Project Overview
Challenge
St Andrew’s Healthcare lacked unified visibility into the security of its technology estate. Lansweeper, while in use, did not provide specific healthcare-relevant insights or a cohesive view, making it challenging to secure the large estate and ensure timely patching and updates.
Solution
The ITHealth Dashboard improves IT security and operational visibility, offering a single-pane-of-glass solution for better management and decision-making across its multiple locations.
St Andrew’s Healthcare is a leading mental health charity in the UK, delivering comprehensive care services for people living with complex mental health needs. Headquartered in Northampton, with additional locations in Birmingham, Essex and Nottingham, it employs approximately 4,000 staff. The IT infrastructure is supported by MSP provider, Advanced 365, and security is managed in-house by a 4-person team.
The Situation
St Andrew’s Healthcare struggled with achieving comprehensive visibility into its IT security. Despite already using Lansweeper, the organisation lacked specific healthcare-relevant insights and a cohesive view of its IT environment needed for effective management. With a small in-house security team, managing the large estate of devices and ensuring timely patching and updates from its MSP provider, Advanced 365, was proving challenging. Andrew Waples, Chief Information Security Officer, identified these gaps from his previous experience and saw the ITHealth Dashboard as a solution.
“We were lacking a clear, concise view of our security state tailored to healthcare requirements.”
Andrew Waples
Chief Information Security Officer
St Andrew’s Healthcare
The Solution
Implemented in March 2023, the ITHealth Dashboard provided St Andrew’s Healthcare with a comprehensive, real-time view of IT security and operational metrics. A proof of concept was not needed due to Andrew Waples’ prior experience with the ITHealth Dashboard at a previous NHS Trust. “We needed a unified dashboard to ensure comprehensive security of our estate,” said Waples.
The installation was completed in under a morning, with the ITHealth Dashboard offering detailed visibility into patching states, antivirus status, operating system versions, software status (including End of Life software), NHS Cyber Alerts, and more. The wider security team, initially unfamiliar with the platform, was impressed by its ease of use, rich data quality, and the ability to drill down for deeper insights. The ITHealth Dashboard now helps hold the MSP accountable for timely patching and incomplete tasks. “The ITHealth Dashboard’s single-pane-of-glass view replaced the need to dig into multiple Microsoft tools, offering real-time visibility and actionable insights aligned to our healthcare needs,” confirmed Waples.
“The ITHealth Dashboard was a seamless implementation causing no disruption to our operations. We were very happy with the support provided by the ITHealth technical team throughout the whole process.”
Andrew Waples
Chief Information Security Officer
St Andrew’s Healthcare
Results and Next Steps
The ITHealth Dashboard has transformed St Andrew’s Healthcare’s IT security operations, offering ease of use and real-time reporting. It enables the organisation to enforce better control over IT assets and ensure compliance with patching and updates. The platform’s detailed, healthcare-specific metrics facilitate improved management decisions and operational efficiency. With its KPI data, the security team can report accurately to the IT Assurance Group, contribute ongoing to its ISO 27001 certification, and maintain quality control over its cyber security. The ITHealth Dashboard is delivering significant time savings, equivalent to the value of an additional full-time employee, by consolidating essential information into a single, accessible view.
“The ITHealth Dashboard has given us greater control over our assets and enables us to make informed management decisions based on up-to-date, relevant data, removing the need for guesstimates. Looking ahead, we’re keen to see how it will help with reporting on CAF requirements as the DSPT changes. For now, it’s providing exactly what we need”, said Waples.
St Andrew’s Healthcare is very satisfied with the service they’re receiving in support of the ITHealth solution, with Waples concluding, “I’ve found ITHealth to be very receptive and responsive to our organisation’s individual needs. Any issues we’ve had have been resolved very quickly, and we are kept informed at every stage of the resolution process.”
“The ITHealth Dashboard provides us with the equivalent of an additional full-time staff member for day-to-day management by consolidating all necessary security information into a single pane of glass.”
Andrew Waples
Chief Information Security Officer
St Andrew’s Healthcare
