Simplify
Owner: Head of IT
Year 1 Q1–Q2
Retire 7 overlapping tools (Quick wins)
Year 1 Q3–Q4
Consolidate onto E5 (Harden)
Strategy & Architecture
A clear target. A plan to get there. Decisions that hold.
Most security estates aren’t designed. They’re accumulated. We design where yours should go: a target architecture in clear layers, a roadmap your team can actually deliver, and the reasoning written down.
What you’ll be able to say at the end
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“Here’s what our security should look like, and why.” A target architecture, layer by layerFor the board
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“Here’s the plan, by stream and quarter, with owners.” Sequenced by dependency and sized to the team we’ve gotFor the IT team
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“Here’s why we chose this, and when we’ll review it.” Decisions recorded against agreed principlesFor whoever comes next
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“Here’s where each tool fits, and what we’ll retire.” Renewals lined up with the roadmapFor the finance director
Founded by a Microsoft MVP for Security
Nearly 30 years in IT, 20 in security
Cyber Essentials certified business
Built on years of seeing what works, and what doesn’t, in real Microsoft environments
Read client references →
Sound familiar?
None of this is anyone’s fault. It’s three years of sensible decisions made one at a time, by different people, under pressure. The result just needs tidying.
- Three tools do the same job. Each has an owner who swears by it.
- Security spend went up three years running. Nobody can say what it bought.
- Every renewal gets signed, because cancelling feels riskier than paying.
- New systems go live. Security finds out afterwards.
TARGET ARCHITECTURE
Too many tools, no clear plan, every new purchase a guess.
One clear picture of what your security should look like.
Most security estates aren’t designed, they’re accumulated. We map what you have, then design a target architecture in clear layers, each with one owner and the fewest tools that do the job well. Every estate is different, so the target is built around yours.
- Today’s estate mapped: tools, licences, owners
- A layered target: identity, devices, data, detection
- Overlaps marked to keep, retire or consolidate
- Decisions recorded, so the next person knows why
ROADMAP
EXAMPLE PLAN
The work, laid out in streams your team can deliver.
A step-by-step plan, paced for the team you have.
Not a list of controls. A plan by quarter, where quick wins fund the harder work, each stream has an owner, and the size of each bar is honest about your team’s capacity. Milestones are the ones the board, the insurer or the auditor actually asked about. Every estate is different, so this is an example plan.
Year 1Year 2
Q1Q2Q3Q4Q1Q2Q3Q4
You are here
SimplifyOwner: Head of IT
Retire 7 overlapping toolsConsolidate onto E5
IdentityOwner: Infrastructure lead
MFA, PIM, legacy authConditional Access baseline
Endpoint & dataOwner: Infrastructure lead
Defender to block, labelsDLP, patch cadence
Secure by designOwner: Architecture + Dev
Principles, review gateEvery new system through the gate
AssuranceOwner: Security lead
Policies, gap analysisEvidence and review cycle
MilestonesWhat the board asked about
▲ Renewals cancelled▲ Board review▲ Independent assessment
■ Quick wins■ Harden■ Build■ Sustain and prove▲ Milestone
Identity
Owner: Infrastructure lead
Year 1 Q1–Q2
MFA, PIM, legacy auth (Quick wins)
Year 1 Q2–Year 2 Q1
Conditional Access baseline (Harden)
Endpoint & data
Owner: Infrastructure lead
Year 1 Q2–Q4
Defender to block, labels (Harden)
Year 1 Q4–Year 2 Q2
DLP, patch cadence (Build)
Secure by design
Owner: Architecture + Dev
Year 1 Q3–Q4
Principles, review gate (Build)
Year 2 Q1–Q4
Every new system through the gate (Sustain and prove)
Assurance
Owner: Security lead
Year 1 Q1–Q3
Policies, gap analysis (Build)
Year 1 Q3–Year 2 Q3
Evidence and review cycle (Sustain and prove)
Milestones
What the board asked about
Year 1 Q3: Renewals cancelled
Year 2 Q1: Board review
Year 2 Q4: Independent assessment
You are here: Year 1 Q1.
THREE THINGS YOU CAN SAY
ALL PANELS ARE EXAMPLES
Three things you’ll be able to say about your security estate.
Clearer direction, fewer surprises at renewal time.
Plain answers for the board, the IT team and the next person in the job. We work through each one with you, and write it down. Every estate is different, and the panels are illustrative examples.
Target architecture
“We know what our security should look like, and why.”
Fewer overlapping tools, and a clear reason for each one.
- Design principles agreed first, so every choice is made against the same rules.
- How the layers connect: identity, devices, data and detection, and what each one depends on.
- Where every existing tool fits, or doesn’t, marked to keep, consolidate or retire.
Roadmap
“We have a plan our team can actually deliver.”
Everyone knows what happens next, and when.
- Workstreams sequenced by dependency and risk, so the foundations come first.
- An owner and a quarter for every piece of work, sized to the team you have.
- Renewal dates built in, so each replacement is live before the old contract ends.
Design decisions
“Big decisions are made once, against agreed principles.”
Big choices are made once, and stay made.
- Options weighed side by side, with the trade-offs written down.
- Rationale recorded, with an owner and a review date for every decision.
- New systems reviewed before go-live against the same principles, with checks in the pipeline where fixes are cheap.
How it runs
Map what you have, agree the target, then plan the steps.
Map
Every security tool, licence and renewal. What it does, what it costs, who owns it, and what else does the same job.
Most people are surprised by the overlap.
Decide
What stays, what goes, what never gets bought. Controls weighed on what they address and what they cost.
You make the decisions. We make sure they’re good ones, and we write down why.
Plan
Workstreams, owners, quarters. Renewal dates lined up so nothing lapses before its replacement is live.
A one-page board paper, presented with you.
Questions people ask us
Straight answers, in plain English. Every organisation is different, so the details depend on your setup.
Will you push particular products?
No. Recommendations are based on what fits your business, starting with what you already own.
Who needs to be involved?
Typically your IT lead, someone who knows the budget and renewals, and a sponsor who can make decisions. We keep the time asked of them sensible.
How long does it take?
It depends on how much you run and how quickly decisions can be made. We agree the scope and pace with you at the start.
What do we get at the end?
A target architecture, a roadmap your team can deliver, and a record of the key decisions and why they were made.
What happens after?
Your team delivers the plan. If you’d like a senior check-in along the way, our Security Advisory service can help.
Tell us what you’re paying for. We’ll tell you what you need.
Thirty minutes. Bring the renewals list.
We’ll tell you where the overlap probably is, which controls we’d fund first, and whether you need a strategy or just a tidy-up.
Book a 30-minute callPick a time that suits you