Business owners and managers would agree that the organization’s success heavily depends on two crucial resources—time and people. For a modern company to remain relevant and keep up with the pace in the industry context requires solutions that simplify processes within the organization. The narrative of optimization & automation plays a massive role in business development. Hence, a solution like Whatagraph is an exemplary provider of data analytics and representation convenience that allows companies to plan human resources and time more efficiently.
Whatagraph, analytics & reporting platform, provides numerous organizations with comprehensive deep-dive company performance insight reports. But how does Whatagraph, which delivers services for over 15,000 global brands and agencies, sustainably operate with just 100+ employees up to their sleeve? Head of Operations Maria Siz told what security and talent challenges Whatagraph faced and how NordLayer helped achieve an organized and systematic security approach.
The Challenge
Whatagraph needed a handy security solution for sustained company management
Established in 2015, Whatagraph was like any other company, traditionally working from the office. However, the COVID-19 pandemic-induced work style changes in 2020 prompted remote work for Whatagraph employees. In the beginning, staff split between offices in Vilnius and Klaipėda, two distant cities in Lithuania, which also meant high dependency on local talent — going hybrid work model opened more opportunities to expand the team in a more adaptable form.
“Limited talent pool might come as a challenge for company growth, so Whatagraph considered looking for people working remotely in other countries as it brings more diversity in experience and skills.”
Whatagraph’s growth led to a team scale from 40 to over 100 employees in less than six months. First, a local organization with clients from the US and Europe became an international company with staff positioned in Kenya, Turkey, Belarus, Italy, Spain, and Germany. Rapid business expansion means the organization has to solve other matters that come jointly — the need for talent results in added scenarios Whatagraph had to approach to cover experience and performance targets for the service.
Deficiency of staff requires on-point planning to distribute given resources achieving maximum efficiency with minimum effort. Automatization and easy-to-use solutions became mandatory to save time and cover the increased demand of the workforce. However, once global scaling helps deal with local employment limitations, expanding the user base requires undisrupted connection management to a secured company network.
“Any task performed on the Whatagraph platform requires VPN access, and over 80% of our units from the sales team to engineers - whether its testing or day-to-day tasks - need to be secured.”
Whatagraph’s priority was a comprehensive security solution that establishes a private gateway to company data & applications, merging integrated admin features for user commodity and uncomplicated scaling as required for business needs.
The Solution
NordLayer combines convenience and security for a suave Whatagraph routine
As a fully remote team, Whatagraph had used NordLayer primarily as a business VPN solution for some time already, when it was known as NordVPN Teams. Dedicated IP created an encrypted tunnel to securely connect to the company network, guarding sensitive data from unauthorized users and unprotected public networks.
“Our teams depend not only on location but also on habits, technical equipment needs, nature of work tasks, so they’re fully supported to connect and perform their duties from wherever they prefer.”
A private server in Vilnius was sufficient when the organization started expanding quickly. NordLayer client adapts to team preferences and provides shared hybrid work policy flexibility, making it easy to use for everyone.
The convenience of NordLayer isn’t achieved solely through single-click-on security in user devices. The solution is compatible with other providers as Whatagraph utilizes many different tools to develop and deliver its services. Moreover, in 2020, the company started upgrading its platform transitioning with NordLayer.
“With NordLayer, you don’t have to care how often your team scales or how many additional seats need to onboard. No extra network security technical integrations are required when a company is expanding. The solution covers all needs and escalates if the security goes in-depth for global optimization — everything is safe & sound within minutes.”
The centralized Control Panel is user-friendly, letting responsible teams manage user access roles, add new accounts, and intuitive, so no specific knowledge or training to control it is required, reducing time spent on the job.
The Outcome
Centralized security management consolidated company operations & resources
Whatagraph cybersecurity needs involve seamless integration and versatile compatibility with existing solutions the company utilizes for its development and performance. NordLayer combines a private server’s high-security level and the convenience of dedicated account management to optimize business administration and its restricted resources.
The efficient operation of the Control Panel allows managers to work without any need “to google something or look for extra help to manage people and monitor network traffic” as it’s self-explanatory and has everything in one place, Maria Siz noted.
“Proactive customer support and account manager help is exceptional in times for requests like asking for invoices,” Head of Operations adds, recently deciding to switch to an annual subscription, making the billing process even more convenient and cutting costs.
With limited staff, remote workforces, and rapid growth in the number of international team members, Whatagraph contained its ad-hoc business scale at a sustainable level with the help of an agile security solution. Sufficient connection to a dedicated IP ensured continued and uninterrupted security provision to access resources despite the load or location of requests.
Whatagraph showcases how suitably selected tools like NordLayer prove their value as a long-time solution that adheres to company needs despite the challenges in the business development process.
Besides collaborations with service providers, a correct mindset is as influential and instrumental for a secure organizational environment; thus, here’s a piece of advice from Whatagraph Head of Operations Maria Siz:
Password hygiene is a must
Never connect personal accounts and sensitive information to work equipment
Always use a 2FA and connect only to secure WiFi
Consider trying out NordLayer for scalable, adaptive, and easy-to-implement business expansion? Contact our team to find out more.
