Client Story: Achieving the Essential 8

September 15, 2022 • Client Story
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Overview

Our client employs more than 3,500 staff across 29 locations with significant national critical infrastructure.

The client required assistance in achievement of Australian Signals Directorate (ASD) Essential 8 across their complex ICT environment involving corporate systems, operational systems, outsourced services, partners and aviation industry customers. A number of the systems involved had complex interdependencies that had to be considered, with various technology and process issues requiring resolution.

Tesserent provided consulting support on the definition, design, implementation and governance of the proposed solutions, as well as liaising with various service providers and internal stakeholders to find pragmatic and effective solutions.


Essential 8 Gap Analysis

Tesserent worked with a range of stakeholders to define the specific scoping for each of the Essential 8 mitigation strategies to the highest practicable maturity level. This included identifying the specific systems and which mitigation strategy could practically be applied, identifying the current maturity for each of the systems mitigation strategy and working with various internal and external stakeholders to develop plans for uplifting the security controls to meet the Essential 8 requirements.

The client’ outsourcers and service providers were engaged to provide designs for security control implementation concerning the systems for which they were responsible. Our consultants worked extensively across the stakeholder group to ensure the various designs were complementary between services providers and the wider ICT environment. Significantly, consideration was given to the transition into production of the security controls with minimum disruption to business activities. This was especially important where critical operational system interdependencies existed.

In addition, clear communication between the program, stakeholders and business users was required to ensure changes were implemented smoothly, with a minimum of impact, and with the ability to revert to known safe states in unforeseen situations. Careful works planning, safety management and formal system commissioning processes were successfully applied.

Outcome

Tesserent materially contributed to a clear plan for The client towards ASD Essential 8 implementation, provided a range of deliverables describing the various solutions and business process changes, liaised with a range of internal and external stakeholders and successfully negotiated solutions where complexity and criticality of systems was high. Clear information was provided on how security controls should be implemented in the technical, governance, personnel and physical aspects of modern ICT.

The engagement of Tesserent enabled the client to work productively towards a successful outcome for their Cyber Security Program. Achieving key Essential 8 outcomes has contributed to effectively reducing cyber security risk across the client ICT environment.


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