Case Study: MESA achieves an 8.6% phish-prone rate and reclaims nearly seven weeks of IT time annually with KnowBe4

MESA Gains IT Capacity and a Stronger Security Culture

MESA, a nationwide provider of cathodic protection and pipeline integrity services considered part of the nation’s critical infrastructure, needed to strengthen its IT security culture and reduce employee susceptibility to phishing. After baseline testing revealed a Phish-prone™ Percentage (PPP) of about 52%, MESA selected KnowBe4 and its Kevin Mitnick Security Awareness Training and simulated phishing platform to deliver short, engaging training integrated with the company LMS and Active Directory.

KnowBe4 implemented monthly simulated phishing campaigns, the Phish Alert Button, and the PhishER SOAR platform (including PhishRIP) to automate investigation and removal of malicious messages. As a result, MESA’s PPP fell from ~52% in 2018 to 8.6% by March 2023; in one month PhishER processed 507 reported messages, auto-resolving 92 and saving the IT team about 23 hours monthly (nearly seven weeks annually). KnowBe4’s quick deployment, customization and reporting also gave MESA clearer risk visibility and improved security culture.

MESA

Sarfraz Shaikh

Director of Information Technology