Softcat and CrowdStrike team up to provide high-quality security for Basildon Council
Project at a Glance
Basildon Council partnered with Softcat and CrowdStrike to modernise its security operations, reduce pressure on its overstretched IT team, and strengthen protection of sensitive citizen data. By moving to a fully managed detection and response service (MDR), the council improved threat detection, simplified vendor management, and enhanced its overall security posture.
residents protected through enhanced cyber security
Challenge
Basildon Council’s outsourced SOC could no longer deliver the level of monitoring and analysis needed, leaving its in-house IT team overwhelmed by threat data. The council also lacked confidence in the strength of its existing protection and wanted to reduce reliance on multiple security vendors while ensuring sensitive data remained safeguarded.
Critical Success Factors:
1
Reducing IT Team Strain
Reduce impact of data monitoring and analysis on the in-house IT team
2
Strengthening Data Protection
Improve safety posture and enhance protection of sensitive data
3
Simplifying Vendor Management
Consolidate multiple providers through a single managed service
Solution
Softcat conducted a service review and recommended CrowdStrike Falcon® Complete MDR as the most effective option. After assessing the market, Softcat worked with the council to plan the implementation, address concerns, and transition to a third-party managed security service that could deliver stronger threat defence and ongoing monitoring.
- In-depth market evaluation to identify a fit-for-purpose solution
- Best-of-breed CrowdStrike Falcon Complete MDR solution
- Close client/vendor collaboration and extensive preparatory work
Results
By adopting the CrowdStrike-managed MDR service, Basildon Council significantly strengthened its security posture, reduced the burden on its internal IT team, and improved protection of sensitive data. Consolidating vendors streamlined operations and lowered complexity, enabling the council to focus on delivering high-quality public services with greater confidence.
- Solution delivered on time and within budget expectations
- Enhanced security posture, underpinned by highly-skilled managed service team
- Significantly reduced impact on in-house IT resources
Softcat played a pivotal role in aligning vendors and providing valuable, unbiased insights. Throughout this period, both Softcat and CrowdStrike offered exceptional support without exerting any pressure to select a specific vendor.
Jim King
ICT Technical and Security Consultant, Basildon Borough Council