Organisation
Industry
Plan
Time to E8 Level 2
mICROSOFT sECURE sCORE
The Challenge
BWA manages personal data for tens of thousands of members across clubs, schools, and regional associations. Growing participation means a growing database — and a growing obligation to protect it properly and evidence that protection clearly.
For any organisation operating at this scale, maintaining Essential Eight compliance over time is an ongoing commitment. Controls need to be actively monitored, updated as the environment changes, and evidenced in a format that leadership can rely on. Without a dedicated security function, that's a significant ask.
Their environment added a layer of complexity most managed services aren't equipped to handle: a significant number of Apple devices. The ASD's Essential Eight is designed around Windows — encryption, application controls, and user hardening each require different tools and approaches on MacOS. For most providers, that's a separate engagement. BWA needed a single partner who could manage the full picture.
Why DefenderSuite
DefenderSuite brought BWA's entire security posture under one managed plan — assessment, deployment, and ongoing management with no separate fees at any stage.
The Apple environment was handled within the engagement. Purpose-built configurations, custom application control rules, and manual scripting where required — all tested and validated before Level 2 status was confirmed. What most providers treat as out of scope, DefenderSuite treated as part of the job.
Once onboarded, BWA moved onto what DefenderSuite's technical lead describes as security auto-pilot: risk-based policies active, automated threat response running, and a team monitoring for anything that needs human intervention — so BWA's team never has to.
The Engagement
Onboarding took four months — DefenderSuite's most technically demanding deployment. Controls were rolled out across three phases: low-impact first, medium second, high-impact last. Each phase ran through a dedicated testing window where logs were reviewed daily and any issues resolved before the next phase began. Nothing went live until it was confirmed to work cleanly across both Windows and Apple devices.
For a mixed environment of this complexity, that rigour is what makes Level 2 achievable — and sustainable.
Fully Deployed & Managed
Automated Patching
Managed Detection & Response
Monthly Security Reports
Phishing-Resistant MFA
Essential Eight Level 2
Identity & Access
24/7 Security Monitoring
Security Training
Microsoft 365 Security
Quarterly Reviews
The Outcome
BWA reached Essential Eight Level 2 across their full environment — Windows and Apple — in four months. Phishing attempts are blocked before they reach inboxes. Suspicious access triggers automated alerts. Critical incidents receive a response within three hours.For a governing body holding sensitive data on tens of thousands of members, that's security operating at the level the responsibility demands.
Protect Personal Data
Basketball WA exists to grow the game but behind the scenes, we're also custodians of personal information for tens of thousands of members, many of them children. That responsibility rests with us, and we need to take it seriously. DefenderSuite gave us the structure, the controls, and the confidence to know we're protecting that data the way we should be.
The People in Your Database Are Trusting You
Whether it's members, clients, or community — if people have handed you their information, they expect it to be protected.
Find out where you stand with a free Essential Eight assessment.
Get a clear picture of your current posture.
