The challenge
Operating on a large scale, and with direct links to the public sector, this housing association has a unique combination of cyber security requirements. For example, the organisation’s cyber insurance partners mandate there can be no gaps in digital defences.
All these factors — a private-public organisational structure, a large client and supplier base, and tight compliance requirements — came into play when it was time for the organisation to forge a new cyber security partnership with a new Security Operations Centre (SOC) partner.
The housing association’s IT team began their search for a new SOC partner in advance of important system upgrades and transitions. As the business began to outgrow its current partner organisation’s service, the housing authority launched a search for a new vendor.
The organisation planned to transition to Microsoft Defender antivirus software and Intune endpoint protection. These changes helped reduce duplication of functions and cost. By moving to a Microsoft environment instead of using multiple vendors, the organisation could also cut its system complexity and thereby lower risk. The processes would have to be seamless, not leaving any gaps in SOC uptime.
The IT team needed to find a cyber security partner that could not only handle these implementations in a quick and smooth way but also handle its varied SOC needs going forward. The chosen vendor would have to show knowledge and professionalism to prove it was capable of shouldering these responsibilities.
Following meetings with numerous vendors, the housing association settled on Transparity, which came with a strong recommendation from a previous engagement overseen by the organisation’s senior security engineer.
