Case study
Securing multi-site car wash infrastructure with Zero-Trust access
A retailer operating in Germany needed a secure way to connect car wash systems, payment terminals, vendors and cloud services — without exposing the entire network.
BlastShield introduced device-level segmentation and secure role-based access across distributed retail environments.
The environment
Connected infrastructure. Multiple vendors. Real-time operations.
Smart Now ticketing & subscriptions
Remote vendor maintenance
Payment terminals & kiosks
Cloud-connected car wash systems
The Problem
Flat network architecture created unnecessary exposure
The existing environment relied on unmanaged switches at the edge, creating flat local subnets where systems remained directly reachable from one another.
This meant that if a single endpoint became compromised, malware could move laterally toward highly sensitive systems such as payment terminals.
Key risks included:
- Flat network exposure
- Lateral malware movement
- Overexposed vendor access
- Remote desktop vulnerabilities
- Isolated systems with no secure central control
Ready for
NIS2 requirements?
Retail fuel infrastructure increasingly falls under stricter regulatory requirements around segmentation, monitoring and access accountability.
BlastShield enables role-based secure access while reducing unnecessary network visibility.
What this looks like in practice?
An external vendor needed to remotely update a specific kiosk touchscreen in The Hague.
With traditional access methods, this would expose broader parts of the network.
With BlastShield, the technician authenticated using biometric MFA and only accessed that specific station controller — fully isolated from the payment environment and the rest of the corporate network.
Real-world access scenarios
How BlastShield secured critical retail operations
Double-Dip Prevention
BlastShield securely connected wash stations to the Smart Now host, allowing QR codes to be validated instantly across locations and preventing simultaneous reuse.
Secure Vendor Maintenance
Third-party vendors only accessed the specific systems they were authorised to maintain — nothing else.
Stopping Lateral Movement
If malware infected a local cashier PC, BlastShield physically isolated systems and blocked east-west traffic between devices.
Technical Advantages
From flat networks to segmented infrastructure
Invisible infrastructure
BlastShield removes exposed listening ports, making infrastructure invisible to unauthorised scanning.
Device-level segmentation
Systems remain isolated at physical port level through BlastShield hardware gateways.
Secure remote access
BlastShield eliminates dependency on broad VPN access and vulnerable remote desktop tooling.
Identity-based control
Only authenticated users with approved BlastShield identities can access defined systems.
The BlastShield approach
How BlastShield worked in this environment
BlastShield replaced unmanaged edge switches with hardware gateways that enforced Zero-Trust rules directly at physical port level.
This enabled:
- secure segmentation between devices
- isolated payment environments
- role-based vendor access
- encrypted tunnels between stations and cloud systems
- reduced attack surface across locations
Every connection remained intentional and visible.
Business Impact
Stronger security with lower operational cost
BlastShield reduced:
- ransomware exposure
- operational complexity
- on-site maintenance visits
- remote access risk
- dependency on legacy VPN tooling
Operational improvements
Lower operational complexity at scale
40% reduction in truck rollsouble-Dip
Easier onboarding across 1,200 locations
Lower infrastructure management overhead
Simplified remote operations
Traditional branch upgrade vs BlastShield architecture
