Sophos MDR enables London South Bank University to deliver strategic IT priorities

While we can’t change the volume or types of threats that continue to surface, we can help organizations implement the best level of protection for their users, data, and systems.

With the right threat detection and response solutions in place, in-house IT teams are able to save valuable time and resources to better focus their efforts on other strategic priorities.  

In this case study, we take a look at why London South Bank University (LSBU) in the UK chose Sophos MDR and how our service has freed up time for their IT team, enabling them to focus on innovation and strategic priorities.  

A long-term Sophos customer

LSBU has around 20,000 students, 2,500 staff, and thousands of endpoints around the UK and internationally. The university has worked with Sophos partner SCC for many years and has been a long-term user of Sophos on-premises solutions.  

Back in 2020, the university was looking to move towards a cloud-based approach to security and chose to upgrade to Sophos Intercept X endpoint protection, managed through the Sophos Central cloud-based platform. The university found that migrating across to this solution quickly reduced the administrative burden of managing such a large and complex IT infrastructure.   

Addressing constant and growing security threats

Yet, as cybersecurity threats continued to grow and became increasingly complex to manage, the IT team found themselves consumed with security tasks, which placed a significant burden on time and resources.

The more time they spent on security, the less time they had to dedicate to developing innovative solutions for their staff and students. And without threat hunting and response expertise available in-house around the clock, the university could not be assured that its data and infrastructure were secure and protected all the time. 

Shifting resources to drive innovation  

Alex Denley, Director of IT Innovation and Transformation at LSBU, identified that if they could take away the burden of continually managing cyber threats, his team could better focus its time on other strategic priorities. Alex turned to SCC to seek out the best way to release the IT team from their ongoing cybersecurity firefighting.  

Guided by SCC, LSBU opted for the Sophos managed threat response service – Sophos MDR – the highest-rated and most trusted MDR service. The success of our existing support meant that Alex knew that Sophos understood the needs of higher education and could deliver a personable, immediate, and effective service at a competitive price.  

Introducing Sophos MDR

Sophos MDR is a fully-managed, 24/7 service delivered by experts who specialize in detecting and responding to cyberattacks that technology solutions alone cannot prevent.  

With Sophos MDR, our expert analysts detect and respond to threats in minutes – using your preferred technology – whether you need full-scale incident response or assistance making more accurate decisions.

We use: 

• Sophos’ award-winning solutions, including our endpoint, firewall, cloud, and email protection 
• Products from other vendors such as Microsoft, CrowdStrike, Palo Alto Networks, Fortinet, Check Point, Rapid7, Amazon Web Services (AWS), Google, Okta, Darktrace, and many others 
• Any combination of our technology and other vendors’ technology 

Find out more about Sophos MDR on our website> 

No more firefighting

With the responsive and reliable 24/7 Sophos MDR in place, the university no longer needs to firefight security threats. Alex and the leadership team at LSBU get peace of mind that their people, data, technology, and systems are protected thanks to the proactive and constant surveillance from the Sophos MDR experts.

According to Alex: “With Sophos MDR we have continual security support and IT expertise. This assures our board of directors and students that we are always safe, secure, and compliant.” 

Empowering LSBU’s IT team

With time freed up, LSBU’s IT team can now focus on the strategic aspects of cybersecurity.

“The IT team is now able to get involved in security from a more strategic perspective, rather than being involved in the detail of individual incidents,” says Alex.

Plus, through working with Sophos and SCC, Alex and his team can elevate their cybersecurity skills and knowledge by learning from the experts.  

The additional time savings is also benefitting the students through projects that increase student satisfaction, as noted by Alex: “Since implementing Sophos we’ve managed to free up significant operational hours that have allowed our teams to focus on initiatives that have increased our student satisfaction.” 

A better outcome for students

Sophos MDR has enabled the IT team to transfer resources and time to Sophos and benefit the wider objectives of the university.

“Being able to pass on all cybersecurity management to Sophos has taken the pain out of the security element of IT provision. This means we can truly focus on student-focused development that will really make a big difference to our team and our students,” says Alex. 

Sophos MDR – trusted by more organizations than any other

Sophos MDR protects over 12,000 organizations worldwide and is the most trusted MDR service provider.  

To learn more about the benefits LSBU enjoys with Sophos MDR, read the full case study and watch the video below. 

Explore Sophos MDR today

To learn more about Sophos MDR and how it can support your business, speak with a security expert and get a custom quote today.