Security Assessment & Remediation

Inheriting an Unknown Security Posture

This professional services firm had grown rapidly over several years, with IT decisions made reactively rather than strategically. They had no dedicated IT support, relying instead on ad-hoc help from a family member and various one-off contractors.

When the business owners began pursuing larger contracts requiring security compliance, they realised they had no visibility into their actual security posture. They approached us for an honest assessment.

What we found was concerning:

• No centralised device management—personal and business devices mixed freely
• Shared admin credentials across multiple systems
• No MFA on any accounts, including Microsoft 365
• Outdated firmware on network equipment with default passwords
• No backup verification or disaster recovery plan
• Former employees still had active accounts and access

Systematic Security Transformation

We approached remediation in phases, prioritising the highest-risk items first while minimising disruption to daily operations.

Phase 1: Immediate Risk Reduction (Week 1-2)

• Disabled all dormant and former employee accounts
• Enforced MFA across Microsoft 365 and all cloud services
• Changed all shared credentials to individual accounts with role-based access
• Updated firewall firmware and changed default credentials

Phase 2: Infrastructure Hardening (Week 3-4)

• Deployed Microsoft Intune for device management
• Implemented Conditional Access policies restricting access by device compliance
• Configured Microsoft Defender for Endpoint on all devices
• Established proper backup with daily verification and monthly restore tests

Phase 3: Policy & Process (Week 5-6)

• Created acceptable use and security policies
• Delivered staff security awareness training
• Documented all systems and access procedures
• Established incident response procedures

From Vulnerable to Compliant

Within six weeks, the organisation went from having no security visibility to having a fully managed, monitored, and compliant IT environment.

The client subsequently passed their Cyber Essentials Plus assessment and has since won two contracts that required demonstrable security compliance. They continue as a managed services client with proactive monitoring and quarterly security reviews.