Fortifying Public Trust: A New Standard in Cyber Resilience

The Imperative

Local government bodies act as the custodians of the public's most sensitive data. For Croydon Council, protecting citizen information against an increasingly sophisticated threat landscape was not merely an IT requirement; it was a mandate for maintaining public trust and operational integrity.

The Vulnerability Gap

As public services increasingly migrated to digital platforms, the council faced a dual challenge: defending against evolving web-borne attacks while ensuring staff had seamless access to the internet to deliver essential services.
  • The Balance of Access: Security measures could not be so severe that they hindered civil servants from doing their jobs.
  • Emerging Threats: With the rise of ransomware and phishing targeting public sectors, the council needed a security architecture that was robust enough to block threats but agile enough to adapt to new attack vectors instantly.

The Intervention: Enterprise-Grade Defence

Digital Devices deployed a comprehensive Forcepoint Web Security solution, designed to serve as an intelligent digital shield for the council’s operations.
  • Proactive Threat Detection: We implemented continuous monitoring protocols to identify and neutralise threats before they breached the network perimeter.
  • Human-Centric Security: Recognising that technology is only half the battle, we invested in staff readiness through education and best-practice guidance. This cultural shift turned employees from potential vulnerabilities into the first line of defence.
  • Incident Response: Our live technical support provided a rapid-response capability for incident escalation, ensuring resilience during potential breach attempts.

Strategic Outcomes

Croydon Council has achieved a fortified security posture that supports, rather than inhibits, public service. The exposure to web-based attacks has dropped significantly, and staff now operate within a secure digital environment that remains compliant with stringent data protection regulations. The council can now innovate its digital services with the assurance that its foundation is secure.