Helping Forfar Education protect its digital environment with confidence
Project at a Glance
Softcat helped Forfar Education consolidate and modernise its cyber security by selecting and deploying a scalable Sophos solution. By aligning new Sophos firewalls with existing Intercept X and introducing Xstream licensing, Softcat simplified management across multiple schools, strengthened cyber resilience for students and staff, and created a repeatable blueprint for onboarding new schools.
finance agreement secured, paid annually
Challenge
Forfar Education was operating with ageing infrastructure and diverse systems across different schools. The internal IT team was stretched, making it difficult to explore the market, manage solutions under a single vendor, and address emerging cyber security risks.
Critical Success Factors:
1
Strengthen Security Posture
Maintain and strengthen a robust security posture.
2
Enhance Cyber Resilience
Minimise potential cyber security insurance cost increases.
3
Maintain Strong Security
Source and implement security solution within tight timescales.
Solution
Softcat analysed the market to identify a vendor that met Forfar’s budget and capability requirements and would scale as the group grew. Softcat proposed Sophos firewalls to complement Forfar’s existing Sophos Intercept X, leveraging synchronized security for unified management, and added Xstream licensing for enhanced capabilities and simpler administration.
- Creation of business case to highlight financial and operational benefits of early renewal
- Close client collaboration to ensure approval from multiple stakeholders
- Extensive vendor negotiation to minimise cost and secure fit-for-purpose security solution
Results
Forfar now has enhanced cyber resilience that prioritises student and staff safety, unified management across endpoint and firewall, and a combined security approach with shared telemetry. The solution is scalable and futureproof, providing a repeatable model as new schools join the group.
- Rapid, six-week turnaround from initial approach to solution implementation
- Helped reduce Cyber Insurance costs
- Enhanced security posture and clear return on investment (ROI)
Our relationship with Softcat has been excellent, their knowledge of the market and ability to find the best vendors of the highest quality has been a great advantage to us. It has cut down on our management time, provided us with their expertise in order for us to buy the best products that are out there to protect our children, our staff and our parents.
John Forsyth
CEO, Forfar Education