London South Bank University recently purchased Sophos’s Managed Detection and Response (MDR) cybersecurity service.
Originally the Borough Polytechnic Institute, the university has been a Sophos customer since 2013, but was established in South London in 1892 and has been improving the lives of students, businesses and the local community ever since. The university has around 20,000 students, 2,500 employees and tens of thousands of endpoints UK and internationally.
With a complex and vast IT estate across multiple sites, London South Bank University’s IT team needed specialist help to stay ahead of constant and growing security threats. They turned to Sophos for a 24 hour, 365 days a year service.
Alex Denley is Director of IT Innovation and Transformation at London South Bank University. He realised that it took significant operational overhead to protect such a large and varied technology stack.
These challenges mainly centred around compliance and the safe storage of student data while maintaining a proactive approach to IT security. This is where the Managed Detection and Response service from Sophos has been able to help.
“With Sophos Managed Detection and Response we have around the clock surveillance, support and IT expertise. This assures our board of directors and students that we are always safe, secure and compliant.” Alex Denley, Director of IT Innovation and Transformation, London South Bank University
Business challenges
Alex turned to his Sophos Account Manager for advice on the best ways to secure the University’s network, endpoints and data without expanding the IT team. He wanted the IT team to focus their time and energy on improving the student and learning experience without cybersecurity distractions.
The team at Sophos quickly identified a need to consolidate the University’s cybersecurity provision to reduce the burden of managing thousands of endpoints and resolving issues.
The solution
In 2020, the University’s on-premise cybersecurity solution from Sophos was soon to go end-of-life and the Sophos team advised they should upgrade to Sophos Central with Intercept X.
More recently Alex approached Sophos to reduce cyber risks even further by discussing the benefits of a 24/7 managed IT security service to continually ensure compliance and protect data. Alex realised that an outsourced team, could provide around-the-clock surveillance and expertise to ensure the University was always safe.
The Sophos team therefore recommended Sophos Managed Detection and Response (MDR) as an unparalleled service in the IT security sector. Alex already knew that Sophos understood the needs of Higher Education and could deliver a personable, immediate service at a competitive price.
Business benefits
The University now benefits from a highly proactive approach to information security, managed by a team of Sophos experts who are available to combat threats 24/7. Further benefits include:
Access to industry experts
Alex and his team have 24/7 reassurance that their network, systems and data are secure, protected and compliant. They know they can contact the MDR team any time of night or day.
Proactive and responsive
The University is no longer fire-fighting security issues due to the proactive and constant surveillance from the Sophos MDR experts. This gives Alex and the leadership team at the University peace of mind.
Excellent service
The Sophos account management team and the industry experts on the MDR team deliver excellence every day. They are trusted strategic partners to the University that ultimately add value to the student experience.
Read more on how Sophos is helping public authorities in Scotland: https://www.sophos.com/en-us/whitepaper/cybersecurity-for-public-authorities?cmp=154526