Embrace the Middle East is a UK-based charity that supports and advocates for communities across the Middle East and North Africa. Operating with a predominantly remote workforce of 34 employees, the organisation relies on Microsoft 365, SharePoint and Intune to enable collaboration, communication and secure access to information. With no on-premise infrastructure and staff working from various locations across the UK, the organisation requires a flexible, secure and cloud-focused technology platform capable of supporting its mission and day-to-day operations.
Embrace the Middle East began reviewing managed service providers due to concerns regarding the level of support being received from its existing IT partner. The organisation required a service that better aligned with its fully cloud-based environment and distributed workforce.
Several operational and security concerns had emerged over time, including inconsistent device configuration, variations in security controls and support processes that were not suited to a modern remote-working organisation. Staff confidence had been impacted by slow response times and a lack of proactive guidance around Microsoft 365 and cloud security best practice.
As a charity handling sensitive information and supporting users across multiple locations, the organisation required reassurance that its Microsoft 365 environment, device management processes and security controls were aligned with current best practice. The organisation also wanted clear governance around administrative permissions, a more responsive support experience and regular reviews to ensure technology continued to support future organisational goals.
Our onboarding programme focused on delivering a seamless transition while providing a thorough review of the organisation’s existing cloud environment.
We conducted a comprehensive assessment of the Microsoft 365 tenant, reviewing licensing, security configuration, identity management, conditional access policies, Intune settings and administrative permissions. This allowed us to identify opportunities to strengthen governance, improve security posture and ensure services were configured in line with current best practice.
As part of the onboarding process, endpoint management was reviewed across the user estate to ensure devices were being managed consistently and securely. Device encryption settings, remote management capabilities and security policies were validated, helping establish a more standardised approach to endpoint management.
The organisation also selected Sophos MDR Essentials as part of the onboarding programme, providing managed detection and response capabilities to complement existing security controls. This introduced enhanced threat monitoring and increased visibility of potential cyber security risks.
To support user adoption and maximise the value of Microsoft 365, the organisation was enrolled onto the Bigger Brains training platform. This provided staff with access to a wide range of learning resources covering Microsoft applications, productivity tools and cyber security awareness topics.
Alongside the technical onboarding, we introduced our people-focused support service, ensuring users had direct access to experienced engineers through multiple communication channels. A programme of regular reviews was also established to provide ongoing recommendations, security guidance and strategic technology planning.
Following the transition, Embrace the Middle East gained a support service designed specifically for a cloud-first and remote-working organisation. Users benefited from access to knowledgeable engineers who could provide responsive assistance and practical guidance when needed.
The Microsoft 365 environment was reviewed against best-practice recommendations, providing greater visibility of security controls, governance processes and potential areas for improvement. Device management became more consistent across the organisation, helping improve operational efficiency and maintain security standards.
The addition of Sophos MDR Essentials strengthened overall cyber resilience by providing enhanced monitoring and managed threat detection capabilities. This delivered greater confidence that potential risks could be identified and investigated quickly.
Staff also benefited from access to Bigger Brains training resources, helping improve user knowledge, Microsoft 365 adoption and cyber security awareness across the organisation.
With regular technology reviews, proactive recommendations and a support model tailored to the organisation’s requirements, Embrace the Middle East now has a stronger foundation for secure, efficient and scalable operations while continuing to support its charitable mission.
- Successful transition to a cloud-focused managed service provider
- Comprehensive Microsoft 365 review and optimisation recommendations
- Improved governance and visibility of administrative permissions
- Deployment of Sophos MDR Essentials for managed threat detection
- Support model aligned to a remote workforce
