Cancer52 is a UK charity alliance dedicated to improving outcomes for people affected by rare and less common cancers. Working alongside member organisations, healthcare professionals and policymakers, the charity helps raise awareness, influence policy and support initiatives that address the unique challenges faced by those living with cancers that often receive less attention and funding than more common diagnoses.
Cancer52 relied on Microsoft 365 for day-to-day operations, with shared files and collaboration primarily managed through OneDrive. While this approach had supported the organisation’s needs to date, it had become increasingly difficult to manage shared information efficiently as the organisation grew and collaboration requirements evolved.
The organisation operates with a small team comprising five part-time users and one full-time user, all working on personal devices within a bring-your-own-device (BYOD) environment. This created a need for a more structured approach to document management while maintaining secure and convenient access for staff.
Although Multi-Factor Authentication (MFA) was already enabled across Microsoft 365, the organisation wanted to strengthen its overall security posture and improve protection against modern cyber threats. The existing support agreement was also approaching its expiry date, making it an ideal opportunity to review the technology environment and implement improvements alongside the onboarding process.
Following a review of Cancer52’s Microsoft 365 environment, it was identified that moving shared content from OneDrive to SharePoint would provide a more suitable long-term solution for collaboration and document management.
Rather than implementing a standardised SharePoint structure, the project was designed as a collaborative exercise with Cancer52’s team. Workshops and discussions would be used to understand how departments work, how documents are shared, and what permissions and access requirements were needed. This approach ensures the SharePoint environment reflects the organisation’s operational needs and provides a structure that users can easily adopt.
The project included the creation of a new SharePoint environment, migration of existing shared content from OneDrive, and the implementation of best-practice document libraries and permissions. This would provide a centralised location for shared information while reducing dependency on individual user storage locations.
To further strengthen security, Cancer52 agreed to enhance its Microsoft 365 licensing by upgrading Business Basic users with additional Entra ID P1 and Defender for Office 365 Plan 1 licences. Seven licences of each were provisioned to provide enhanced identity management capabilities and advanced email threat protection.
As part of the security improvements, Sophos anti-virus was also introduced to provide endpoint protection across devices accessing organisational resources. This was particularly important given the organisation’s BYOD model, helping to safeguard user devices and reduce security risks across the environment.
Although MFA was already enabled, Conditional Access policies based on geographic location had not yet been implemented. This was identified as a future enhancement opportunity to provide additional control over account access and strengthen overall security.
The migration from OneDrive-based sharing to SharePoint provides Cancer52 with a more structured, scalable and manageable platform for collaboration. Staff can access shared information through a centralised environment designed specifically around the organisation’s requirements, improving usability and reducing the risk of information becoming siloed across individual user accounts.
By building the SharePoint environment collaboratively, Cancer52 benefits from a solution that reflects its workflows rather than forcing users to adapt to a generic structure. This helps encourage adoption and creates a foundation that can grow alongside the organisation.
The addition of Entra ID P1 licences enhances identity and access management capabilities, while Defender for Office 365 Plan 1 provides greater protection against phishing attacks, malicious links and email-based threats. Combined with the deployment of Sophos anti-virus, these improvements deliver a stronger security framework suitable for a modern BYOD workforce.
The project also creates a clear pathway for future security enhancements, including the introduction of Conditional Access policies to further protect organisational data and user accounts.
- Migration from OneDrive-based file sharing to a dedicated SharePoint environment.
- New SharePoint platform designed collaboratively around organisational requirements.
- Improved document management, collaboration and information governance.
- Centralised access to shared files and resources.
- Existing MFA retained as a core security control.
- Deployment of seven Entra ID P1 licences to strengthen identity management.
- Deployment of seven Defender for Office 365 Plan 1 licences to enhance email security.
- Introduction of Sophos anti-virus to provide endpoint protection.
- Improved security for a BYOD workforce.
- Foundation established for future Conditional Access implementation.
Trust Us to Deliver
Before moving to Qlic, we were experiencing issues with OneDrive not syncing correctly, which led us to look at moving to SharePoint. We also felt that our previous IT provider only offered a basic level of support and lacked the security protection we needed. Response times were often slow, and we found that they did not always have the depth of knowledge required to resolve issues effectively.
We decided to move to Qlic because we were looking for a more proactive and knowledgeable IT partner that could provide better support and stronger security measures for our organisation.
Since making the switch, we have seen improved reliability across our systems and have been very pleased with the level of support provided. Issues are dealt with promptly, and we have greater confidence in the overall management of our IT environment.
Our team has responded very positively to the change. The transition was smooth and has had very little impact on our day-to-day operations, allowing everyone to continue working without disruption while benefiting from a more reliable and responsive IT service.
Ambika Chadda
Cancer52
