MicrosoftLive sourceProductionEvidence: Medium65/100

COFCO International enhances IoT security with Microsoft Defender and Sentinel

Use case typeFault detectionUpdated Jun 13, 2026

COFCO International, a global agriculture supply chain company, implemented Microsoft Defender for IoT and Azure Sentinel to strengthen its cybersecurity framework, especially for its operational technologies (OT). Facing challenges such as isolated systems and lack of visibility into threats, the organization adopted a holistic approach to gain centralized control of OT/IoT ecosystems globally. The deployment included agentless monitoring, vulnerability assessments, and real-time threat identification with automated responses, effectively bridging the security gap between their IT and OT teams. Enhanced visibility enabled COFCO to mitigate risks like ransomware and unauthorized connections, improve operational processes, and set a foundation for standardizing security across their facilities worldwide.

Industry
Agriculture
Location
China
Published
October 2023

Reported outcomes

Strategic outcomes

Risk & complianceStrengthened OT security and complianceBetter decisions & insightGained centralized OT risk visibilityRisk & complianceReduced ransomware and attack riskSpeed & agilityAutomated incident response processes
Why do we believe this deployment?Customer identity, provider attribution, maturity, and source checks
Customer
COFCO International
Provider
Microsoft
Maturity
Production
Linked source
Microsoft

COFCO International, a global agriculture supply chain company, implemented Microsoft Defender for IoT and Azure Sentinel to strengthen its cybersecurity framework, especially for its operational technologies (OT)

Customer identity supportedSource describes one deploymentMaturity supported

Primary read

Use case focus

Showing 3 of 4

  • 1IoT security
  • 2Operational Technology (OT) monitoring
  • 3Ransomware protection
  • Lack of centralized visibility into OT/IoT risks
  • Isolated operations across diverse plants
  • Cybersecurity gaps leading to threats like ransomware
  • Inability to enforce compliance with security policies
  • Older devices at risk due to outdated systems
  • Implemented Microsoft Defender for IoT for agentless monitoring
  • Used Azure Sentinel for centralized threat detection and automated responses
  • Created firewall rules for automated isolation of malicious traffic
  • Upgraded devices to Windows 10 for unified security solutions
  • Leveraged vulnerability assessment reports for continuous improvements
  • Reduced risks of ransomware and targeted attacks
  • Improved efficiency by providing plant-specific visibility into issues
  • Strengthened security with IT/OT segmentation
  • Automated processes including password resets and device isolation
  • Secured financial and operational stability during high-demand periods
Architecture

COFCO International integrated Microsoft Defender for IoT for passive monitoring within plants, sharing security data with Microsoft Sentinel for enterprise-wide threat detection. Vulnerability reports guided continuous improvements, while automated orchestration between Defender for IoT and firewalls blocked suspicious behavior. Upgrading to Windows 10 and achieving global standardization strengthened the IT/OT security framework.

Sources & evidence1
Evidence: Medium65/100Evidence strength
  • Customer explicitly identified
  • Deployment status explicitly supported
  • Primary source available
  • Technical implementation details available
  • Recent evidence check available
  • Last evidence check: Jul 22, 2026.
Live sourceStill referenced

The case's original source is still reachable.

  • Cited source last checked Jun 12, 2026 — ok (0/1 broken).

Measures whether this deployment's public evidence persists — not whether the system is still in production.

Type: Customer StoryPublished: Oct 11, 2023Publisher: MicrosoftEvidence: PrimaryConfidence: High

AI-generated summary. Verify important details with the linked sources before relying on this case.

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