Eekels Reduced Risk with Microsegmentation

Eekels Technology B.V., a Netherlands-based industrial systems manufacturer, faced a critical challenge when its existing segmentation solution was discontinued. With on-prem servers powering critical processes — and no time to rearchitect its IT environment — the company needed a fast, reliable path to microsegmentation. By partnering with Amitron and adopting Akamai Guardicore Segmentation, Eekels quickly ringfenced its servers, gained full visibility into internal traffic, and strengthened defenses against ransomware and lateral movement.

With hundreds of employees depending on consistent, secure communication across enterprise resource planning (ERP), storage, and legacy systems, visibility into east-west traffic is essential for Eekels. The company’s information and communication technology (ICT) team had long relied on a mix of firewall and cloud workload security tools, but gaps remained.

“We used another service provider with Fortinet firewalls and logged everything centrally,” explained Feike Bergsma, Manager of ICT for Eekels. “But without granular visibility into server-to-server communication, it was difficult to detect unusual patterns and isolate incidents.”

When the existing service provider announced end-of-service for its workload segmentation solution, Eekels had to move quickly — but also saw an opportunity. “We didn’t have time to rearchitect our infrastructure. Software microsegmentation was faster,” Bergsma said.

Working closely with longtime IT partner Amitron, Eekels set clear priorities: deep visibility, flexible policy enforcement across multiple locations, and a solution that wouldn’t disrupt operations.

After evaluating several vendors, Amitron recommended Akamai Guardicore Segmentation for its visibility, flexibility, and strong security posture. The solution offered real-time insight into both north-south and east-west traffic, granular rule creation, and powerful containment capabilities to limit the impact of ransomware or unauthorized access.

“Akamai Guardicore Segmentation provided the extra functionality we needed beyond our existing service provider,” said Bergsma. “The total package — technology plus support — clearly stood out.”

Tag-based policies promised to further simplify operations. “Tagging means we can easily protect servers no matter which zone they reside in,” said Bergsma. And the ability to test rules in simulation mode meant the team could validate policies before enforcement. 

With support from Akamai and Amitron, Eekels transitioned smoothly from its existing service provider using a phased ringfencing approach. The team began with lower-risk file servers, then progressively protected database servers, ERP systems, and finally Active Directory.

Eekels enforced segmentation across roughly 100 servers and endpoints, standardizing policy sets across all sites to reduce administrative work and ensure consistent protection.

From day one, Akamai Guardicore Segmentation dashboards illuminated traffic flows. This visibility helped Eekels identify unexpected DNS activity, adjust rules, and eliminate blind spots. “Once the agents were in block mode, we gained control over who talks to what and when,” said Bergsma.

With the Akamai solution in place, potentially malicious connections and suspicious external IPs are automatically blocked, dramatically reducing the attack surface across all locations.

“Akamai Guardicore Segmentation serves as the gatekeeper, our last line of defense,” said Bergsma. “If something is blocked, we know to investigate root causes and decide whether that communication should be allowed.”

The ICT team can now confidently approve legitimate operations — such as ERP vendor updates — while preventing unauthorized access. In the event of a breach, fast policy enforcement helps contain the blast radius.

Previously, Eekels could make firewall rules but lacked insight into real server behavior. “If a problem arose, we were left to our own devices to figure out what was happening,” Bergsma explained.

Now, the team can filter and monitor exactly which services are communicating and why. “The intuitive visual map replaced manual log-driven investigations. Instead of digging through logs, we can immediately see what’s happening,” he added.

Eekels credits much of its success to the tight collaboration with Amitron. The companies meet biweekly to review logs, refine rules, and adjust policies based on real traffic patterns. Quarterly architecture reviews ensure the environment stays aligned with evolving needs.

This ongoing partnership lets Eekels focus on manufacturing and user support while continuously strengthening its security posture. “We trust Amitron to provide expert support for ongoing policy optimization,” Bergsma said.

By migrating to Akamai Guardicore Segmentation, Eekels transformed a flexible but risk-prone environment into a controlled, visible, and defensible network. Since deployment, the company reports fewer incidents and significantly improved detection capabilities.

Every server, workstation, and endpoint is now covered — even smaller systems like receptionist PCs — contributing to stronger resilience and business continuity. Eekels even activates the Akamai solution on every new server or application to validate expected behavior before it enters production.

With foundational microsegmentation in place, Eekels plans to go even deeper. The team is exploring sub-ringfencing: adding granular controls around specific applications, APIs, and vendor interfaces.

Thanks to the Akamai solution’s flexibility and Amitron’s guidance, Eekels can evolve rulesets and tagging strategies as business expands, while keeping operations stable and admin overhead low.

“We’re solving a security puzzle. With Akamai Guardicore Segmentation, we know what’s happening in our environment and can make smart decisions as we continue to grow — without compromising security,” Bergsma concluded.