A progressive UK-based university supports more than 10,000 students and 1,500 staff across multiple campuses. With a strong commitment to community engagement, the institution aims to widen access to higher education, address evolving skills demands, and deliver meaningful social and economic impact. It is also recognised for its strong graduate employment outcomes, helping to develop and retain skilled individuals across various sectors.
Cyber security has long been a strategic priority, as it is for most of the higher education sector. The university’s senior leadership recognised the need to bolster its ability to respond rapidly and effectively to potential cyber-attacks at any time, day or night.
“Our users are front and centre of our cyber security strategy,” says the University’s Director of Technology Services. “We see threats coming from multiple angles continuously, mostly in the form of phishing and spear phishing attacks attempting to deliver malware payloads.”
Extending the team with a trusted partner
To address growing cyber risks, the university sought a partner that could function as an extension of its internal team, offering automated, managed detection and response while allowing internal staff to focus on strategic initiatives. Out-of-hours security coverage was also a key requirement.
After a competitive tender process, the university selected Clarity Extend, a managed detection and response (MDR) service from Quorum Cyber. The service includes global threat detection, automated threat hunting, and sector-specific threat intelligence. The institution was particularly drawn to Quorum Cyber’s Microsoft-first approach and its robust incident response capabilities.
The Director of Technology Services adds: “We now have 24/7 managed detection and response operated by Quorum Cyber’s Security Operations Centre. We’ve gained reassurance from having mature and trusted processes, backed by a partner fully dedicated to managing and mitigating cyber threats.”
Achieving greater cyber resilience
The university continues to run a rigorous cyber incident response (IR) plan, including an annual tabletop exercise to ensure the entire organisation knows how to respond during a cyber event. This preparation is a vital part of maintaining business continuity.
Through its licensing agreement, the institution uses automated responses to specific types of suspicious system activity, significantly increasing operational efficiency. This is especially important for protecting students – seen as ‘frontline users’ – due to their constant interaction with digital platforms and sensitive information.
The customer platform, Clarity, plays a key role in incident transparency. It automatically generates detailed reports on threat activity, helping the technology team quickly understand and communicate incidents across the organisation.
A seamless extension of the team
“We trust Quorum Cyber as a true extension of our team,” their Director of Technology Services explains. “Their technical experts swiftly contain and mitigate threats and help restore services, which is critical to keeping operations running even during an incident.”
Nearly three years into the partnership, the university remains pleased with the deployment and ongoing service. The implementation phase, project management and monthly reviews have met expectations, and importantly, the value delivered continues to be consistent with what was promised during the procurement process.
Cyber reassurance, delivered
“We’ve always had a reliable service from Quorum Cyber – responsive and aligned to our needs,” the Director of Technology Services reflects. “I sleep better knowing we have a partner with the right expertise watching over our digital environment. They act immediately if there’s an issue, based on the controls we’ve agreed.
“In short, Quorum Cyber provides strategic cyber reassurance.”
