How a media intelligence business used EDR to gain certification

Access Intelligence is a leading provider of media intelligence solutions and communication insight for public affairs, PR and communications professionals. Access Intelligence helps organisations make their story matter by providing monitoring, engagement and evaluation tools for politics, editorial and social media in one place. With headquarters near to the City of London, the company has more than 3,000 clients across the world, from large enterprises and agencies to public sector bodies and not-for-profits.

As a company that handles sensitive and confidential information for its clients, Access Intelligence needs to ensure the highest level of security for its network endpoints, such as laptops, mobile phones, workstations and virtualised desktops. Access Intelligence has a distributed workforce across the UK and Europe, which increases the complexity and risk of managing endpoint security. Access Intelligence also needs to comply with various regulations and standards, such as GDPR, ISO 27001 and ISO 90011.

To address these challenges, Access Intelligence partnered with ITbuilder, a trusted IT service provider that offers managed endpoint detection and response (EDR) solutions. ITbuilder implemented a co-managed EDR service for Access Intelligence, using the best-in-class, agent-based security technology from Microsoft and Sentinel One. The managed service provides the following benefits for Access Intelligence:

• Advanced defence against cyberthreats, 24/7, 365 days a year. ITbuilder’s co-managed EDR service continuously monitors Access Intelligence’s endpoints for any signs of compromise, such as ransomware, zero-day malware, fileless attacks, phishing and privilege escalation. The service automatically detects and blocks malicious activity, and alerts Access Intelligence’s IT team for further investigation and remediation. It also analyses real-time data and long-term trends to expose and prevent infiltrators.
  
  
• Cloud-based solution with no added infrastructure costs. All of the technology involved is delivered via the cloud, which means Access Intelligence does not need to invest in any additional hardware or software to secure its endpoints. ITbuilder’s co-managed service is simple to deploy to endpoints, scalable and flexible. It supports Access Intelligence’s growth and expansion across different regions and devices.
  
  
• Proactive vulnerability management and risk assessment. ITbuilder’s co-managed EDR service helps Access Intelligence identify and fix any vulnerabilities or weaknesses in its endpoints, such as outdated software, misconfigured settings or unauthorised applications. ITbuilder’s co-managed EDR service also provides Access Intelligence with regular reports and dashboards that show the status and performance of its endpoint security, as well as any potential risks or threats that need attention.

By partnering with ITbuilder and using their co-managed security service, Access Intelligence has achieved the following results:

• Improved endpoint security posture and reduced risk of breaches. Access Intelligence has been able to protect its endpoints from various cyberattacks, and prevent any data loss or damage. Access Intelligence has also been able to comply with the compulsory regulations and standards, and demonstrate its commitment to security and privacy to its clients and stakeholders.
• Enhanced visibility and control over endpoint activity. Access Intelligence has gained a comprehensive and granular view of its endpoint environment, and can easily monitor and manage its endpoint security policies and configurations. Access Intelligence can also leverage the insights and recommendations from ITbuilder  to improve its endpoint security strategy and operations.
  
  
• Increased efficiency and productivity of IT team. Access Intelligence has freed up its IT team from the burden of endpoint security management, and allowed them to focus on more strategic and value-added tasks. Access Intelligence has also reduced the operational costs and complexity of endpoint security, and improved the performance and reliability of its endpoints.

Access Intelligence’s Information Security Manager & DPO, Adam Palmer, said:

“We are very pleased with the co-managed service from ITbuilder. It has given us peace of mind that our endpoints are secure and compliant, and that we have a trusted partner who can support us in any situation. The service has also helped us improve our endpoint security posture and performance, meet our certification requirements and enabled us to deliver better service and value to our clients.”