M Group Services and BT case study

How BT transformed M Group Services’ cyber security network with our innovative cyber security solutions and 24/7 support from our team of expert security analysts.

M Group Services and BT case study

How BT transformed M Group Services’ cyber security network with our innovative cyber security solutions and 24/7 support from our team of expert security analysts.

M Group Services is a leading essential infrastructure services provider for clients within the water, energy, transport and telecommunication sectors across the UK.

Acquisitions are a key element of the group’s growth strategy so that it can provide more services to its clients. Since 2016, M Group Services has completed 17 acquisitions with a turnover of over £2 billion per year. For the company to continue its journey of sustainable growth, it needed to consolidate its infrastructure to strengthen its security posture.

We have experience in protecting some of the world’s largest organisations, nation states, and critical national infrastructure. Combined with the latest technology, protection and threat intelligence capabilities from one of our industry-leading partners, M Group Services now has the confidence to accelerate its ambitious acquisition strategy. It’s safe in the knowledge that its endpoints, devices, identities and sensitive customer data are protected from new and emerging threats. 

Almost 70% of all cyber attacks begin at an endpoint.

The challenge

To provide long-term services to essential infrastructure, M Group Services actively pursues acquisition opportunities that enhance its core business and evolve its product portfolio. But multiple acquisitions mean multiple infrastructures. When you hold sensitive data across various systems for millions of customers and employees, having a strong security posture is paramount.

M Group Services’ security architecture was becoming increasingly complex and harder to manage. To continue its journey of sustainable growth, it had to consolidate its infrastructure and implement standardised security measures. Ensuring compliance with ISO 27001— the international standard for information security— while maintaining complete visibility and control across its disparate estate.

Having already taken various BT solutions for other areas of the business, M Group Services knew it could rely on us to keep its employee and customer data safe, and its bottom line and reputation protected.

68% of corporate endpoints are hit by data breach attacks.

The solution

Endpoint and identity-based attacks are on the rise, with new cyber threats and ransomware attacks emerging daily. To strengthen its defences and keep sensitive data secure, M Group Services needed a more joined-up security strategy, offering complete visibility and threat intelligence across their vast business estate.

BT has over 70 years of experience in protecting some of the world’s largest organisations, nation states, and critical national infrastructure, and we have long-standing endpoint security partnerships. We were best placed to provide the extra protection, support and visibility M Group Services needed, to improve threat detection and respond faster.

Our Managed Extended Detection and Response (XDR) solution ticked all the boxes, providing optimised and accelerated threat detection and response, by collecting and analysing threat data across endpoints, identity, workloads, and more— all in one place.

With our managed service, our team of certified security analysts keep watch over M Group Services’ business security 24/7, in real time. At the same time, our world-class Security Operation Centres (SOCs) continuously monitor the company’s endpoints and identities, analysing and alerting key stakeholders to any threats.

The cloud-native nature of our solution allows for effortless scalability without costly upgrades or migration onto company networks. This is a perfect fit for M Group Services’ ambitious acquisition growth strategy.  

It was a straightforward process, as all of the work was completed remotely, which made things a lot easier for us. The implementation of the software was very easy too.
Nick ScottM Group Services

The result

Having combined our managed service and expertise with industry leading technology, M Group Services now has joined-up, end-to-end security, with standardised measures in place across all of its businesses. This gives the Group complete confidence in its cyber security, knowing its employee and customer data is secure and protected from potential threats.

M Group Services’ security is easier to monitor, manage and control, reducing complexity. And by replacing some of its siloed security tools, it has reduced costs too.

By working closely with Interpol, Europol and the National Cyber Security Centre (NSCS), we have direct access to the most valuable security sources out there. And our team of security specialists continuously update the platform to ensure M Group Services is protected against new and emerging threats, providing regular reports on what they’ve detected and blocked.

Now M Group Services knows it always has the best advice on the latest threats, not only within its network, but the wider cyber security landscape. They also have BT’s trusted and informed experts working round the clock, to keep its business, employees and clients safe.

With our SOCs providing 24/7 support, 365 days a year, there’s also less strain on the company’s internal security team. That means M Group Services can focus its efforts on what matters most to its business— growth.

Due to the success of our managed XDR service and endpoint security solution, M Group Services is currently working with us to expand the coverage of its service and rollout the next stages of its cyber security strategy, including cloud security and threat management.

We can now see all of our assets, users and applications including who’s using them, how long they’ve been logged in and when they were last updated. That means we can identify vulnerable devices, detect malicious activity and take action, fast.
Nick ScottM Group Services