In the UK, cybercriminals are targeting education institutions more than any other sector. To enhance its security posture and ensure compliance with nationwide cyber regulations, Stirling Council in Scotland uses the Qualys Enterprise TruRisk™ Platform to help it protect thousands of IT assets across schools and council buildings.
vulnerabilities patched in just seven months
reduction in the total number of vulnerabilities across Stirling Council
At Stirling Council, the Information and Communication Technology (ICT) team is primarily tasked with protecting critical public services against evolving digital threats. This involves securing all IT infrastructure used throughout the council, including schools and administrative facilities. Maintaining robust information security measures is vital for two key reasons: to ensure the council’s operational resilience and to meet the strict compliance requirements for accessing the UK government’s secure Public Services Network (PSN).
Ensure reliable delivery of public services for thousands of residents
Achieve and maintain compliance with PSN requirements
Increase visibility of a large inventory of software and hardware, including servers, laptops, and workstations deployed at multiple sites
Enable remote patching of devices without requiring the central ICT team to visit each site
Accelerate normal patching cycles and respond faster to zero-day threats
Build a stronger information security posture within lean public-sector budgets
In the last 12 months, education institutions in the UK were more likely to experience a breach or attack than any other sector. Stirling Council is responsible for thousands of IT assets across locations such as council offices and schools, which is one the key reasons we’ve partnered with Qualys to help reduce our cybersecurity risk.”
To enhance its approach to vulnerability management, Stirling Council replaced multiple scanning and patching tools with streamlined and integrated solutions from Qualys. By harnessing the power of the Qualys platform, specifically Qualys VMDR with TruRisk and Qualys TruRisk Eliminate™, the organization can now detect, prioritize, and remediate vulnerabilities from a single point of control.
One of the big factors behind our success was sitting down with our Qualys Technical Account Manager at the very start of the project. Qualys helped us push agents out to our endpoints, adopt a risk-based approach to prioritization based on Qualys TruRisk, and train and onboard our team.
Combines timely vulnerability insights and automated patching capabilities into a single pane of glass
Delivers a fast deployment and user onboarding process, backed by industry best practices for remediation and patching
Provides a clear, risk-based view of vulnerabilities across thousands of IT assets
Highlights PSN compliance gaps, helping Stirling Council to target remediation work effectively
Covers patching for all core business and education apps, including third-party web browsers and archiving software
Streamlines, automates patching for remote assets, removing the need for ICT team members to perform the work in person
