Cybersecurity Transformation Protects Beneficiary Data for National Charity
Cyber Essentials Plus certification achieved within 8 weeks. We delivered this outcome for UK National Health Charity (85 users across 4 offices) by combining Cybersecurity, Microsoft 365, Mimecast into a single strategic engagement.
What UK National Health Charity was facing
A national health charity supporting vulnerable beneficiaries across the UK was operating with inadequate cybersecurity controls. They held highly sensitive beneficiary data — health information, personal circumstances, and safeguarding records — but had no multi-factor authentication, no centralised device management, unpatched servers, and no tested backup or disaster recovery. A near-miss phishing attack that almost compromised their beneficiary database was the wake-up call. The charity needed a comprehensive cybersecurity transformation, but with a limited budget typical of the non-profit sector. They needed a partner who understood charity pricing, GDPR requirements for special category data, and the unique challenges of protecting vulnerable people's information.
How we solved it
We designed a phased cybersecurity transformation strategy tailored to the charity's budget and risk profile. Phase 1 implemented multi-factor authentication across all accounts and Microsoft 365 Business Premium at charity pricing — reducing licensing costs by 77% compared to commercial rates. Phase 2 deployed Microsoft Intune for centralised device management across all 85 users, enforced encryption and compliance policies, and implemented conditional access to restrict access to beneficiary data from unmanaged devices. Phase 3 implemented Mimecast email security to block phishing and business email compromise, and deployed comprehensive backup and disaster recovery with Azure Backup and Azure Site Recovery. Phase 4 achieved Cyber Essentials Plus certification, and we provided security awareness training tailored to charity staff. Throughout, we leveraged charity discounts and donated licensing to maximise the charity's investment.
What we delivered
Tools and skills applied
Get results like these for your business
Tell us about your project and a certified consultant will call you back within 10 minutes. No obligation, no pressure.
Related services & insights
The charity & non-profit expertise and technical capabilities behind this engagement.
Services
Email Security (Mimecast)
Enterprise-grade email security with Mimecast to stop phishing, ransomware, and business email compromise.
Server Backup & Disaster Recovery
Comprehensive server backup and disaster recovery solutions to protect your data and minimise downtime.
Cyber Security Services
Managed cyber security services protecting UK businesses from evolving threats — risk assessments, defence-in-depth, compliance, and 24/7 monitoring.
Tech Insights
Ransomware Protection: A Complete Defence Strategy for UK Businesses
Ransomware attacks cost UK businesses £1.2 billion in 2025. Here's the seven-layer defence strategy we deploy for clients — from immutable backups to employee training — that stops attacks before they encrypt.
Active Directory Security: A Hardening Guide for UK IT Admins
Active Directory is the keys to your kingdom — and the #1 target for attackers. Here are the 12 security controls every UK business should implement to protect their identity infrastructure.
IT Budget Planning: A Complete Guide for UK SMEs in 2026
How to plan, forecast, and optimise your IT budget for 2026 — with real cost benchmarks for managed support, cloud infrastructure, cybersecurity, and Microsoft 365 licensing for UK small businesses.
Sources & further reading
Independent guidance from UK regulators, standards bodies and technology vendors that underpins the advice on this page.
- Information Commissioner's OfficeUK GDPR guidance and resourcesThe regulator's guidance on handling personal data lawfully in the UK.(opens in a new tab)
- Information Commissioner's OfficePersonal data breaches: a guideWhat counts as a reportable breach and the 72-hour reporting duty.(opens in a new tab)
- GOV.UKCyber Essentials requirements and guidanceThe official technical requirements behind the Cyber Essentials certificate.(opens in a new tab)
- National Cyber Security Centre10 Steps to Cyber SecurityThe UK's baseline framework for protecting business systems, people and data.(opens in a new tab)
Book your free consultation
in 30 seconds.
No obligation. No spam. Just a certified engineer with a clear, proactive roadmap.