This case study details how a major government agency overcame a severe operational crisis triggered by a ransomware attack. By partnering with ISS Resolution, the agency successfully replaced its fragmented defenses with a comprehensive, all-in-one network security architecture—not only resolving immediate security threats but also anchoring long-term data resilience.

The Final Straw: Latent Vulnerabilities of End-of-Life Systems

Prior to the overhaul, the agency relied on an aging security infrastructure that had reached both End-of-Life (EOL) and End-of-Support (EOS) milestones. Consequently, the network lacked critical definitions updates, signature databases, vulnerability patches, and active Maintenance Agreements (MA). This defensive decay culminated in the ultimate tipping point: a disruptive ransomware breach that paralyzed operations and exposed government data assets to extreme risk.

As the agency’s trusted Wi-Fi infrastructure partner at the time, ISS Resolution immediately stepped in. Our engineering and consultancy teams rapidly analyzed the perimeter architecture to identify exposed vectors. The mandate from the client was clear: deploy a consolidated solution combining Next-Generation Firewall (NGFW) and Web Application Firewall (WAF) capabilities, eliminate system complexity, and maintain strict cost-efficiency without compromising technical execution.

A Unified Strategy: Consolidated Security at the Edge

To address these requirements, ISS Resolution architected a centralized defense matrix leveraging the Sangfor ecosystem, delivering a seamless turnkey integration:

• Sangfor NGAF (Next-Generation Application Firewall): Deployed as the primary boundary layer, combining perimeter firewall capabilities with an integrated WAF. This protects web applications and back-end databases from complex application-layer exploits, malware execution, and external brute-force vectors.
• Sangfor IAM (Internet Access Management): Configured to manage, police, and audit internal traffic. It provides administrators with granular visibility into network behavior, mitigating internal security risks and blocking access to compromised or malicious domains.

Proven Outcomes: Seamless Management and Zero Incidents

Following execution and deployment by ISS Resolution’s engineers, the government agency transitioned to a unified security posture that is robust yet remarkably easy to manage.

The days of IT personnel chasing false positives and struggling with disjointed security consoles are over. The Sangfor framework aggregates all event logs and mitigation parameters into a single pane of glass (Unified Defense). The ultimate indicator of success remains absolute: since full deployment, the system has run flawlessly, reporting zero successful network intrusions or data anomalies. This radical consolidation has optimized the state IT team’s operational bandwidth, shifting their focus from crisis management to strategic governance.