Private Healthcare IT - Case Study
Helping a Private Healthcare Clinic Strengthen Security and Maintain Compliance.
A private healthcare clinic supporting both private and NHS patients needed to move quickly. Cyber Essentials Plus was required to maintain contract compliance, and the client also needed technical evidence to support its ISO 27001 work.
The clinic relied on a mix of healthcare and operational systems, including SystmOne, Healthy Practice, and specialist diagnostic platforms. With staff depending on those systems throughout the day, secure access, stable devices, and responsive support were essential.
Commstec was brought in to tighten security, improve reliability, and help the business reach a stronger compliance position without disrupting clinical operations.
The Challenge
The client needed practical action, not a long list of recommendations.
Security controls needed to improve quickly, user access needed tightening, and the wider environment needed to come under better control. The pressure was not just technical. Cyber Essentials Plus had to be achieved within a demanding timeframe to maintain contract compliance, while ISO 27001 required clear, defensible evidence that the right controls were in place.
At the same time, the client’s existing Microsoft 365 setup was limiting what could be done from a security and management perspective. If the business wanted stronger protection, better visibility, and more control across endpoints and email, the underlying licensing and security baseline needed to improve as well.
Some of the existing PCs and laptops were also ageing, which created a further problem. Older devices can quickly become a weak point from both a security and support perspective, particularly in an environment where staff need reliable access to systems throughout the working day.
In a healthcare setting, weak IT is never just inconvenient. It creates operational drag, increases risk, and takes time away from staff who need systems to work first time.
What We Did
Commstec worked with the client to improve security, supportability, and day-to-day management of the environment, with an immediate focus on Cyber Essentials Plus.
This included:
- migrating the client from Microsoft 365 Business Standard to Business Premium
- deploying stronger Microsoft Defender protections across endpoints and email
- implementing attack surface reduction rules to reduce common exploitation paths
- applying CIS-aligned security baselines across the environment
- enabling EDR for continuous threat detection and logging
- identifying ageing PCs and laptops for refresh
- helping the client upgrade to modern Windows 11-ready hardware
- sourcing suitable replacement devices at competitive prices
- improving visibility and management across the estate
- reducing day-to-day IT issues affecting staff
- supporting the work required for Cyber Essentials Plus
- helping provide technical evidence for ISO 27001
The focus throughout was on practical delivery rather than paper exercises.
The Outcome
The client successfully achieved Cyber Essentials Plus, helping maintain contract compliance at a critical point.
Commstec also supported the client’s wider ISO 27001 work by helping provide the technical evidence needed to demonstrate controls and support the broader compliance effort.
More broadly, the clinic ended up with a more secure, stable, and supportable IT environment. Moving from Microsoft 365 Business Standard to Business Premium allowed the client to adopt stronger security controls across endpoints and email, while EDR, attack surface reduction measures, and CIS-aligned hardening improved visibility, threat detection, and overall resilience.
Refreshing ageing PCs and laptops also helped reduce reliability issues and gave staff a better platform for day-to-day work, while ensuring devices were aligned with current Windows 11 requirements.
Staff benefited from tighter control over devices and access, reduced day-to-day friction, and greater confidence in the systems they relied on.
Why it Mattered
For this client, security, reliability, and compliance were closely linked. By moving quickly and focusing on the areas that mattered most, Commstec helped maintain contract compliance, reduce operational risk, and put stronger controls around the systems staff relied on every day.
Because many of our clients operate in sensitive or regulated environments, we do not publicly name every organisation we support. References are available on request where appropriate.
