CASE STUDIES

Security awareness in service of the circular economy

Overview

ReLife Group is an Italian excellence in the circular economy and a national benchmark in the valorization of separate waste collection, thanks to an integrated model that covers the entire recycling chain. Every year, it transforms about 1 million tons of waste into new products through four operational divisions dedicated to recycling and the production of paper and packaging made from recycled cardboard and plastic.

The challenge

For ReLife Group, supporting growth and digitalization of processes while ensuring maximum cybersecurity is a crucial challenge. In a complex and technologically advanced industrial model, cybersecurity is a fundamental strategic component to ensure operational continuity and protect company value, with the human factor as the first line of defense. .

The solution

ReLife chose Cyber Guru to strengthen its cybersecurity, also in view of NIS2, involving all personnel. The platform, based on awareness, gamification, and monthly simulations, has increased awareness of human risk, drastically reduced phishing errors, and significantly improved corporate resilience, making data protection more effective and measurable.

Relife Group and Cyber Guru

In a context of continuous growth and strong digitalization of processes, the ReLife Group has paid particular attention to cybersecurity, choosing to invest in staff training through the Cyber Guru platform. We discussed this with Irakli Bano, CISO of ReLife Group, who shared the company’s experience with us.

“Our DNA,” explains Bano, “is to practice circular economy, transforming waste that has lost its value and bringing it back to the shelf as a finished product. It’s a complex operation where technology plays a crucial role, forcing us to stay up-to-date on security.”
The starting point for building a defense strategy for ReLife was the awareness of human vulnerability. “Today,” says Bano, “about 80% of attacks originate from human error. To raise awareness within the company, we sought a platform capable of training staff in a streamlined and continuous manner, forming the right awareness, which we consider the starting point for any type of defense against cybercrime.” The decision to rely on Cyber Guru was made after a careful evaluation of the various solutions available on the market.

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The journey, now in its fourth year, has shown significant benefits since the end of the first year. After all, the numbers speak for themselves and testify to the effectiveness of the approach adopted by ReLife. “Initially, we had a 40-50% success rate for phishing attempts,” reveals Bano, “today we reach a 15% click rate without credential entry and a maximum of 5% with credential entry.”

A cultural change at all levels

The most significant change concerns the employees’ attitude towards the continuous and increasingly sophisticated cyber threats. “Before starting the training program, few were really able to detect a threat. Fortunately, we never had serious incidents, but I wouldn’t have been surprised if someone had followed through on a fake request to transfer funds from the acting CEO. Today, I’m sure that risk no longer exists because doubt has become the first element to consider, and attention is much higher, at all levels and for all company roles.”

Moreover, the need for a solid cybersecurity culture is reinforced by regulatory obligations: “For the new NIS2 regulation, managing waste, we fall into the category of important entities and are therefore required to be compliant. But in any case, we are convinced that today it is essential to create a true cyber security culture. Because, aside from adopting all possible technological measures, which remain a starting point, preparing the human factor is the most effective path.”

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To read the full interview and learn more click here