The Challenge
A post-Series A fintech based in London was scaling rapidly, from 12 to 28 employees in under three months. Their FCA authorisation application was in progress, requiring documented security controls and compliant infrastructure.
The challenges were significant:
- No internal IT function: the engineering team was focused entirely on product development
- No formal security controls: passwords were managed ad hoc, no MFA, no endpoint protection
- FCA authorisation required evidence of data security practices, access controls and business continuity
- Investors expected ISO 27001-aligned practices as a condition of the Series A
- The team needed to move fast without compromising on compliance
The Solution
Wanzo stood up the firm's entire technology estate in six weeks:
Week 1-2: Foundation. Leased line connectivity with 99.9% SLA installed at their London office. Microsoft Azure environment provisioned for all workloads. Microsoft 365 deployed with full security hardening.
Week 2-3: Security. Microsoft Defender for Endpoint on all devices. MFA enforced across all applications. Conditional access policies to prevent access from unmanaged devices. Email security with anti-phishing protection.
Week 3-4: Zero trust. Zero-trust network access for all remote workers, replacing the previous "connect to anything from anywhere" approach. Network segmentation between engineering, operations and guest networks.
Week 4-6: Compliance. Cyber Essentials certification achieved. Full documentation pack prepared for the FCA submission, including data flow diagrams, access control policies, incident response procedures and business continuity plans.
Ongoing: Managed IT service providing 24/7 helpdesk, monitoring, patching and quarterly compliance reviews.
The Results
- Full technology estate operational within 6 weeks of engagement
- Cyber Essentials certification achieved before the FCA submission deadline
- Zero IT-related incidents in 12 months of operation
- Engineering team was able to focus entirely on product development
- New joiners are fully provisioned and productive within 2 hours of starting
The CTO commented: "Wanzo let us focus entirely on the product. We didn't think about IT for 12 months, and for a startup, that's the highest compliment I can give."