage, monitor, and optimize network traffic and security policies in real-time. This improves the efficiency of Valmet’s IT resources and reduces the number of manual administrative tasks.
Mintly managed the deployment of the new solution in collaboration with Valmet’s IT team, ensuring a smooth implementation process within the agreed schedule.
Expansion and Continuous Development
One of Zscaler’s major advantages is its scalability and expandability. This means that the solution is not just a replacement for the existing VPN environment but is also flexible and adaptable to future business needs. Valmet’s vision is to expand the Zscaler solution to additional production facilities and operations, such as remote work and supply chain management, which require reliable and secure remote connection management.
Summary
The implementation of the Zscaler solution in collaboration with Mintly Oy has been a significant step for Valmet in achieving more secure and efficient global production network management. The solution not only replaced outdated and vulnerable VPN connections but also introduced greater flexibility, scalability, and cybersecurity.
Mintly Oy’s expertise in Zscaler solutions has been crucial in designing, implementing, and continuously developing the solution. This partnership ensures that Valmet is prepared for future challenges and expansions.
The Zscaler cloud-based solution is now ready to support Valmet’s global operations growth in a secure and controlled manner.
Marko Paassilta, Manager, Valmet IT Infrastructure Services:
The Zscaler solution has been a major improvement compared to our previous partner VPN solution. We had several concerns about the performance and security of our existing VPN connections, especially considering our global operational environment and the distributed structure of our production facilities. Zscaler’s cloud-based architecture has enabled us to manage connections quickly and easily without worrying about maintaining physical infrastructure.
We have been particularly satisfied with the added security provided by Zero Trust architecture. It has given us the assurance that only authorized users and devices can access our systems, which is a key factor in improving our cybersecurity. Additionally, Zscaler’s management platform has significantly simplified the work of our IT team. This is not just a technical improvement but also an operational advantage, allowing us to respond faster and manage our network more efficiently.”
The collaboration with Mintly has been smooth and highly professional. With their help, we ensured that the implementation was completed on schedule and without major challenges. The management of the environment is in Mintly’s capable hands. This partnership has been important to us, and we can trust that Mintly will continue to develop the solution and support us with a high level of expertise in the future.
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