Introduction
An NHS trust in the south of England which provides healthcare services to their local population of more than 600,000 residents. The Trust runs one of the largest hospitals in the south with more than 8,000 staff, 1,000 beds and 25 operating theatres.
First projects
One of the Trust’s NHS partners uses Check Point firewalls and were highly complementary about SEP2’s services. On their recommendation, the NHS Trust got in touch with SEP2, initially recruiting them to install a Quantum 3600 Gateway to support their move to a new office. Utilising a breakout firewall at an office remote from the main site allowed the Trust to save on bandwidth for the hospital.
The next project was a consolidation effort, switching from the Trust’s old 15600 Security Gateways to new Maestro Hyperscale Security Gateways. SEP2 offered professional services to support the migration, including a day on-site to install the new firewalls. The 15600s were an essential part of the hospital’s external network so the smooth migration facilitated by SEP2 was crucial.
Teaming up with SEP2
The Technology team at the NHS Trust is comprised of only twelve people, each with their own area of specialisation. As a small team, having their security partner be proactive in responding to support tickets was very important.
As the Deputy Head of Technology at the Trust, puts it, “In the Technology team we should be designing and implementing solutions, not being bogged down with support stuff.” Thankfully SEP2’s excellent response times ticked the box: “The response time we get is so quick. It almost feels like by the time I’ve sent the email, and made a coffee, they’ll already have replied and have someone ready to look into it.”
Switching to Check Point’s Maestro hyperscale network security solution also helped to lessen the load on the Trust’s small team, allowing them to quickly and easily scale up. “Now that we’ve amalgamated our old Internet firewall services into that single Orchestrator, it’s one less thing to have to maintain, support, manage, upgrade… All of those painful things that come along with having to manage hardware.”
Our Partnership
SEP2 are now the NHS Trust’s incumbent partner for Check Point. Most recently the Trust purchased a new Quantum 7000 to add to their Maestro cluster. The Maestro cluster is the biggest part of the Trust’s external network, serving all Health and Social Care Network (HSCN) traffic. In the Deputy Head of Technology’s words, “if that would have gone down, it would have been a huge issue.”
Cyber Security Engineer (and graduate of SEP2’s apprentice scheme) Alex Cosgrove spent half a day on the installation. The Trust has always been impressed by SEP2’s technical knowledge, and this time was no exception.
“It was easy, it was seamless. There was no impact to the hospital. No issues, and no downtime. A very, very smooth piece of work.”
Streamlined support with SEP2
With over 15 years of industry experience, the NHS Trust’s Deputy Head of Technology is all-too-familiar with the challenges of having “too many chefs” in the kitchen when resolving issues. He has often found himself in meetings with dozens of representatives from various companies, all attempting to fix the same problem. In contrast, SEP2’s support has proven to be remarkably efficient, typically handled by a single expert technician. He appreciates that they “just get on with it,” showcasing the streamlined and impressive support provided by SEP2.
As cyber security specialists, SEP2 excel at streamlining processes and enhancing security measures to deliver the best outcomes. The NHS Trust’s Deputy Head of Technology values their forward-thinking attitude and recalled an upcoming call with Check Point and SEP2 to explore unused features in the Check Point platform, including SandBlast for zero-day threats and web proxy capabilities. This exemplifies SEP2’s proactive approach to their partnerships, truly understanding their customers’ needs.
“As a team, we’re focused on designing and implementing new solutions, we shouldn’t be getting bogged down with support tasks. The more SEP2 does to support our support teams, the more they allow us to focus on these new technologies. SEP2 makes everyone’s life on my team, including mine, a lot easier.”
Building a secure future
With a steadfast partnership built on trust and efficiency, SEP2 and the NHS Trust are continually strengthening their relationship. The Trust will continue to leverage innovative solutions and proactive support with SEP2, ensuring a future where their vital operations remain secure and efficient.
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Syrenis
article date:
14/11/2024
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Why Choose Us
Our values inspire and guide us towards cyber security excellence
SEP2 are cyber-security specialists whose success is built on five values:
Honesty
We have always worked hard to ensure that we are offering an honest and transparent set of solutions to our clients. This means always prioritising the right solutions to our customers.
Committed to Good
SEP2 is an honourable organisation guided by a strong moral compass. We live this value with authenticity; it is not about simply ticking a social responsibility box. We understand that we are on the side of ‘good’ in a continuing war against cyber criminality, and that we have a purpose and duty to perform.
Passion
No matter who you talk to at SEP2, you will find someone truly passionate about the sector that they are working in. We are fanatical about the sector – working in cyber security really means something to each and every one of us.
Tech Driven
People Powered
We understand that the tech alone is not going to provide you with the security you need. It is our job to know these solutions inside-out to ensure they are right for your requirements. We understand that we need to listen and be proactive. We live our ‘people powered’ value and have a proud history of investing in apprentices to help us grow.
