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."