A leading business in New Zealand’s marine industry encountered significant IT challenges as it outgrew its previous IT supplier’s services. To support its growth, the company required a robust and secure IT platform and wanted to align with a formal IT security framework.
With their accelerated growth, the company’s board was not satisfied with their IT security posture and had reservations about the outsourced IT company providing them cyber security services. The perception regarding the IT company was that they were using a very legacy approach to protecting the IT assets of the business. and the boards risk management program had highlighted that the level of risk was likely unacceptable. The company sought a partner who could provide reliable, scalable, and secure IT services to ensure seamless business operations and robust security.
The company had an RFP written up by an independent consultant and went to market. After interviewing potential partners, reviewing proposals, and contacting references, OneHQ was selected for its experience in this area.
OneHQ’s approach began with an in-depth assessment of the company’s existing IT infrastructure and services. This phase involved a detailed evaluation of their current systems, identification of critical assets, applications, and documentation of network equipment. Part of the audit included a thorough CIS framework assessment which allowed OneHQ to create a Gap analysis of the company’s current IT security posture versus the defined tiers of this globally recognized Framework.
OneHQ presented its findings to key stakeholders at the company, and a healthy discussion was facilitated to ascertain the desired IT security stance moving forward. This gave OneHQ remit to draft a scope of works for the IT security uplift program.
The proposed solution was focused on bringing the company into alignment with the globally recognized CIS framework at its selected tier. This was paired with a suite of other services, including 24/7 Managed detection and response, constant vulnerability scanning and remediation, Single Sign on implementation with MFA, system hardening, and policy enforcement. It also involved replacing a legacy antivirus platform with EDR and routing all email through an alternative security platform. This solution was accepted by the client, so a roadmap was created and agreed upon.
Whilst the company was committed to improving security, they were also very conscious of affecting production They had experienced issues previously with the rollout of new IT systems and it was pertinent to their operation that any downtime was minimized and known in advance. This necessitated a smaller pilot group than usual, which was in place for an extended period, so all parties were confident when it was time for the full-service rollout, which was done over a weekend
By partnering with OneHQ, the company successfully transformed its IT security stance to meet the boards directive. The comprehensive alignment with the CIS framework provided enhanced security, reduced operational bottlenecks, and improved overall business efficiency. The company’s leadership praised OneHQ’s professionalism, expertise, and efficient problem-solving capabilities, noting a significant improvement in confidence in their IT platforms.
OneHQ’s tailored solution and commitment to CIS alignment ensured the company could scale its IT operations to support its rapid growth whist the board could have comfort that they are following a globally recognised IT security framework. The robust security measures and ongoing monitoring provided peace of mind, allowing the company to focus on its core business activities and confidently continue its upward trajectory.
