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A financial services firm was quoted $400k for a software and services package to reach Essential Eight Maturity Level 2. Our independent audit told a very different story.
Get a Second Opinion on Your Quote →When an organisation's existing IT provider recommends a security uplift programme, there is an inherent conflict of interest. The provider profits from the tools, licences, and services they recommend. An independent audit has no such incentive.
The following case study is anonymised. The details are real.
The firm's existing managed service provider (MSP) conducted an internal review and recommended a full security uplift programme. The proposal included a new endpoint detection and response (EDR) platform, a security information and event management (SIEM) solution, and a 24/7 managed security operations centre (SOC) service. Total cost: $400k per annum.
Our senior technology consultants conducted a full 80-control assessment over eight business days. The findings were significantly different from the MSP's proposal. The firm already had two tools in their existing Microsoft 365 E3 licence that addressed 60% of the recommended controls. The MSP had not disclosed this. The remaining gaps could be addressed through configuration changes and one targeted tool addition at a fraction of the proposed cost.
The financial services firm's MSP was not acting maliciously. They were acting in their own commercial interest. That is what vendors do. The problem is that most organisations have no independent reference point to challenge the advice they receive.
"We had been told we needed a complete overhaul. Beyond Technology showed us we were 60% of the way there already. The independent perspective was invaluable and saved us a significant amount of budget that we redirected into genuine security improvements."
Book a 15-minute independent scoping call. We will tell you what your existing tools already cover and where the real gaps are.
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