Case Study: Global Semiconductor Design and Manufacturing Company achieves ITAR compliance, $4M in annual cost savings and improved productivity with Fortra

Export Control Compliance, Improved Productivity and $4 Million Annual Cost Savings

A global semiconductor design and manufacturing leader with 12,000 mixed Linux and Windows workstations struggled to meet ITAR export-control rules that restrict access to certain component layouts to U.S. citizens. The company’s prior approach—physically segmenting workforces and shipping designs between facilities—added cost, slowed time-to-market, and complicated collaboration because ITAR controls had to be applied at the component level inside complex design files.

Using Fortra’s Digital Guardian, the company implemented automated, component-level discovery and classification plus masking policies that hide ITAR-regulated parts from foreign nationals while allowing full viewing for U.S. citizens. The solution enabled controlled internet access via VPN, virtual network segmentation, enterprise-wide visibility and forensics, eliminated duplicate facilities, improved productivity, produced roughly $4M in annual savings, and helped detect and prosecute an attempted design theft.