CUSTOMER CASE STUDY WOLVERHAMPTON GRAMMAR SCHOOL

Wolverhampton Grammar
School trusts Sophos MDR
for long-term cybersecurity
protection
Founded in 1512, Wolverhampton Grammar School is an award-winning,co-educational independent day school. The school was founded in 1512
by Sir Stephen Jenyns to provide a “good, moral education” for the childrenof Wolverhampton, with pupils now attending from across Wolverhampton,
Staffordshire, Shropshire and the wider West Midlands region.

CUSTOMER-AT-A-GLANCE
Wolverhampton
Grammar SchoolSophos Customer
Since 2017Industry
Education

Sophos Solutions
Managed ServicesSophos Managed Detection Response

Number of users
1000+

CUSTOMER CASE STUDY WOLVERHAMPTON GRAMMAR SCHOOL“There is a growing trend of schools,
colleges and universities being successfullytargeted by cyber criminals. We have beenvery aware of this, which is why we now
use the MDR service from Sophos.“Paul Hancox, System Manager, Wolverhampton Grammar SchoolLong-term Sophos customer Wolverhampton
Grammar School began using Sophos MDR inJune 2023 and the team there are delighted
with the results. Having been a Sophos
customer since 2017, they often monitor
competing solutions to compare functionality
and price. Yet they have continued to use
Sophos despite learning about the featuresand benefits of alternative MDR solutions.
Here we talk to the School’s System Manager
Paul Hancox, and find out why the School
chose Sophos over and above competing MDR
providers, and the benefits his team and theSchool see as a result.

Business challenges

The technical solution

With increasingly complex and prevalentcyberattacks globally, the IT team of four at
Wolverhampton Grammar School realised they
didn’t have the time or threat insights to keep theSchool protected 24/7/365. Hiring additional teammembers was not an option, even with extra people,
there was no capacity to keep the school, staff andstudents safe every minute of every day.

With 1,000 devices at school as part of theBYOD programme, the IT team needed robust
cybersecurity protection that covered thetechnology on-premise, as well as devices on
the move. Since 2017, the School had been using
Sophos Central Intercept X Advanced, but wasaware of the need to fortify its defences based onincreasing threats and limited capacity. The School
therefore moved to Sophos MDR for 24/7/365cover, starting in June 2023.

Protecting the School’s reputation is also constantly
front of mind for the IT team. As a fee-paying school,
any reputational damage caused by a cyberattack
could affect future revenue. Keeping costs down
and balancing the books is also a challenge, andany cybersecurity solutions must be financially
viable in the long-term, as well as effective.

With Sophos MDR, the IT team at Wolverhampton
Grammar School receive alerts if there ever is anissue or threat, as well as information on root causeanalysis. The Sophos MDR team then rapidly assess
and manage the threat.

CUSTOMER CASE STUDY WOLVERHAMPTON GRAMMAR SCHOOL“During the process we engaged with a numberof leading industry vendors, as well as looking
at an independent SOC. Sophos compared very
favourably in terms of meeting our coverage
goals and long-term financial viability.”
Paul Hancox, System Manager, Wolverhampton Grammar School

Paul says he appreciates the MDR service because
it proactively picks up issues that the School may
not have previously known about before it is toolate.
Ì Sophos MDR global cybersecurity experts
monitor the school’s environment 24/7
Ì If a threat is detected they immediately
take action and notify the IT teamÌ Sophos can eliminate the threat, identify
the root cause, and provide guidance on
stopping similar threats in the future

Business benefits
In addition to robust and reliable cybersecurity
protection all day, every day, Paul believes thatone key benefit that sets Sophos apart from its
competitors is its knowledge and understanding of
the needs of the education sector.
This includes the understanding of the financial
constraints in education and that any solution
has to be financially viable for years to come. He
also values the support he gets from his Sophos
account manager who he says, ‘is always prompt,
professional and regularly reaches out to stay intouch with the school’.

Additionally, Paul says he appreciates thelongstanding relationship the School has withSophos, alongside the MDR team’s expertise,
and the reassurance that provides. In terms ofimplementation, he says, ‘this has been very
positive for our experience as a school, frompoint of contact to implementation, it was safe,
straightforward and painless’. The School has
signed a three-year MDR licence agreement withSophos, testament to the trust Paul places in thecompany and its solutions.

CUSTOMER CASE STUDY WOLVERHAMPTON GRAMMAR SCHOOL“Cybersecurity protection is a huge
undertaking for schools. Sophos
MDR gives us a total solution,with peace of mind, and it saves
us huge chunks of time.“
Paul Hancox, System Manager, Wolverhampton Grammar School

To find out more about Sophos
solutions, call (0)8447 671131
or email sales@sophos.com© Copyright 2023 Sophos Ltd. All rights reserved.
Registered in England and Wales No. 2096520, The Pentagon, Abingdon Science Park, Abingdon, OX14 3YP, UKSophos is a registered trademark of Sophos Ltd. All other product and company names mentioned are trademarks or registered trademarks of their respective owners.

2023-12-04 CCS-EN (MP)