About The Primeline Group
The Primeline Group is the largest independent Irish provider of logistics, sales, and marketing services to home-grown and international brands and retailers across the Irish and UK markets.
It consists of four market-leading companies:
- Primeline Sales & Marketing – Experts in maximising the visibility of consumer brands in the Irish marketplace.
- Primeline Logistics – Providing cutting-edge supply chain solutions to companies operating in or trading with the island of Ireland, serving over 4,500 retailers with a fleet exceeding 200 vehicles and 750,000 sq. ft of hi-bay warehousing.
- Primeline Express – Offering business-to-business overnight transportation between the UK and Ireland.
- Primeline VNE – Specialising in warehousing, distribution, supplier management, and inventory management solutions.
Technology Challenges & Growing Cyber Threats
As Primeline’s business grew rapidly, so did the complexity of its IT infrastructure. With approximately 400 users, IT staff faced increasing challenges in monitoring network traffic and maintaining security. The existing architecture was outdated and lacked security monitoring, leaving the company exposed to significant cyber risks.
This vulnerability became starkly evident when Primeline suffered a ransomware attack and at least one known hacking incident—an issue that has escalated globally. According to a 2024 IBM Security X-Force report, ransomware attacks increased by 94% year-over-year, with an average recovery cost of €4.5 million per breach. Additionally, 80% of companies that pay a ransom are targeted again within 12 months (source: Coveware).
Planning for the Future – Where Do You Start? A Security Audit!
Primeline engaged CommSec to conduct a comprehensive security audit in February 2019, assessing People, Processes, and Technology. The audit highlighted critical vulnerabilities and prioritised risks into high, medium, and low categories, leading to four key security transformation projects.
Outcome of Security Audit – Key Security Projects
1st Project – Bandwidth and Internet Connectivity
To enable a cloud-first strategy, Primeline needed enhanced security and bandwidth. CommSec upgraded internet connectivity from multiple ADSL and VDSL lines to a 1Gbps symmetric fibre circuit with radio backup, ensuring high-speed and resilient cloud access.
2nd Project – Security Infrastructure Overhaul
CommSec refreshed the security infrastructure by deploying enterprise-grade Fortinet firewalls with failover capabilities, strengthening Primeline’s network resilience against cyber threats.
3rd Project – Implementation of a Fully Managed SIEM Strategy
Given the increasing sophistication of cyber threats, Primeline recognised the need for continuous security monitoring to protect its business and customer data. CommSec implemented a Security Information and Event Management (SIEM) solution, integrated with its Managed Security Operations Centre (SOC).
Today, all network traffic and security events are actively monitored by the CommSec SOC team, which uses industry-leading tools such as LevelBlue AlienVault and Sophos Intercept X to detect, investigate, and respond to threats in real time.
The importance of 24/7 SOC monitoring has never been greater. In 2023, 67% of organisations reported an increase in cyber attacks, with supply chain vulnerabilities and cloud security misconfigurations ranking among the top concerns (source: ENISA Threat Landscape Report 2023).
4th Project – Full Core Network Overhaul
CommSec carried out a comprehensive network infrastructure upgrade, selecting Huawei as the primary vendor. The new design introduced:
- Resilient fibre connections across campus buildings
- A fully routed and managed network
- An enterprise-grade Wi-Fi solution segregating user categories
Security – What’s Next?
As Primeline continues its cloud-first digital transformation, its next security enhancements include:
- Next-Gen Endpoint Protection for all user devices
- Vulnerability Scanning to continuously assess external-facing assets
- Zero Trust Access Controls, including Multi-Factor Authentication (MFA)
- CISO-as-a-Service, providing strategic cyber security leadership
With cyber threats evolving rapidly, a proactive security strategy is essential. The rise of AI-driven cyber attacks and deepfake-enabled fraud poses new challenges, requiring organisations to invest in automated threat detection and response capabilities.
By partnering with CommSec, Primeline has strengthened its cyber resilience, ensuring its security posture evolves in line with modern threats. The implementation of a Managed SOC provides peace of mind, regulatory compliance, and protection against emerging cyber risks—laying a secure foundation for future growth.