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How Community Services Group lessened IT’s burden and bolstered security

  |  Dashlane
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The company

Community Services Group
Community Services Group provides quality, community-based intellectual and developmental disability (IDD) and mental health services in Central and Northeastern Pennsylvania.

Industry
Healthcare-Focused Nonprofit

Company size
1,500 employees

The challenge: Improving security & easing IT’s password management load

Community Services Group (CSG) takes pride in empowering individuals with intellectual and developmental disabilities and promoting independence and wellness. The organization provides services in 19 counties across Central and Northeastern Pennsylvania.

“Our organization might be perceived as a good cybersecurity target, and it’s small enough that an attack could be crippling,” shares Elspeth Moffatt, Director of Communications at CSG. 

While CSG is very serious about security, there was no real consensus on password management. Employees tried a variety of methods, including a free password manager, but none of the tactics were safe or met the organization’s needs. Then, a phishing attempt happened, and it spurred the company into action.

“Security has always been a priority, but when we noticed a phishing attempt, we wanted to make sure that it would be extremely difficult for any unauthorized person to get access to our servers or systems.”

Elspeth Moffatt,
Director of Communications, CSG

Besides strengthening their security, CSG saw an opportunity to help their staff simplify their day-to-day processes. Some employees regularly access more than 30 applications and websites for personal and professional use. The sheer volume made it easy to forget passwords and difficult to keep all the accounts straight. When someone got locked out of an account, productivity suffered. The only way to regain access was to create a ticket for IT support, which was an added burden on both parties. The IT team had received 645 requests to unlock accounts in the first half of 2020 alone. 

CSG needed a way to remove password stressors, but remembering multiple passwords wasn’t the only challenge. The cycle of constantly signing in and timing out of accounts wasn’t the most efficient security process.

“We needed a way to bolster security and enable our people,” Elspeth shares.

CSG wanted to empower their staff to do their critical work and also help their IT team focus on strategy instead of password support. The organization needed a user-friendly solution that offers single sign-on (SSO) and allows access level management. CSG also wanted strong customer support to provide educational resources for the onboarding process and support their IT team.

The solution: Security with ease of use and custom training

The CIO at CSG initiated a search for the ideal password management solution and worked with a team of representatives from departments across the organization to find it. After evaluating several solutions, they selected Dashlane.

Screenshot of the password vault in the Dashlane browser extension app on desktop.
Dashlane's password vault in the browser extension app on desktop.

“Dashlane has allowed me to provide individualized attention to staff with compromised passwords and support them in improving their password security. A lot of employees are unaware that passwords have been compromised or that their password health is poor. This tool has been so helpful in having focused conversations one on one, as opposed to just handing out generic messaging.”

Mindy Beamsderfer,
Chief Information Officer, CSG

Now, CSG benefits from a variety of features:

  • Single sign-on (SSO) gives each staff member one set of credentials to access multiple applications 
  • Admin Console supplies a centralized password management system, offering simple-to-manage account ownership and access
  • Dark Web Monitoring alerts users when their old and reused passwords have been compromised and provides recommended next steps to secure those passwords
  • Password Generator creates strong, random passwords automatically 
  • Web extension allows employees to work seamlessly and securely access their logins without repeatedly opening a separate desktop app 
  • Autofill completes forms by filling in login information and manages users’ data when browsing the web
  • Dashlane Support provides customized training and an onboarding specialist to help maximize benefits
A screenshot of the Dark Web Monitoring feature in the Dashlane web app.
A screenshot of the Dark Web Monitoring feature in the Dashlane web app.
A screenshot of Dashlane's admin dashboard which showcases the company-wide password health score, the number of compromised passwords, and other important metrics.
A screenshot of Dashlane's admin dashboard which showcases the company-wide password health score, the number of compromised passwords, and other important metrics.

More on Dashlane

For more information on Dashlane, check out our business page or get started with a trial.  

The result: Strategic security that improves over time

Introducing staff at CSG to Dashlane was simple, and everyone loved the customized training videos. 

“Dashlane has provided great customer support to increase adoption and help improve general system functionality,” Elspeth shares.

Expanding on CSG and Dashlane’s collaboration, KC Badala, Senior Customer Success Manager at Dashlane, shares, “Partnering with CSG ensured that our training plan was customized for their employees and their use cases. We employed tactics such as admin training, employee welcome materials, and Q&A sessions to ensure everyone had the resources they needed to be successful with Dashlane.”

CSG employees find the solution easy to use. With the Dashlane extension built right into their browsers, generating new, random passwords is simple and logging in to websites is faster than ever.

“KC has been responsive and a great resource for troubleshooting existing issues, as well as ideas for expansion of adoption and use of Dashlane at CSG. Overall, we appreciate the way the customer support team has challenged us to keep putting Dashlane front and center with our workforce. It’s not a once-and-done push, but an ongoing effort to engage our employees to use password management to improve workflow and improve company security.”

Elspeth Moffatt,
Director of Communications, CSG

A screenshot of the password generator in the Dashlane web extension.
A screenshot of the password generator in the Dashlane web extension.

Password generation is a feature Elspeth is particularly grateful for. “Previously, I used the same root password with different variations,” she explains. “Now, Dashlane prompts me, and with a simple click, I have an original, strong password. Then, Dashlane saves and autofills it for me so I don’t have to remember it.”

The stress of juggling access to multiple accounts is over. Dashlane not only saves login information but makes it clear for staff which account is being logged into⁠— a huge benefit that keeps professional and personal access separate.

Dashlane’s Admin Console also separates personal and business spaces. CSG’s IT team loves being able to look at the company’s password security from a strategic perspective or from an individual level. That way, IT can easily recognize when people are struggling with security in their business account and proactively offer education and training, which Dashlane helps provide. And since adopting Dashlane, CSG’s IT team has seen a 36% decrease in requests to unlock accounts.

CSG employees like the cybersecurity overview they get, too. In particular, the Password Health score has been great for showing employees their passwords’ strength and revealing how an individual’s cybersecurity habits might be affecting themselves or the company.

“With Dashlane, I get a comprehensive look at my password hygiene,” Elspeth shares. “I see exactly what’s impacting my Password Health score, even if it’s a site that I haven’t logged into in years.”

CSG employees can see how their password security is bolstered with each strong password, and many find that strengthening their security is painless. CSG’s password health has more than doubled since implementing Dashlane.

“Dashlane helps effortlessly improve security over time.”

Elspeth Moffatt,
Director of Communications, CSG

Dashlane also offers historical insights into compromised passwords and actively monitors the dark web for data breaches, which provides peace of mind. Elspeth explains, “I like that Dark Web Monitoring lets me know if any of my information has ever been compromised.”

Inefficient security processes are in the past for CSG staff because SSO securely streamlines access. “We’ve simplified the process while maintaining security with Dashlane,” Elspeth says.

CSG’s security is only getting stronger with Dashlane. As technology evolves, CSG’s security strategy is evolving as well, and Dashlane is now a critical part of onboarding. 

“As long as we introduce Dashlane on day one, we can introduce other platforms without worrying about access. The password process is just built-in."

Elspeth Moffatt,
Director of Communications, CSG

For a company that cares about security but wants to focus on their mission, Dashlane offers the perfect solution.

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