About the customer

One of the UK's largest housing associations, managing over 80,000 homes and supporting 160,000+ residents nationwide, offering shared ownership, affordable private-rental options, and social housing. With 150 sites and 5,000 employees, they prioritise social value, working with residents to improve lives and strengthen communities by providing support in employment, digital skills, financial management, and health. 

The challenge

The COVID-19 pandemic redefined homes as multi-functional spaces. For this Leading House Association, it created new challenges, including remote work adaptation and maintaining community support amidst increased isolation. Key challenges included:

• Remote Work Adaptation: Employees needed to adjust to new home and remote working practices and adopt significant technology changes.
• Goals of Improvement: Better systems integration, enhanced online services, and robust cyber security.
• Critical Network Upgrade: Vital for achieving their goals, particularly concerning network security and a more long-standing transformation.

"For us, this wasn't just a tech upgrade; it was about making sure our people could stay connected, work securely, and continue supporting residents without disruption. With Wavenet's guidance and the Cato platform in place, we've built something that goes beyond infrastructure. It's a founation that gives us the flexibility to grow, the confidence to adapt, and th etools to keep delivering on our social purpose. In a sector where every decision has a human impact, having the right technology, and the right partner, makes all the difference.

Head of IT Operations at the Leading Housing Association 

The solution

Following a comprehensive audit of their sites, we recommended the Leading Housing Association adopt a Secure Access Service Edge (SASE) approach and more specifically, implement, the Cato SASE Platform to enhance this Leading Housing Group’s security and connectivity.

Cato SASE Implementation: With comprehensive cloud-native network security worldwide, Cato Networks optimally and securely connects all enterprise locations, IoT devices, users, applications, and clouds (public and private), into a global, secure, and optimized cloud network. Cato can be gradually deployed to replace security point solutions and legacy network services. ​A range of cloud on-ramps easily connects Cato to physical locations (using its SD-WAN device or IPsec), end users (using the Cato Client or clientless access), and cloud data centres (using its cross-connect, virtual SD-WAN device or IPsec).

• Layered Security Architecture provides the Leading Housing Association with a broad range of security capabilities spanning zero trust, network segmentation, threat prevention, and application and data protection. Specific capabilities used by the Leading Housing Association include:

• Universal Zero Trust Network Access (ZTNA) allows the Leading Housing Association to create a single access policy for all users, ensuring only trusted users can access enterprise resources based on their level of risk and least privilege principles, regardless of location – in the office, at home, or when remote.
• Cato Next Generation Anti-Malware (NGAM) and Cato Sandbox, provide the Leading Housing Association with comprehensive protection against malicious files and advanced attacks.
• DNS Security monitors and prevents malicious DNS activity and blocks DNS requests to malicious destinations.
• Cato Intrusion Prevention System (IPS) protects against advanced threats and attacks utilizing known and unknown exploits.

Automated, AI-managed threat Intelligence powers Cato IPS, delivering proactive defence without the friction caused by false positives and expert remediation. In addition, Inline AI/ML (Artificial Intelligence and Machine Learning) delivers real-time detection and prevention of threats. Coupling these capabilities allows for anti-phishing measures to block suspicious emails and deceptive links.

• High-Speed Connectivity facilitates secure connectivity at 10 Gbps for 2,800 users.
• Enabling IT interoperability, the flexible SASE WAN allows for rapid deployment and smooth integration of new applications and services, offering the agility, scalability, and security necessary for supporting business change in a dynamic environment.
• Comprehensive Managed Service Support includes:

• • 24/7 technical support, incident management, hardware replacement, and vendor escalation.
  • Proactive network monitoring, root cause analysis, and regular performance reviews.
  • Device reconfiguration, patching updates, and management of problems, changes, and assets.
  • Annual audits, health checks, and documentation.

“Looking beyond the technology, I also enjoy working with the Wavenet and Cato teams, as do my colleagues – this combination of the right solution, the right service and the right people is what makes a real partnership.”

Technology Business Commercial Manager at the Leading Housing Association

The results

The successful implementation of the Cato SASE Platform and our management of 25 key service areas led to:

• Significant Operational Improvements: Enhanced service delivery and operational efficiency.
• Scalable Growth Potential: The solution enables scalable growth tailored to organisational needs.
• Upgraded Security and Connectivity: Improved network security and flexible connectivity.
• Real-Time Monitoring and Transparency: Allows immediate issue resolution through transparent traffic monitoring.
• Cost-effectiveness: Offers a more economical alternative to MPLS, crucial for not-for-profit organisations like the Leading Housing Group.

If you’d like to find out more about how Wavenet could help your business with the areas covered in this case study, then get in touch at enquiries@wavenet.co.uk.