Cythera's Managed Detection and Response Partnership

As a child and family services organisation, OzChild manages highly sensitive information and relies heavily on its technology environment to deliver services across multiple locations.

Strong foundational security controls were already in place, but OzChild recognised the need to further strengthen its cyber security maturity, particularly in security monitoring, threat detection and incident response. The growing complexity of cyber threats, and the importance of protecting client, staff and organisational data, highlighted the need for specialist expertise and continuous monitoring capability.

• Highly sensitive client, staff and organisational data held and used across a distributed environment spanning multiple locations
• Strong foundational security controls already in place, with a clear need to lift maturity in monitoring, detection and response
• Growing complexity of cyber threats calling for specialist expertise and continuous oversight
• Limited internal resourcing to run security monitoring around the clock without adding headcount

Cythera delivered a Managed Detection and Response service combining advanced security technology with experienced analysts and clearly defined response processes, providing 24x7 monitoring, alert triage, threat detection, behavioural analytics and guided incident response, built around Microsoft Sentinel within OzChild's existing Microsoft environment rather than a new standalone platform.

OzChild had already worked with Cythera on a penetration testing engagement, which gave the organisation firsthand confidence in Cythera's technical capability and professionalism before extending the relationship into Managed Detection and Response.

Since commencing the partnership in 2024, OzChild has continued to strengthen its security monitoring, threat detection and response capability, with the confidence that its environment is being watched by experienced professionals every hour of every day.

OzChild now has continuous confidence that its environment is monitored by experienced cyber security professionals.

• Round the clock coverage without added headcount
• More value from existing Microsoft investment
• Faster, better informed response
• Assurance suited to a highly regulated sector
• Visibility from day one
• Capability that would be difficult to build internally

Round the clock coverage without added headcount gave a small internal team the equivalent of a 24x7 security operation, without needing to recruit, roster or retain specialist analysts. Building the service on Microsoft Sentinel meant OzChild's current Microsoft investment was put to full use, avoiding the cost and disruption of standing up another platform. Alerts are triaged and investigated by experienced analysts before they reach OzChild's team, so internal staff act on clear, prioritised guidance rather than raw noise.

An Australian-based team, local support and local data handling gave OzChild the confidence to trust a partner with information covering some of the most sensitive records an organisation can hold, while a collaborative, structured onboarding meant OzChild had improved visibility across its technology environment from the early stages of the engagement, not months in. Overall, OzChild gained specialist detection and response capability that would otherwise take significant time, cost and ongoing investment to replicate in house.

Partners Who Powered the Solution

Microsoft: The service is built around Microsoft Sentinel within OzChild's existing Microsoft environment, allowing the organisation to maximise its currenttechnology investment rather than introduce a new standalone platform.