Protecting laptops, mobile devices and other endpoints used by hundreds of employees can be complex and costly. But Ards and North Down Borough Council found an intuitive way to strengthen security and save money. 

Established in 2015, the borough council provides services in an area of Northern Ireland that includes 115 miles of scenic coastline, abbeys, castles and Bronze Age settlements.

With a £78 million annual budget, the local authority serves over 160,000 citizens. It delivers services ranging from building control and recycling, to sports development, the arts and tourism.

The council is driving flagship projects to improve the wellbeing of its citizens, as well as aiming to increase economic growth, while focusing on sustainability and reducing inequality.

Strengthening security

The council wanted to get more from its Microsoft technology stack and E5 Security investment.

In particular, the IT team was keen to strengthen security around its 570 technology users. The council had a third-party endpoint security contract in place but wanted to take advantage of its Microsoft investment by migrating to Microsoft Defender for Office 365.

Responding to threats

Bytes and Microsoft delivered a FastTrack programme for Defender for Endpoint and Identity.

Microsoft Defender for Endpoint helps organisations prevent, detect, investigate and respond to advanced threats. It includes Endpoint behavioural sensors, cloud security analytics and threat intelligence. Meanwhile, Microsoft Defender for Identity enables security operations teams to manage identity risk and spot advanced identity-based cyberthreats in real-time.

Weekly workshops were organised by the Bytes team – with just a few devices onboarded initially. This helped the council get up to speed with the new tools. Bytes also provided a comprehensive walkthrough of the Microsoft Defender for Endpoint (MDE) portal, explaining its features and navigation. This empowered the council to onboard the rest of its devices independently.

Before long, the IT team took charge. Now it could manage cross-product incidents, automate responses to security threats and improve the council’s security posture. Costs were saved too – by ending the third-party security contract.

The council utilises a third-party Security Operations Centre for continuous monitoring. Following the successful deployment of MDE, Bytes conducted two detailed sessions on Microsoft Defender for Cloud Apps (MDA). These focused on creating security policies and understanding the core pillars of MDA, including threat protection, information protection and compliance.

Advanced protection and savings

Bytes' support and training has enabled the council to make best use of its Microsoft security products, strengthening defences and boosting operational efficiency. Substantial savings have also been achieved – as the local authority no longer needs its third-party security contract.

The council has enhanced threat detection and response capabilities. It’s also streamlined operations through automated security responses and highly-effective policy management.

In addition, expert training and support has ensured compliance with security standards and reduced data breach risks, while preparing the council for future innovation. The council plans to take advantage of tools like Entra ID and Defender for Cloud Apps to further enhance security.

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