Advancing democracy worldwide comes with unique digital challenges.
International IDEA, a global intergovernmental organisation with around 300 users across 20+ offices, supports electoral processes, democratic governance and political participation in some of the world’s most sensitive political environments.
Handling highly confidential data in regions prone to cyber threats from both state and non-state actors makes strong cyber security essential. Protecting this information is key to safeguarding operations, maintaining trust and upholding the integrity of their mission.
The Challenge
With teams spread across the globe and operations often running in sensitive political environments, International IDEA needed a modern, proactive approach to cyber security, one strong enough to defend against even the most advanced threats, including potential nation-state attacks.
International IDEA faced several pressing cyber security challenges:
- Protecting devices and infrastructure: Securing every endpoint and system against increasingly sophisticated threats.
- Enabling safe remote access: Giving a global workforce secure, seamless connectivity from anywhere in the world.
- Staying ahead of vulnerabilities: Managing risks and applying patches quickly to minimise exposure.
- Meeting compliance requirements: Upholding strict international data protection and governance standards.
To tackle these challenges, the organisation needed a reliable partner with the expertise and agility to deliver end-to-end managed security services across its worldwide operations.
Selecting the Right Partner
After a competitive tender process, International IDEA selected CyberOne as their strategic security partner. CyberOne’s proven expertise in delivering measurable cyber resilience, industry-recognised accreditations and deep experience in supporting mission-critical services for international organisations made them the ideal choice.
The Solution: Assure 365
CyberOne rolled out its Assure 365 Managed Microsoft Security Solution, giving International IDEA a strong, scalable foundation for cyber security across all its global offices.
"International IDEA operates in some of the most challenging digital and geopolitical environments in the world. Our goal was to leverage the Microsoft Security ecosystem to give them a scalable, future-ready defence framework. With Assure 365, we’ve been able to unify visibility, strengthen endpoint protection and deliver proactive threat detection, allowing their teams to work securely and confidently, wherever their mission takes them."
-Luke Elston, Microsoft Practice Lead at CyberOne
By tapping into the Microsoft Security ecosystem and adding some powerful third-party tools the solution brought consistency, visibility and control to their entire security framework.
Here’s what that looked like in action:
- Microsoft Sentinel: Delivered centralised visibility and real-time analytics, making it easier to spot and respond to potential threats.
- Defender for Endpoint: Protected devices against malware, ransomware and targeted attacks, reducing risk across the board.
- Entra: Strengthened identity and access management, ensuring the right people had the right access, no matter where they worked.
- Intune: Enforced security policies and device compliance, keeping endpoints secure and standardised across all locations.
Looking ahead, International IDEA is also set up to integrate Microsoft Purview and Priva, further boosting data protection and privacy governance as their needs evolve.
Additional Enhancements
- Automox: Centralised, policy-based patch management, reducing exposure to unpatched vulnerabilities across all endpoints.
- Cato Networks: Implemented a Secure Access Service Edge (SASE) solution, enabling secure, seamless connectivity for remote and field teams, regardless of location.
An Immediate Impact & Long-Term Benefits
By partnering with CyberOne, International IDEA achieved measurable improvements across its cyber security posture:
- Enhanced Security Across Global Operations: Centralised visibility and consistent protection for all users, devices and offices worldwide.
- Strengthened Patch & Vulnerability Management: Automated patching significantly reduced the window of exposure to vulnerabilities.
- Improved Remote Access & Connectivity: SASE enabled high-performance, secure access to internal systems for remote teams without sacrificing security.
- Increased Compliance & Governance Readiness: Alignment with international best practices supported readiness for evolving regulatory requirements.
- Reduced Risk of Data Breaches: Proactive monitoring, rapid response and strong identity controls safeguarded sensitive data.
- Executive Confidence in Security Operations: Clear reporting, measurable results and proactive collaboration with CyberOne’s team provided leadership with greater assurance in their overall security posture.
The Assure 365 solution has equipped International IDEA with a globally consistent, secure, and future-ready cyber security framework. This empowers leadership with visibility, reduces operational risk and enables the organisation to fulfil its mission with confidence in an increasingly complex digital landscape.
What International IDEA Said...
CyberOne's information security solutions and services have significantly improved both our security posture and our operational efficiency.
As an organisation with a global footprint and a vital mission, it's essential that our IT infrastructure is resilient, responsive and capable of supporting our work in complex and sometimes high-risk environments. CyberOne has delivered a level of expertise and service that has given us real confidence in our ability to manage cyber threats proactively.
There has been hugely positive feedback from across the organisation, particularly about the collaboration and responsiveness of the CyberOne Security Operations Centre and Customer Success teams. Their professionalism, knowledge and commitment to supporting our internal team have made a real difference in how we manage risk and maintain continuity across all regions.
- Fiona Rowley, Executive Director, International IDEA
About CyberOne
CyberOne is trusted by some of the world’s most respected organisations to protect mission-critical services. Delivering measurable cyber resilience and proven protection through proactive threat detection, rapid response and continuous risk reduction, CyberOne strengthens your security posture against evolving cyber threats.
With 24x7 global SOC coverage, industry-recognised NCSC and CREST accreditations, and guaranteed SLAs, CyberOne combines the Microsoft Security ecosystem with world-class consulting and managed services to safeguard your operations, ensure regulatory compliance and empower you to thrive.
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