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Beyond Housing: Unified & Agile Infrastructure

Trustack MSP Cyber Security, IT Services, IT Support. The image is a logo with a light blue background. It features a white outline of a house to the left, resembling the protective shield of an anti-virus icon, and the text "Beyond Housing" in white to the right.

CASE STUDY Beyond Housing: unified & agile infrastructure Background Established in 2018, Beyond Housing is one of the largest registered housing providers in the North-East and North Yorkshire. Beyond Housing has regional offices in Redcar and Scarborough. They manage over 15,000 homes and provide services to over 30,000 customers in the North-East and North Yorkshire. The organisation dedicates itself to supporting its communities and region to thrive. Beyond Housing helps communities thrive by offering great homes and helpful services from caring staff. This leads to better neighbourhoods that will continue to grow and succeed in the long run. What needed to change?​ Following the merger that created Beyond Housing the organisation needed to move to one unified system ‘Legacy’ systems needed replacing with more up-to-date, tailored infrastructure for the business The team at Beyond Housing wanted to implement an agile working platform to enable them to work remotely Less reliance on the in-house IT team for day-to-day support of the business How trustack helped Trustack designed and implemented a three-step project to create a unified, agile infrastructure for Beyond Housing. This included: STEP 1 A core infrastructure refresh at head office STEP 2 The IT team rolled out VMware Horizon from partial to full use across the estate. Beyond housing wanted to deliver VDI for easy access, remote and agile working. Through their partnership with VMware Trustack added value with a proof of concept. VMware DEM to provide a consistent user experience in a non-persistent desktop environment. VMware App Volumes streams applications to desktops as users log in, delivering only the needed applications and controlling licensing. VMware Unified Access Gateway to facilitate secure, authenticated connections from outside the local network. STEP 3 Dell and the business worked together to give test laptops to important people. They gave feedback on the laptops to the business after testing, Beyond housing bought 400 laptops to enable remote working for all of its colleagues. Trustack helped Beyond Housing transition to Office 365, allowing the business to easily adjust the number of users as needed. Trustack continues to provide wraparound Managed Services support for their new infrastructure. Testimonial We appreciated Trustack’s help in figuring out our needs, testing devices, and demonstrating the technology to our coworkers. This approach encouraged by-in from collegues and supported a collaborative approach to enhancing our technology offer. The Trustack team invited important people to our meetings to help us choose the right equipment to our business needs. Their experience and reference from other similiar organisations was invaluable.– Maeve Collier, Director of ICT & Change Beyond Housing Get your business on the front foot

SD-WAN Simple, Dynamic Networking

Trustack MSP Cyber Security, IT Services, IT Support. A conceptual image depicting cybersecurity and SD-WAN. It features digital devices including a laptop, tablet, and smartphone with padlock icons and a globe, connected by dotted lines, symbolizing secure communication and data protection across various platforms.

SD-WAN Simple, Dynamic Networking The pandemic has forced businesses to adapt to remote and hybrid working, putting pressure on IT teams. Those with agile networks and mobile working capabilities fared better, while others struggled to keep up. The situation remains fluid as businesses navigate the challenges of rapid change and business continuity. Make a positive move Organisations need to prioritize networking capabilities by adopting Software-Defined Wide Area Networking (SD-WAN) to improve agility, security, and performance for cloud applications while reducing costs.  What does this mean for business? SD-WAN can replace MPLS, save costs, simplify management, and improve agility by directing traffic to the most suitable connectivity option for better application performance.  SD-WAN technology allows for centralised control and quick adjustments to adapt to strategic or unforeseen changes, enhancing business agility. What’s wrong with traditional SD-WAN? Traditional WANs struggle with cloud services, causing delays and poor user experience. Backhauling traffic to a hub/data center for security can be costly and inefficient.  Is SD-WAN the answer? SD-WAN is a secure, software-based networking approach that offers flexibility and control over connections between multiple sites, using various types of connectivity. SD-WAN solutions offer security and intrusion protection, allowing cloud traffic to flow directly from branches to the cloud for improved performance. Real-time monitoring helps identify and fix network issues quickly.  Lake District National Park Authority – a real-world example Partnered with LDNPA to update network infrastructure across 12 offices in Lake District. Selected Cisco Meraki due to outdated equipment and security concerns.  A flexible solution to fit your business SD-WAN, like Cisco Meraki, simplifies IT management by integrating hardware, software, and cloud services for secure and optimised connectivity, with the option for in-house or managed service.  Happy, confident customers Cisco Meraki provided a reliable SD-WAN solution for LDNPA, meeting all requirements with efficient implementation and minimal downtime, creating a secure and scalable platform. Trust Trustack to get you future-ready At Trustack, we’ve put SD-WAN in place for many different customers, and we can offer the upfront expertise and ongoing support that creates an end-to-end solution for businesses small and large. If you’d like to understand what SD-WAN could do for your business, please get in touch with us. Get your business on the front foot

What is MDR and how can it help my business?

Trustack MSP Cyber Security, IT Services, IT Support. A low-angle shot of three tall skyscrapers with glass and steel facades, forming a triangular composition against a clear sky in an urban environment. The buildings, resembling the precision of MDR systems, feature a grid-like pattern on their exteriors.

What is MDR and how can it help my business? Managed Detection and Response (MDR) is a cybersecurity service that provides 24/7 monitoring, threat detection, and response capabilities using automated and human methods. MDR helps organisations stay ahead of new threats, reduce the risk of breaches, improve security, and free up internal resources. Implementing MDR can be more cost-effective than setting up an internal security operations centre. Testimonial “MDR is the element many companies are still missing today. Undoubtedly investment in security products and solutions will have been made, however it is the investment in the team that manage and administer these solutions that often lacks, either in terms of resource numbers or skill set of those resources. Analysing and responding accordingly to hundreds of thousands of alerts per day is a challenge most businesses can’t meet. Outsourcing this pressure to a world leading team of security specialists with specifically designed threat hunting systems is the only real way to know your systems and the security platforms you have wrapped around them are delivering, and when they don’t, that someone will catch that threat in real time.” Russell Henderson, Technical Director at Trustack “The technology is there to support us from zero-day onwards in terms of looking at threats and there’s the whole peace of mind that we’ve got knowing we have eyes on our system 24×7.”   Maeve Collier, Director of ICT and Change at Beyond Housing What is the difference between EDR and MDR? EDR is a software solution that collects and stores telemetry data from endpoints, such as computers, laptops, and mobile devices. This data includes file system changes, process creation, and network activity. EDR solutions then use this data to detect threats and send alerts to the relevant team. MDR provides EDR capabilities but also contains additional services such as threat hunting, incident response, and remediation. Providers of MDR usually have a security team who monitor the threats and respond to any incidents. MDR offers a wide range of security services with experts monitoring endpoints around the clock. This helps them respond faster and more effectively to security incidents compared to individual IT teams. What does MDR do? MDR is a security service that uses technology and human expertise to find and respond to threats. It includes services like Endpoint Detection and Response, threat hunting, and incident response.  By actively seeking out threats and responding to security incidents, organisations can better protect their systems and data.  Using an MDR solution can help improve security, save money, and make more resources available. Does MDR replace SIEM? No, Managed Detection and Response (MDR) does not replace Security Information and Event Management (SIEM). Both are valuable tools but offer different capabilities. A SIEM solution gathers and analyses security logs from different sources like firewalls, intrusion detection systems, and web application firewalls. You can use these logs to detect threats, investigate incidents, and comply with security regulations.MDR is a security service that uses a combination of technology and human expertise to detect and respond to threats.  Most providers usually have a security team who monitor and respond to threats on a 24/7 basis. Organisations should use both MDR and SIEM for better security and to improve overall security posture. Using Trustack to strengthen your security posture Trustack use “best in class” solutions that are tested before being offered to clients.    We also use these products to secure our own internal infrastructure.    We are a trusted cybersecurity company with glowing client testimonials and vendor awards.   We work with a variety of industries, including housing, legal, architecture, and critical infrastructure.    These businesses all use security services to different extents.    We enable access to MDR services through subscription as part of a managed services bundle or as a stand alone solution. MDR providers can tell the difference between real and harmful activity. This helps reduce false alarms. It also saves organisations time and resources. MDR is important for organizations, but additional security measures are needed to enhance security.  These important measures include a robust Next Gen Anti Virus and threat prevention solution, solid and tested immutable backup solution, employee education such as security awareness training, multifactor authentication and patching to name a few. Get your business on the front foot

Lake District National Park: Meraki SD-WAN

Trustack MSP Cyber Security, IT Services, IT Support. Logo of Lake District National Park featuring a circular design with stylized purple mountains and lakes inside, crafted with meraki. The text "Lake District National Park" is written below in purple capital letters.

CASE STUDY Lake District National Park Authority: Meraki SD-WAN Implementation Background The Lake District National Park Authority (LDNPA) has a head office and 12 remote sites spread over 900 square miles. When Trustack and Cisco Meraki engaged with them, they were using a mix of connectivity solutions – SDSL, ADSL, fibre to the premises and radio, plus VOIP and homeworkers on VPN. Challenge LDNPA had a traditional hub and spoke set up linking its sites, which gave a single point of failure. Ageing Cisco ASAs had reached the end of their useful life. There were limitations with the existing hardware as it was restricted to 10 nodes on many sites. The VPN routers also had limited functionality. Overall, the set up was complex and time-consuming to manage, and posed security risks. Solution To address these issues and, futureproof the LDNPA, we implemented Meraki SD-WAN. Smarter routing resolved the IP’s, ensured PCI compliance and improved malware detection. Meraki opened up unlimited node connections, removed dependence on fixed IP, ensured PCI compliance and improved malware detection. Implementation was efficient, with downtime for some sites as low as 10 minutes. Results Meraki SD-WAN has simplified the network, increased visibility and enhanced security. LDNPA can now manage the network remotely via the Meraki Portal. This has increased productivity as IT support personnel no longer have to spend a day travelling to remote sites. Meraki SD-WAN has enhanced communication between LDNPA’s 13 sites and improved user experience. “TruStack have continued to provide good advice and service since winning our SD-WAN tender three years ago, we would not hesitate to use them for future projects.”‍ Frank Blackburn – ICT services manager, LDNPA Get your business on the front foot

Why business connectivity is the key to success

Trustack MSP Cyber Security, IT Services, IT Support. A digital illustration overlays an office meeting room with a holographic globe featuring various technology and communication icons, including Wi-Fi, smartphones, cloud storage, and dollar signs—emphasizing business connectivity as the key to success. People are visible in the background, seated at a table.

Why business connectivity is the key to success Article Publish Date: We live in a rapidly changing world. People say that all the time, of course, but at the moment it is demonstrably true, and nowhere more so than with business technology.   The Covid pandemic acted as a catalyst. According to a McKinsey survey at the time, business leaders said the pandemic accelerated their digital transformation strategies by between three and four years.   Additionally, the share of digital or digitally enabled products in their portfolios accelerated by seven years. The technology that businesses adopted over those 18 months to meet the challenges of COVID-19 have become adopted into an integral part of everyday life. By some estimates, digital transformation has progressed more in the last year or so than in the previous five. Redefining Success The upshot is that many businesses can no longer operate without VoIP, video conferencing or cloud storage. Slick e-commerce operations and online customer services have become routine, regardless of business sector or size.   Some of these recent innovations started as sticking plaster solutions for the challenges of lockdown, but they’ve quickly morphed to meet the long-term challenges of equipping permanent remote and hybrid workforces. By doing this, they are improving efficiency and productivity for businesses, but also raising new concerns.   If your digital requirements have changed, is your connectivity infrastructure robust enough to cope?   Or to put it another way, stuttering video calls and frozen file downloads are no longer acceptable. At the same time, employees need to be able to work as easily and efficiently away from the office as they can in it.   There’s no longer an excuse for underwhelming digital experiences. Your technology needs to meet the requirements of a new world of work to drive growth, encourage collaboration as well as meet customer demand and expectations. The foundations of digital transformation To achieve this, your business’s connectivity infrastructure must lay the robust groundwork necessary for constructing a digital-centric future.   We’re all doing a lot more online today than ever before. But thanks to that increased digital reliance, the consequences of an underpowered technology stack are much more serious now than they were previously. The risks of poor infrastructure If you lack the proper digital infrastructure, you stand to lose the potential business-improving advantages offered by the most recent communication and productivity technology. Without a reliable infrastructure, you risk internet outages and bottlenecks that throttle data, freeze applications, restrict cloud adoption, and hold your business back.   The latest business-enhancing technologies – whether cloud computing, big data or the Internet of Things (IoT) – rely on robust connectivity. Fast efficient internet connectivity is the key to super-smooth video conferencing, fast file downloads and efficient customer service; it drives your e-commerce operation and hybrid working model. Trustack – Your connectivity experts With so many demands, it can be an intimidating topic to approach. That’s where Trustack comes in.    Our connectivity experts can ensure you have the speed and bandwidth you need to meet your current business needs and future ambitions. Want to learn more about business connectivity? As a business, choosing the right connectivity is one of the most important business decisions you can make.    Our Business Connectivity Guide will help you understand the options you have available. Get your business on the front foot Share the article to your socials About the Authors Connect on Linkedin Spotlighted Articles See all insights