Cancer Council NSW fights cancer securely with Intune and Microsoft Defender for Endpoint
This case study is a Microsoft-sponsored and published content in collaboration with cubesys and Cancer Council NSW
To better meet the needs of Australians fighting cancer and to prevent disease in the future, Cancer Council NSW upgraded its technology. The organisation worked with Microsoft partner cubesys to strengthen its security posture and better manage employee devices. Now, Cancer Council NSW has the confidence its teams can better support people in the field securely.
In the Australian state of New South Wales (NSW), the sun shines on sandy beaches, wheat fields, and the red dirt of the Outback. The Cancer Council NSW SunSmart program helps children in more than 6,700 schools and care centers stay safe from the sun’s damaging UV rays. Kids learn to put on sunscreen, wear hats, and practice other easy steps to avoid skin cancer, one of the most preventable cancers.
SunSmart is just one way in which Cancer Council NSW brings its vision of a cancer-free future closer to reality. The nonprofit conducts research, helps communities reduce cancer risks, supports people impacted by cancer, and advocates for evidence-based health policies, such as HPV vaccinations, to eliminate cervical cancer. It focuses on providing help, such as transportation to medical appointments, to people dealing with cancer in rural areas where few other options exist.
Unfortunately, many people need that support. Roughly half of all Australians will be affected by cancer by age 85, according to the Australian Institute of Health and Welfare. To reduce that number and to meet the needs of the people currently affected by the disease, Cancer Council NSW wanted to increase its efficiency and effectiveness by modernizing its technology.
The nonprofit turned to Microsoft partner cubesys to upgrade its IT infrastructure and better manage staff devices. Rolling out Intune and Defender for Endpoint has helped remote workers get more done, saved time and money, and protected the nonprofit from sophisticated cyberattacks.
“Technology updates have helped us support our users. That helps us do great work reducing the impact of cancer on Australian communities.”
Prithpal Jagdev, IT Services Manager at Cancer Council NSW
Empower remote workers
Cancer Council NSW teams are dispersed across New South Wales, which is about twice the size of California. Staff travel long distances between offices, medical centers, and clients’ homes. Devices act like a lifeline for on-the-go staff, connecting to the vital information stored in the cloud as well as communication with teammates. Without working devices, staff lack the data and tools they need to help individuals and families.
With Intune, IT staff can fix most problems remotely—and faster. It used to take days to ship a problematic device to the IT team, fix it, and then send it back to the waiting employee. Now most tasks, such as password resets and software updates, can be resolved from afar within minutes. This minimizes interruption to workers who share advice, provide counseling, and connect families to medical providers.
“Getting people the right tool as quickly as possible empowers users who are remote. That means staff can more efficiently help people going through some of the worst moments in their lives.”
Prithpal Jagdev, IT Services Manager at Cancer Council NSW
Intune has also slashed the time needed to provision devices by more than half—an enormous benefit to the just two IT staff who support more than 400 users, Jagdev says. IT staff used to manually set up each device: following a checklist, preparing the device, and shipping it. Now Intune automatically builds new devices to standards set by the IT team. Cancer Council NSW has deployed about 200 new devices through this streamlined process so far, with more to come. All that saved time adds up, enabling IT staff to focus on priority projects like the full transition to the cloud identity and access management solution Microsoft Entra ID.
Resolving IT issues remotely also saves money, as they no longer have to use couriers to transport problematic devices. Every dollar saved makes a difference for cancer prevention programs, research, and direct support to families throughout treatment and recovery.
Safeguard data and personal information
The people Cancer Council NSW serves have plenty to worry about, from treatment side effects to traveling long distances for appointments. Cancer Council NSW works so that they don’t have to add privacy and security concerns to that long list.
To do its work, the nonprofit must collect and use sensitive information about its clients “If there were ever a breach, it would impact the organisation and the community we provide service to. We want to use the best tool available so their data never falls into the wrong hands,” Jagdev says.
“If there were ever a breach, it would impact the organisation and the community we provide service to. We want to use the best tool available so their data never falls into the wrong hands.”
Prithpal Jagdev, IT Services Manager at Cancer Council NSW
Stronger security starts as soon as employees receive devices. With Intune, IT staff set native security rules and policies. They monitor devices from afar, watching for risky applications and downloads. IT staff can respond immediately and remotely, rather than waiting for staff to bring the device into the corporate office, which helps prevent security issues—and keeps client data safe.
cubesys also deployed Defender for Endpoint ahead of schedule—a welcome surprise to the security-conscious nonprofit. Currently, IT staff are running Defender for Endpoint on audit mode to understand how it impacts their environment and staff. Next, they plan to deploy attack surface reduction capabilities. By customizing Defender functionalities, like defining which applications to trust and protecting critical files, Cancer Council NSW can close gaps to reduce security risks. IT staff are particularly eager to use exploit protection capabilities, which guard against malware and isolate any compromised devices from affecting others in the network.
As cybercriminals and their techniques evolve, IT teams must continually adapt, too, Jagdev says. Defender for Endpoint platform analytics and machine learning automatically scan for vulnerabilities, alerting staff to potential problems and reducing response time to concerns.
Jagdev says that Microsoft’s security expertise and its continual updates to security features enable Cancer Council NSW to stay ahead of the curve in preventing cybercrime. He says, “As threats evolve, we need to evolve, too. Microsoft brings new security features based on the threats they see. That helps us constantly catch up and fortify our security measures.” That way, both staff and people dealing with a cancer diagnosis can focus on the real mission: working toward a cancer-free future.
“As threats evolve, we need to evolve, too. Microsoft brings new security features based on the threats they see. That helps us constantly catch up and fortify our security measures.”
Prithpal Jagdev, IT Services Manager at Cancer Council NSW