Proof · Case studies

Measured in dollars saved and risks eliminated.

From 50-person startups to Fortune 1000 enterprises. These aren’t just case studies. They’re transformations delivered by experienced advisors, measured in dollars saved, risks eliminated, and decisions finally made with confidence.

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Case study results: attack surface exposure down 42% in nine months, $612K net cost optimization, ransomware recovery under 48 hoursCASE STUDY · 9 MONTHSATTACK SURFACE EXPOSURE−42%Month 0Month 9NET COSTOPTIMIZATION$612KRANSOMWARERECOVERY<48hwas 11 daysBoard-level resilience metricsNo budget increase

Millions in identified savings

Exposed IT overspend and security vulnerabilities

75+ years combined advisory experience

No direct client fee

Case study · Manufacturing

How a Multi-Site Manufacturer Cut Attack-Surface Exposure 42% — Without Increasing Budget

$612K net cost optimizationStrengthened OT resilienceAligned executive strategy

The situation

A 1,200-employee manufacturing company with three production facilities faced:

  • Rising ransomware exposure
  • Increasing cyber insurance pressure
  • Legacy OT systems that couldn’t be patched
  • Overlapping security tools with unclear ROI
  • An acquisition requiring integration into corporate standards

The internal team wasn’t lacking expertise — they were buried in vendor noise and complexity. They needed clarity, not more products.

Three production facilities on a shared IT/OT network, surrounded by five pressures: ransomware exposure, cyber insurance pressure, unpatchable legacy OT, overlapping tools and an acquisition to integrateRansomware exposureCyber insurance pressureLegacy OT, can’t patchOverlapping toolsAcquisition integrationShared IT/OT networkPLANT 1PLANT 2PLANT 31,200 employees · 3 production facilities
The MALA advisory approach

MALA deployed a senior security architecture advisor to:

  1. 01

    Benchmark

    Security posture against peer manufacturers.

  2. 02

    Validate

    Uptime vs. security tradeoffs.

  3. 03

    Audit

    Architecture, recovery readiness, and vendor overlap.

  4. 04

    Align

    IT/OT strategy with executive risk tolerance.

What we found

The gaps behind the spend.

$750K

In redundant or misaligned security spend

17

Unmanaged third-party access pathways into plant systems

Backup systems unable to meet stated recovery objectives

Cyber insurance compliance gaps

Security spend was 28% above the industry average, while resilience lagged peersIndustry averageThis client+28%Below peersSecurity spendResilience

Security spend was 28% above industry average — but resilience lagged peers.Resilience bar is illustrative.

The issue wasn’t investment. It was alignment.

The results · 9 months

Less risk. Lower cost. Faster recovery.

42%Reduction in attack-surface exposure
$612KNet cost optimization
<48hRansomware recovery, down from 11 days
Clear board-level resilience metrics

Ransomware recovery time

Ransomware recovery time fell from 11 days to under 48 hoursBEFORE11 daysAFTER<48 hoursDay 0Day 2Day 11
Related reading

From the MALA blog

ArticleCase Study: How a Manufacturer Cut Attack-Surface Exposure 42% Without Increasing BudgetRead the article →ArticleWhat a Technology Reality Assessment Actually Involves, Step by StepRead the article →ArticleWhat "Zero Upfront Cost" Actually Means in Technology AdvisoryRead the article →
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A 30-minute conversation. No pitch. No pressure. No cost.

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