St. Anna CCRI Strengthens Data Security and Collaboration With Keeper

St. Anna Children’s Cancer Research Institute (CCRI), located in Vienna, Austria, is one of Europe’s leading centres for paediatric cancer research. Operating in the healthcare industry with over 250 employees, the organisation needed an easy-to-use enterprise password management solution. Each day, its teams handle sensitive scientific data, patient information and shared digital resources that must remain secure as they collaborate across departments and labs. Protecting this information is essential, not only for compliance, but also to maintain research integrity and patient trust.

When its previous password manager created friction for staff and later suffered a public security incident, St. Anna CCRI turned to Keeper Security for a modern, secure platform that teams could adopt quickly and feel comfortable using in their daily work.

Legacy tools put sensitive data at risk

St. Anna CCRI faced widespread dissatisfaction with its legacy password manager. Many non-technical employees avoided the tool altogether because the interface was confusing and slowed their work rather than streamlining tasks. As a result, some resorted to insecure methods, such as shared spreadsheets or handwritten notes, to store and share privileged credentials.

On the administrative side, the Information Technology (IT) team lacked visibility into who had access to systems, credentials, data, documentation and more. Managing credentials for temporary researchers and rotating staff was a constant challenge. Confidence in the legacy tool was low, and the institute recognised the need for a secure, reliable solution that could support its research mission and scale with the organisation’s growth.

A security upgrade people actually wanted to use

Keeper delivered a secure, user-friendly platform that combined strong password and passkey protection with the usability St. Anna CCRI needed. The clean user interface made it easy for both technical and non-technical staff to adopt, while accessible training resources and a simple onboarding process helped the organisation get up to speed quickly. Using Keeper’s automated import tools, the IT team migrated records and cleaned up legacy data ahead of schedule. Keeper also integrated with the institute’s identity provider, simplifying user provisioning for new researchers and supporting deprovisioning for short-term staff.

Keeper Enterprise Password Manager is built on a zero-knowledge encryption model. This ensured that vault data was fully encrypted and that only users could access or view their vaults. The team also deployed BreachWatch® for dark web monitoring and the Advanced Reporting & Alerts Module (ARAM). These add-ons helped detect leaked or breached passwords and strengthen credential hygiene through built-in reporting and alerts.

Soon after switching to Keeper, St. Anna CCRI noticed:

• Improved user management: Identity provider integration simplified onboarding and offboarding for researchers.
• Better collaboration: Shared Folders and One-Time Share allowed teams to securely access and share credentials without slowing down research.
• Stronger visibility: The Admin Console provided IT with real-time insight into password usage, enforced password policies and supported role-based access controls to define who could access specific credentials and systems.
• Improved security across the institute: Keeper standardized password practices and strengthened protection of sensitive research data.

Security strengthened. Collaboration improved. Adoption achieved.

The impact of onboarding the Keeper platform was immediate. Staff embraced Keeper because it supported and streamlined their workflows rather than obstructing them. Shared folders and one-time sharing capabilities made daily tasks smoother for labs, admins and rotating teams.

IT finally had real-time visibility into password health and credential usage, enabling more proactive security practices. And with zero-knowledge encryption as the foundation, St. Anna CCRI significantly strengthened its protection of sensitive research and operational systems.

From the IT security side, the biggest concern was the usage of notes on the desk and the insecure storage of the passwords and credentials. For the acceptance from the end-users, the collaboration feature for sharing records and files was the key. Keeper was more accepted because collaboration is much easier than anything they have done before.

– Ingomar Schmickl | Head of IT St. Anna Children’s Cancer Research Institute

Strengthen your organisation’s security with Keeper

St. Anna CCRI’s experience shows how scientific and mission-driven organisations can secure sensitive data without slowing down collaboration. By standardising credential management with Keeper, the institute restored trust, gained visibility and gave its staff a tool that both supports and streamlines their complex day-to-day work.

As credential and identity-based cyber threats grow more advanced, securing password management is essential to protecting your organisation’s most sensitive data and critical systems. Start your free trial of Keeper Enterprise Password Manager today.