Demystifying NHS23 – Unlocking the Power of Microsoft 365 for the NHS 

Microsoft and NHS England have agreed to a new 5-year health deal for centrally provided licensing. ‘NHS23’ will enable all NHS organisations across England to utilise Microsoft 365 security tools and solutions to protect their people, data and assets. In 2020, Microsoft Teams was first rolled out across the NHS. Since then, it is estimated that NHS employees have saved more than 17 million hours of time through streamlined efficiency. 

The new extension of the licensing into security has many benefits for the NHS England. In an era of ever-increasing cyber-attacks, the agreement will enable NHS organisations to utilise beneficial capabilities around threat protection, data governance and compliance that will strengthen the cyber-resilience of the NHS. 

Are you interested in unlocking the full benefits of the new NHS23 Licensing Agreement? 

The newly introduced NHS 23 agreement by NHS England combines two previous agreements, the Windows National Agreement and the N365.  

For shared organisations, O365 E3R has been purchased centrally and expands to F5 Microsoft Security & Compliance, as well as Entra (Previously Azure Active Directory) P2, Defender for Office 2 and Windows E5 which were available previously.  

There’s also an increase in storage which now includes a 50GB exchange mailbox, and an increased 10GB SharePoint / 1TB OneDrive (previously 4GB mailbox / 2GB SharePoint / 2GB OneDrive) 

For local tenant organisations, Windows E5 is being funded centrally with discounts provided across a range of products such as Microsoft 365, F3 apps, Enterprise E1, etc. 

How can these new tools help the NHS? 

These Microsoft security tools create a holistic approach to security with end-to-end visibility.  

As the diagram above shows, Microsoft have tooling to protect every aspect and touchpoint to integrate layers of protection across your entire IT infrastructure. 

Microsoft Entra reduces the risk of identity-based attacks and improves overall security posture. Microsoft Defender is a cloud-based solution that leverages on-premise active directory signals to identify, detect, and investigate advanced threats directed at an organisation. 

These tools protect all apps, data and infrastructure to prevent, investigate, and respond to advanced threats across all devices in your environment. 

How can you maximise your f5 licensing? 

As a Microsoft Solutions Partner, SCC can maximise the Microsoft license through our expert-led Managed Detection and Response (MDR) service. 

SCC provide 24/7/365 coverage of your infrastructure utilising our SOC to strengthen your security posture. We combine the power of Microsoft Sentinel, Defender for Endpoint, and the Microsoft 365 Defender stack with our highly experienced security operations team to protect your hybrid workforce and infrastructure. SCC use threat intelligence to enrich the data gained through the Microsoft stack that is now available across NHS organisations to give a deeper analysis and go further with the incident response capabilities. 

Combining all Microsoft tooling under one MDR platform reduces vendor sprawl to give a streamlined platform approach to create a seamless process with all the data points in one. 

Watch the Webinar to find out more

Understand your security posture with a XDR pathfinder

If you’re not sure where to start, your organisation may be eligible for a XDR pathfinder which helps to unlock the power of Microsoft’s Security Suite and uncovers any threats, risks or vulnerabilities.  

Across the 30-day pathfinder, SCC will help you gain: 

• Better insight and visibility into an attacker’s path into your organisation.  
• Test to see if your Cyber Protection tools are working to their optimum.
• Evaluate the effectiveness of the Microsoft Security stack
• Provides tangible reporting into RISKs across your IT landscape. 

As a result, your organisation gains real-time cyber threat detection and response capabilities, enhancing your overall security posture. 

Find out more about pathfinder

SCC is a leading cyber security partner, that has been trading with the NHS for 30 years. Last year, SCC traded with over 200 NHS organisations. We have a dedicated healthcare division which is trusted by our customers to provide end-to-end support and protection across their organisations. We tailor our innovative solutions to match the needs and maturity of each business. We steadfastly believe in working collaboratively with our clients to mitigate risk, educate team members and oversee a lasting transformation.  

SCC is a Microsoft Security Solutions Partner. We are proud to have achieved advanced specialisations in the security space, strengthening confidence in our expertise and solidifying our position as a leading provider of managed security services.  SCC is one of a few partners who deliver this engagement in collaboration with Microsoft. 

If you’re interested in learning more about the capabilities of the F5 Security suite get in touch with your SCC account manager to organise a Threat Protection Engagement.  

If you don’t have an account manager or would like more information on how the changes can improve your security posture, or to view the full webinar please fill out the contact form below.