Crucial IT Support & Cyber Security for Bawso Ltd

Tel:0330 400 5465

Hour Support

Sites across Wales

100%

Data Loss Prevented

100%

Confidence in Systems

About Bawso

Bawso has been providing practical and emotional prevention, protection and support services to Black Minority Ethnic (BME) and migrant victims of Domestic Abuse, Sexual Violence, Female Genital Mutilation, Forced Marriage, Honour Based Violence, Modern Slavery and Human Trafficking since 1985.

The charity is approaching their 30th anniversary and have been a critical support network for BME women and girls within BME community since they began.

The charity provides a 24-hour Help Line, crisis intervention support, advocacy and advice, access to statutory help and services, outreach and community-based services, safe accommodation at refuges and safe houses, and survivor’s empowerment programmes for referrals from all over the UK.

Bawso were and continue to be dedicated to improving the technology and systems they use. “In tech you have to tap into the expertise of others, internal tech teams cannot be a jack of all trades, you need that guidance around it from the person with that expertise.”

By partnering with CSG, we have allowed Bawso to save time, save money and save their internal teams a lot of headaches. The guidance from CSG has further allowed Bawso to educate themselves over the latest tech demands, allowing their organisation to maintain that industry knowledge that helps them thrive.

“It’s important to have IT mentors in this industry.” – Bawso on partnering with CSG.

The Background

Bawso has experienced technical issues such as an IT outage and they needed to have a reliable IT partner who understood the unique demands of a charity organisation, including financial challenges and expertise amongst staff, making CSG the ideal partner for the charity.

When CSG first met with Bawso, their systems weren’t in great shape and the onboarding process required a lot of technical changes. CSG worked closely with Bawso to help make them compliant and improve their IT systems, helping them adhere to compliance regulations and supporting them with their Cyber Essentials Plus accreditation.

Bawso has 30 sites across Wales with staff working on computers in each location. They had a lot of out-of-date computers and servers and Bawso understood that they needed to make a lot of changes to stay up to date with the latest IT and cyber security practices.

The charity’s server was at the end of its life when Helida Ramoji joined (Head of Quality Assurance and Compliance) and she frequently found that they had desktop issues amongst so many computers that they couldn’t find the funding to solve the problem.

Helida joined shortly after the GDPR compliance rules came into effect and then Franca Muratore (Corporate Services Manager) joined to help guide the transformation process to ensure their systems were up to date with the latest regulations.

This is what led to Bawso arranging meetings with a range of IT providers, however the offers and approaches weren’t what they were looking for, and more importantly their main challenge of funding wasn’t met.

This is where their journey with CSG began.

The Solutions

CSG provided Bawso with several different areas to focus on over a 6-month period to begin to improve their security and IT systems which Helida and Franca both express was their “proudest achievement since joining Bawso.”

“Our previous IT company were coming up with solutions that were way out of our price bracket. Then came along CSG who provided us with a roadmap of the things we can achieve with our current budget which worked for us.”

Franca emphasises how moving Bawso to the Cloud was the best solution provided, especially after the difficult transition of having online meetings compared to in person meetings after Covid, which was never done before.

The team at CSG quickly helped organise sending laptops to Bawso staff in their homes (to adhere to the Covid regulations) and provided training to make sure that everyone was logging on safely and securely.

CSG quickly got to know Bawso and understand the unique needs of the team which began the process of improving their current IT infrastructure.

“CSG got us safe and secure to where we needed to be.” – Franca Muratore, Corporate Services Manager.

Cyber Essentials Plus

One of Bawso’s requirements from their IT provider was to make processes as straight forward for staff to follow as possible and to provide as much support as possible.

The Cyber Essentials Plus process can be a difficult barrier to overcome due to the rigorous testing organisations must go through. This is where CSG walked Bawso through the process hand in hand to ensure they didn’t waste any valuable time.

“I don’t think other IT suppliers would do what CSG does for us.” – Helida Ramoji, Head of Quality Assurance and Compliance, with regards to supporting Bawso throughout the entire process.

Bawso recognised the increased risks within the charity sector when it comes to cyberattacks, with 32% of charities having suffered an attack in the past year (Gov.uk).

Charities often become prime targets for adversaries aiming for financial gain, access to sensitive data, or to hinder their operations.

Charitable organisations may hesitate to allocate resources, funds, oversight, and staff efforts towards improving cyber security instead of focusing on their core charitable activities – making them a core target for cyber criminals.

Bawso achieved their Cyber Essentials Plus certification in 2021 and since then the charity has remained confident that they will continue to meet the requirements annually, thanks to CSG’s ongoing support in maintaining their system’s security measures.

“We had never thought about Cyber Essentials before CSG. When we look at some of the requirements for our contracts, they demand Cyber Essentials.”

This strongly emphasises how CSG’s support has allowed Bawso to maintain contracts and submit to new ones based upon achieving Cyber Essentials Plus and CSG’s support throughout.

“The proof is in the pudding, we’ve had the certification 3 years running thanks to CSG.”

365 Back up

“CSG found us at our lowest. With their IT knowledge and guidance, we have strengthened our IT systems to meet the new demands of the digital era and beyond.”

Bawso found themselves becoming increasingly more reliant on their IT and digital assets, meaning that they needed a secure back up system to prevent any losses. The 365 Back up service provided Bawso with:

Data Protection: Ensures that all critical data is securely backed up, mitigating the risk of data loss.

Compliance Support: Assists in meeting compliance requirements such as the Cyber Essentials Plus certification.

Cloud Integration: Facilitates seamless integration with cloud services, enhancing operational efficiency.

Remote Access: Allows staff to securely access data from remote locations, crucial for adhering to Covid-19 regulations.

Training and Support: Provides ongoing training and support to ensure staff are proficient in using the system securely.

Scalability: Offers scalable solutions to accommodate the growth and evolving needs of Bawso.

“This process helped us look at our other processes of systems so we could confidently evaluate how our staff operate with our data. This helps to prevent any loss of data which reduces the downtime for our staff.” – Helida Ramoji.

MDR Services

MDR (Managed Detection and Response) services are particularly beneficial for charities, often operating with limited IT resources and budgets. By providing 24/7 monitoring, threat detection, and rapid response to incidents, MDR ensures that charities can focus on their core mission without the constant worry of cyber threats.

“(Working with CSG) is something to futureproof our organisation.” – Helida on working with cyber security experts.

This service helps safeguard sensitive donor information, operational data, and financial records, which are prime targets for cybercriminals. This proactive approach of MDR has helped the risk of data breaches and operational disruptions for Bawso, thereby allowing the charity to maintain trust and confidence among their stakeholders.

MDR has offered a cost-effective solution that enhances the cybersecurity posture for Bawso, enabling them to continue their vital work with greater assurance and resilience.

“It’s good to know that Bawso’s IT systems have grown alongside the growth of the organisation. This is something we thank CSG for.” – Helida Ramoji.

The Cloud

Cloud for Nonprofit organisations allow for scalable and transformative impact through helping nonprofit organisations strategise and prepare for engaging with donors and supporters, deliver effective programming, and accelerate mission outcomes.

This is achieved through connecting intelligent and integrated cloud capabilities of the Cloud stack to the most common nonprofit organisational scenarios. These scenarios include:

constituent and supporter management

award management

fundraising

volunteer management

program design and delivery

operations

and data management

Nonprofit organisations further benefit from the recommendations and insights (critical to accelerating mission outcomes) that are automatically suggested by the Cloud. Your team can then discuss these options with their CSG account manager who will ensure that only the recommendations that improve your charity’s unique needs will be put in place.

Transitioning to the Cloud provides a secure and efficient way for charities to store all their data while enabling access to documents and information from home or on-the-go. This capability is crucial for Bawso, as it allows them to adhere to government security regulations, demonstrating their commitment to proper data management.

“The support from CSG has been instrumental in helping us achieve this level of compliance and operational efficiency.” – Franca Muratore.

The Bawso team knew they needed to find a solution to the situation they were in and CSG made their desire to move to the Cloud a reality. With the financial difficulties that Bawso were in at the time, this didn’t seem possible, however the team at CSG made it possible.

“Other companies suggested going down another server route which wasn’t right for us.” – Franca Muratore.

CSG sat with the team at Bawso and understood their individual requirements and demands for their data and the Cloud became the most viable option to benefit everyone at the charity organisation.

BUDR Back Up

Charity organisations, like Bawso, operate under unique pressures and constraints, relying heavily on the trust of donors, the dedication of volunteers, and operational efficiency. In such an environment, the importance of a robust Backup and Disaster Recovery (BUDR) system cannot be overstated.

Whether faced with a cyber-attack, hardware failure, or natural disaster, having a reliable backup ensures data safety and quick restoration, maintaining operations to serve those in need.

Charities often handle sensitive personal information, and a robust BUDR system safeguards this data, maintaining stakeholder trust and regulatory compliance, as demonstrated by Bawso’s adherence to government security regulations.

Minimising downtime is crucial for your charity organiastion due to your restrictions such as operating on tight budgets, and a sufficient BUDR system ensures a swift recovery, allowing normal operations to resume without significant delays. It empowers staff to focus on core tasks without worrying about data loss.

A sufficient BUDR system is indispensable for charity organisations, ensuring continuity, protecting sensitive information, aiding regulatory compliance, minimising downtime, and empowering staff to focus on their mission with the assurance that data is secure and recoverable in minutes.

Data Loss Prevention

Reducing downtime through a robust data loss prevention strategy is essential for charities as it ensures continuous service delivery, maintains donor trust, and adheres to regulatory requirements.

Charities operate on tight budgets and rely heavily on volunteer support, making it critical to prevent disruptions that could hinder their mission. CSG has been instrumental in supporting Bawso in this regard, providing tailored solutions that address their unique challenges.

By implementing a reliable Backup and Disaster Recovery (BUDR) system, CSG has safeguarded Bawso’s sensitive data, ensuring swift recovery from any potential data loss incidents. This proactive approach has empowered Bawso to focus on their core tasks, secure in the knowledge that their data is protected and operations can continue smoothly.

Customer Relationship

“Not all suppliers would do what CSG does for us. In terms for care for the customer, they excel in this.” – Helida Ramoji.

What makes CSG stand out amongst others is the relationships we form with our customers and Bawso is no different. The CSG team provided free voluntary advice, supported by training staff and we shipped out laptops to everyone in their homes, for no extra cost to the charity organisation.

“They come and provide the technical information in person, in terms of caring for the customer and flexibility, CSG hits every mark and more.”

“It was the same time around Covid where we were adjusting to online meetings and having to train everyone around that time, CSG showed their extra mile by shipping laptops out to everyone.” – Franca Muratore.

If you don’t have the knowledge and IT expertise then don’t panic, CSG caters all conversations and solutions to meet your unique needs and to ensure that you understand everything that is going on.

“The IT terminology is a challenge, but working with CSG has allowed us to understand the different areas.” – Helida Ramoji.

“CSG has been a strategic solution to solving our problems. Their guidance and expertise have allowed our charity to save time, save money and save our internal teams a lot of headaches. The guidance from CSG has further allowed us to educate our entire team on the latest technological challenges and solutions, which has provided us with much-needed industry knowledge that helps us maintain that edge.” - Franca Muratore.

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