Accounting firm locks down 30 devices and hits Essential Eight in 3 months
How CIO Tech helped FTC Consultants transform their IT operations.
15 years of IT without a plan
FTC Consultants is a chartered accounting and tax advisory firm in Bella Vista. They handle ATO lodgements, BAS, SMSF portfolios, and payroll records for their clients, and have done so for over 15 years.
The firm had 20 staff working across 30 devices on Google Workspace. None of the devices were centrally managed. There was no standard build, no security hardening, and no path to meeting Australian cyber security standards. Every machine was configured differently, and IT had grown without a plan.
For a firm that lodges directly with the ATO and holds client financials, that situation was getting harder to justify.
30 unmanaged devices
No standard build, no central visibility, no way to enforce security policies across the fleet.
No security baseline
Google Workspace with no hardening. No alignment with Essential Eight or any Australian cyber security framework.
Every machine different
IT had grown without a plan. Different configurations, different software versions, no consistency.
Sensitive data at risk
ATO lodgements, SMSF portfolios, BAS returns, payroll records. All sitting on uncontrolled devices.
Full infrastructure modernisation in 3 months
CIO Tech ran a structured modernisation project covering platform migration, device deployment, security hardening, and collaboration tools.
Google to Microsoft 365 migration
Email, calendars, files, and collaboration tools moved to M365 with no data loss. Staff were working in the new environment within the first month.
30 new devices deployed
Every machine replaced and built to a standard operating environment. Same build, same security baseline, same experience across the firm. Physical office setup included.
Microsoft Intune device management
All 30 devices enrolled in Intune for remote management, policy enforcement, and compliance monitoring. Every machine visible and controlled from a single dashboard.
SharePoint, Teams, and Loop rolled out
Shared document libraries replaced scattered files. Teams gave the firm a single place for internal communication. Loop replaced ad-hoc task tracking with structured task management.
Essential Eight Level 1 hardening
Application control, patching, macro restrictions, MFA, admin access lockdown, and backup controls applied across the entire environment. The security baseline the ASD recommends, implemented end to end.
From scattered to locked down
Before CIO Tech
- 30 devices with no standard build and no central management
- Google Workspace with no security hardening
- No alignment with Australian cyber security standards
- Scattered files across individual machines
After CIO Tech
- All 30 devices on a standard build, managed through Intune
- Microsoft 365 secured and hardened
- Essential Eight Level 1 achieved
- Every device, user, and policy visible from a single dashboard
- SharePoint, Teams, and Loop for structured collaboration
The project was delivered in 3 months with no disruption to FTC's client work. Staff came out of it with a faster, simpler environment that was locked down from day one.
“We handle sensitive financial data every day. CIO Tech gave us confidence that it’s actually protected. The whole project was done without disrupting our client work, which was the main thing I was worried about.”
Andrew Romano
Director, FTC Consultants
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