IT, Cybersecurity & Compliance Hub
MSP/IT Provider Selection
A managed IT services proposal should clearly explain what services are included, how support is delivered, and what security protections are in place. The best proposals are transparent, detailed, and focused on long-term operational reliability rather than vague promises.
The scope of support should cover areas such as helpdesk services, cybersecurity, Microsoft 365 management, device support, backups, and infrastructure monitoring. Service levels should also be clearly defined, including response times, escalation procedures, and out-of-hours support.
Security should be built into the proposal as standard. A modern MSP should include protections such as multi-factor authentication, endpoint security, email protection, monitoring, and vulnerability management rather than selling them as optional extras.
Pricing should also be transparent. Businesses should understand exactly what is included in the monthly cost, what falls outside the agreement, and how projects or additional work are charged.
Finally, a strong MSP should provide strategic value through regular reviews, technology planning, and security guidance, not simply reactive support.
Choosing an IT service provider involves more than finding someone to fix technical issues when they arise. The right provider should act as a trusted partner, helping your organisation stay secure, productive, and resilient while supporting your long-term business goals.
A good IT service provider should offer proactive support rather than simply reacting to problems. This includes monitoring systems, identifying potential risks, applying updates, and recommending improvements before issues impact the business. Strong cybersecurity capabilities are also essential, with services such as multi-factor authentication, endpoint protection, security monitoring, backup management, and user awareness training helping to protect against increasingly sophisticated cyber threats.
Businesses should also look for a provider with a clear approach to business continuity and disaster recovery. They should be able to explain how your data is backed up, how quickly systems can be restored following an outage, and what processes are in place to minimise disruption during unexpected events.
Experience and expertise are equally important. A provider should understand the technology requirements of organisations similar to yours and be able to demonstrate relevant certifications, accreditations, and successful client relationships. Transparency around service levels, reporting, pricing, and responsibilities is another key indicator of a reliable partner.
Finally, look for a provider that takes the time to understand your business and offers strategic guidance, not just technical support. The best IT providers help organisations plan for future growth, improve efficiency, manage risk, and make informed technology decisions that support broader business objectives. A strong IT partnership should provide confidence that your technology is secure, well-managed, and aligned with the needs of your organisation.
Managed IT services in 2026 should be proactive, security-led, and cloud-focused. Businesses should expect far more than basic IT support.
Core services should include helpdesk support, proactive monitoring, patch management, device administration, and user onboarding and offboarding. Systems should be monitored continuously to reduce downtime and resolve issues quickly.
Cybersecurity should now be part of the standard service. This includes multi-factor authentication, endpoint protection, email security, encryption, vulnerability management, and threat monitoring. Most organisations also require management of cloud platforms, including identity management, device compliance, Teams administration, and SharePoint governance.
Business continuity is equally important. Managed services should include secure backups, disaster recovery planning, and ransomware recovery processes to ensure operational resilience. Modern MSPs should also offer strategic guidance through security reviews, and long-term IT planning.
One of the biggest red flags in an IT support proposal is an excessive focus on helpdesk response times and technical support, with little or no reference to regulatory compliance, operational resilience, or cybersecurity. Financial services firms operate in a highly regulated environment, and their IT provider should be able to demonstrate how they support FCA requirements, not just day-to-day technology management. Firms should be cautious of providers that make broad claims about security without explaining the controls they have in place.
Proposals that fail to address areas such as multi-factor authentication, encryption, vulnerability management, penetration testing, or security monitoring may indicate a lack of maturity in their cybersecurity approach. Similarly, providers with limited experience supporting regulated organisations may not fully understand the governance, audit, and record-keeping obligations that financial services firms face.
Another warning sign is a lack of clarity around operational resilience. If a proposal does not explain how the provider supports disaster recovery, business continuity planning, recovery testing, and incident response, it may leave the firm exposed during a major disruption. Financial services firms should also be wary of providers that cannot clearly explain where data is stored, how it is protected, or how quickly it can be recovered following an outage.
Weak third-party risk management is another area of concern. Because firms remain responsible for outsourced services, providers should be able to demonstrate robust due diligence processes, supplier oversight, and contractual provisions that allow monitoring and auditing of critical services. Finally, unusually low-cost proposals can sometimes be a sign that essential compliance, security, and resilience services have been excluded, leaving firms with unexpected risks and costs later on.
When assessing an IT provider, financial services firms should focus on understanding how the provider helps them meet their regulatory obligations and manage operational risks. Rather than simply asking about support response times, firms should explore how the provider contributes to operational resilience, cybersecurity, governance, and compliance.
A good starting point is to ask how the provider supports FCA operational resilience requirements and whether they can demonstrate experience working with regulated firms. They should be able to explain how they help organisations identify important business services, prepare for disruptions, and recover from incidents while remaining within acceptable impact tolerances.
Firms should also ask detailed questions about cybersecurity controls, including how data is protected, how access is managed, how vulnerabilities are identified and remediated, and how security incidents are detected and responded to. Understanding the provider’s approach to monitoring, testing, and reporting is essential for assessing whether their security posture aligns with regulatory expectations.
Questions around governance and compliance are equally important. Financial services firms should understand what reporting is available to senior management, how technology risks are documented and reviewed, and how the provider supports regulatory audits and investigations. It is also important to ask how data is stored, backed up, retained, and retrieved, particularly where regulatory record-keeping obligations apply.
Finally, firms should explore how the provider manages third-party risks and emerging technologies such as artificial intelligence. The provider should be able to explain how they oversee their own suppliers, maintain accountability for outsourced services, and ensure that AI technologies are deployed responsibly with appropriate human oversight.
Ultimately, the most valuable question a firm can ask is how the provider helps demonstrate compliance with FCA operational resilience, cybersecurity, and governance requirements. A strong provider will be able to show clear processes, controls, testing, and reporting that support both regulatory compliance and business continuity, rather than simply offering traditional IT support services.
An MSP supporting financial services firms should ideally hold ISO 27001 and Cyber Essentials certifications alongside strong Microsoft security accreditations and internal governance procedures. These standards are particularly important for providers offering cybersecurity for financial services and IT support for financial services firms.
An IT service provider should demonstrate mature cybersecurity controls including MFA, least-privilege access policies, data encryption, security monitoring, penetration testing, and incident response procedures. Businesses should look for providers that offer audit-ready logging, secure identity management, and proactive vulnerability management.
For cloud environments, MSPs should demonstrate strong expertise in securing Microsoft 365 environments, including identity management, access control, and device compliance.
Cybersecurity & Risk Management
Businesses can significantly reduce the risk of Business Email Compromise (BEC) by combining robust technical controls with employee awareness and strong internal processes. Key measures include enabling Multi-Factor Authentication (MFA), implementing advanced email security solutions, verifying payment requests through a secondary communication channel, and monitoring for suspicious account activity.
However, technology alone is not enough. Most BEC attacks rely on social engineering, manipulating employees into trusting fraudulent emails that appear to come from executives, suppliers, or trusted contacts. This makes security awareness training one of the most effective defences against BEC.
Regular cybersecurity awareness training helps employees recognise phishing attempts, spot suspicious requests, identify email impersonation tactics, and follow the correct procedures when handling financial transactions or sensitive information. By educating staff on the latest threats and reinforcing best practices, organisations can turn their employees into a strong first line of defence against cybercriminals.
Tivarri Cybersecurity Awareness Training course is designed to help businesses reduce human risk by teaching employees how to identify, avoid, and report BEC attacks and other common cyber threats before they result in financial loss or data breaches.
Third-party cyber risk can be reduced by taking a proactive approach to supplier security throughout the entire vendor lifecycle. This includes conducting thorough due diligence before onboarding suppliers, assessing their security controls and compliance certifications, and classifying vendors based on the level of risk they pose.
Organisations should also implement contractual security requirements, restrict supplier access using the principle of least privilege, and continuously monitor third parties for vulnerabilities, breaches, or changes in their security posture. Regular reviews and incident response planning are equally important to ensure the business can respond quickly if a supplier is compromised.
Some of the biggest cybersecurity risks facing financial services firms are phishing and social engineering attacks, ransomware, supply chain attack, and AI-driven phishing and impersonation attacks. These threats can lead to financial losses, operational disruption, regulatory penalties, data breaches, and reputational damage.
Financial institutions are among the most targeted organisations in the world because they manage sensitive customer data and high-value transactions. According to the IMF, nearly one in five reported cyber incidents globally affects the financial sector, with the average financial services data breach costing more than $6 million (£4.5 million).
Phishing and social engineering remain the most common threats, with cybercriminals using fraudulent emails, messages, and phone calls to steal credentials or trick employees into authorising payments. The Anti-Phishing Working Group reports that 30.9% of all phishing attacks target banking and payment organisations, making financial services the most targeted sector for phishing campaigns.
Ransomware is another cybersecurity risk facing financial services firms. A research by Sophos found that 65% of financial services organisations experienced a ransomware attack in the previous year, with average recovery costs reaching $2.58 million (£1.9 million). These attacks can disrupt critical services, encrypt sensitive data, and cause significant financial and reputational damage.
Supply chain attacks are becoming increasingly common as financial firms rely on a growing network of software vendors, cloud providers, and third-party service providers. According to the 2026 Verizon Data Breach Investigations Report (DBIR), 48% of all data breaches now involve a third party, highlighting the importance of managing supplier risk.
AI-driven phishing and social engineering attacks are rapidly emerging as one of the sector’s fastest-growing threats. Criminals now use AI tools to create highly convincing phishing emails, deepfake audio, and impersonation scams. Recent research found that 45% of financial services organisations experienced an AI-powered cyberattack within the last 12 months, demonstrating how quickly the threat landscape is evolving.
Incident response planning is the process of preparing for, managing, and recovering from cybersecurity incidents such as ransomware attacks, data breaches, phishing campaigns, business email compromise (BEC), insider threats, or system compromises. The objective is to minimise disruption, contain the threat, reduce business impact, and restore normal operations as quickly and safely as possible.
A well-developed incident response plan provides a structured framework for responding to cyber incidents before they escalate into major business disruptions. It defines the people, processes, and technologies involved in incident management, ensuring everyone knows their responsibilities when an incident occurs.
An effective incident response plan typically includes clearly assigned roles and responsibilities for the incident response team, communication protocols for notifying senior management, customers, suppliers, regulators, and other stakeholders, and an incident classification framework that categorises incidents by severity and business impact. This helps organisations prioritise their response efforts and escalate critical incidents appropriately.
Many organisations also develop detailed incident response playbooks that provide step-by-step procedures for specific threats such as ransomware attacks, phishing incidents, data breaches, denial-of-service attacks, or unauthorised access events. These playbooks enable teams to respond quickly and consistently under pressure.
Most incident response frameworks follow six core phases: preparation, identification, containment, eradication, recovery, and lessons learned. This lifecycle ensures organisations can not only respond effectively to incidents but also continuously improve their security posture by identifying weaknesses and implementing corrective actions after each event.
For regulated organisations, incident response planning forms a critical part of operational resilience. Regulators increasingly expect firms to demonstrate that they can detect, respond to, and recover from, cyber incidents while maintaining important business services.
A Zero Trust security strategy is based on the principle of “never trust, always verify.” Rather than assuming users, devices, or applications inside the network are safe, every access request is continuously authenticated, authorised, and validated.
Building a Zero Trust strategy typically starts with identifying and protecting critical data, applications, assets, and services. Organisations should then implement strong identity and access controls, including Multi-Factor Authentication (MFA), Conditional Access policies, and least-privilege permissions to ensure users only have access to what they need.
A successful Zero Trust approach also requires verifying device security, monitoring user activity, segmenting networks to limit lateral movement, and continuously assessing risk based on user behaviour, device health, and other contextual signals. Continuous monitoring and threat detection are essential to identify and respond to suspicious activity in real time.
Protecting client data in a hybrid working environment requires a combination of technology, policies, and employee awareness. As employees access systems from different locations and devices, organisations must ensure sensitive information remains secure regardless of where work takes place.
Key measures include implementing Multi-Factor Authentication (MFA), encrypting data both in transit and at rest, securing devices through endpoint management solutions, and restricting access to sensitive information based on user roles. Organisations should also ensure employees use secure networks, keep software updated, and follow clear data handling policies when working remotely.
Regular cybersecurity awareness training is essential to help staff recognise phishing attacks, avoid insecure practices, and understand their responsibilities when handling client information. Monitoring and auditing access to sensitive data can also help detect and respond to potential security incidents more quickly.
Operational Resilience & Business Continuity
Operational resilience is an organisation’s ability to prevent, adapt to, respond to, recover from and learn from operational disruptions while continuing to deliver its most important services. These disruptions may include cyberattacks, technology failures, human error, supplier outages, natural disasters or other unexpected events.
For financial services and professional services firms, operational resilience is increasingly important because clients, investors and regulators expect critical services to remain available even during periods of disruption. The FCA’s operational resilience framework requires regulated firms to identify important business services, understand potential vulnerabilities and ensure they can remain within defined impact tolerances during severe but plausible scenarios.
Building operational resilience requires more than a backup solution. It involves resilient infrastructure, cybersecurity controls, business continuity planning, disaster recovery capabilities and regular testing. Tivarri helps organisations strengthen operational resilience through its secure cloud solutions, cybersecurity services and business continuity support designed to reduce operational risk and improve recovery capabilities.
An effective disaster recovery strategy enables an organisation to restore critical systems, applications and data following an incident. The goal is to minimise downtime, reduce data loss and ensure business operations can resume as quickly as possible.
The process typically begins with identifying business-critical systems and defining Recovery Time Objectives (RTOs) and Recovery Point Objectives (RPOs). Organisations should then implement secure backups, document recovery procedures, assign responsibilities and establish alternative recovery environments where appropriate.
Modern disaster recovery planning must also consider cyber threats such as ransomware, where restoring systems safely can be just as important as restoring them quickly. Regular testing is essential to verify that recovery plans work as expected.
Tivarri supports organisations with managed backup services, disaster recovery planning, resilient hosted environments and secure cloud infrastructure, helping businesses improve recovery times and reduce the operational impact of technology failures.
Business continuity planning (BCP) is the process of preparing an organisation to continue operating during and after a disruption. While disaster recovery focuses primarily on restoring IT systems, business continuity addresses the wider business impact, including people, processes, communications, facilities and suppliers.
A business continuity plan identifies critical business functions, assesses risks, documents response procedures and establishes communication plans for employees, customers and stakeholders. Effective plans help organisations maintain essential services even when normal operations are disrupted.
Recovery plans should be tested at least annually, although many regulated organisations choose to test critical systems and processes more frequently. Additional testing should take place following major infrastructure changes, software upgrades, mergers, acquisitions or significant business changes.
Testing is important because a documented plan alone does not guarantee a successful recovery. Organisations should regularly validate backups, test restoration procedures, conduct tabletop exercises and perform realistic failover scenarios where appropriate.
Regulators increasingly expect organisations to demonstrate that their recovery capabilities work in practice rather than simply existing on paper. The FCA, for example, encourages firms to conduct scenario testing based on severe but plausible disruptions.
For financial services firms, downtime is not simply an IT issue. It can directly affect trading activity, client communications, portfolio management, regulatory reporting and access to critical financial data. As a result, the financial impact of an outage is often significantly higher than in many other industries.
According to New Relic’s 2025 Financial Services Observability Report, high-impact outages cost financial services organisations an average of $1.8 million (£1.3 million) per hour.
The consequences are not purely financial. Service disruptions can damage client trust, attract regulatory scrutiny and affect a firm’s reputation. During a major cloud outage in 2025, financial trading platforms were estimated to have lost approximately $1.6 billion in trading volume during a three-hour disruption.
To minimise risk, many firms invest in resilient infrastructure, business continuity planning, disaster recovery and cybersecurity measures. Tivarri helps organisations strengthen resilience through its Hosted Desktop, Microsoft 365 security services and business continuity expertise, helping ensure critical systems remain available when clients and regulators expect them to be.
Resilient IT infrastructure is designed to continue supporting business operations during unexpected events and recover quickly when disruptions occur. The objective is not necessarily to prevent every incident but to reduce the likelihood of failure and minimise the impact when failures occur.
Key elements of resilient infrastructure include redundancy, secure cloud services, virtual desktop environments, robust identity and access controls, proactive monitoring, regular patching and effective backup arrangements. Organisations should also identify and address single points of failure across their technology stack and supplier ecosystem.
For regulated firms, infrastructure resilience has become an important component of operational resilience and cybersecurity programmes. Tivarri helps organisations build resilient IT environments through Hosted Desktop, Microsoft 365 solutions, cybersecurity services and business continuity planning, providing a secure foundation for long-term operational stability.
An effective backup strategy focuses on recoverability rather than simply creating copies of data. One of the most widely recognised best practices is the 3-2-1 rule: maintain three copies of data, store them on two different media types and keep one copy offsite.
Backups should be automated, encrypted, protected from unauthorised access and regularly tested. Organisations should also consider how quickly systems can be restored and whether backups are protected from ransomware attacks that may target backup repositories.
Many organisations discover weaknesses in their backup strategy only when they attempt a recovery. Regular restoration testing is therefore just as important as the backup process itself.
Tivarri’s managed backup and disaster recovery services help organisations protect critical business data, improve recovery readiness and verify that systems can be restored when needed, reducing the risk of prolonged outages.
Major service outages across industries continue to highlight common weaknesses in technology and operational resilience programmes. Recurring issues include inadequate testing, insufficient recovery planning and ineffective communication processes.
One of the most important lessons is that organisations should prepare for disruptions rather than assume they can prevent them entirely. Effective resilience programmes focus on understanding critical business services, identifying vulnerabilities and regularly testing response and recovery capabilities.
Organisations that recover most successfully typically have documented procedures, resilient infrastructure, tested continuity plans, strong cybersecurity controls and clearly defined responsibilities during incidents. They also review incidents thoroughly and use lessons learned to strengthen future resilience.
Tivarri works with organisations to improve these areas through cybersecurity services, resilient hosting platforms, business continuity support, disaster recovery planning and operational resilience reviews, helping clients prepare for and respond to disruptions more effectively.
IT Best Practices for Financial Services Firms
Major financial sector breaches show that even large, well-resourced organisations can fall victim to cyberattacks when fundamental security controls fail. Equifax suffered a breach affecting approximately 147 million people after attackers exploited a known but unpatched software vulnerability. The lesson is clear: organisations must maintain robust vulnerability management and patch critical security flaws quickly.
Capital One experienced a breach affecting more than 100 million individuals after a cloud configuration weakness was exploited. This highlights the importance of continuously reviewing cloud security settings, monitoring access, and applying the principle of least privilege.
The Heartland Payment Systems breach, which exposed approximately 130 million payment card records, demonstrated how vulnerabilities in web applications can be exploited to access sensitive data. This reinforces the need for secure software development, penetration testing, and continuous vulnerability scanning.
These incidents also show the growing importance of third-party risk management, data encryption, continuous monitoring, and incident response planning. In many cases, organisations had opportunities to detect or prevent attacks before significant damage occurred.
Wealth managers face a growing range of technology challenges as client expectations, cyber threats, and regulatory requirements continue to evolve. One of the most significant concerns is cybersecurity. Firms manage large volumes of sensitive financial and personal data, making them attractive targets for phishing attacks, ransomware, business email compromise, and data breaches. Recent incidents affecting major advisory firms highlight the ongoing cyber risks facing the sector.
Many firms also continue to rely on legacy systems that can be difficult to integrate with modern cloud, automation, and AI technologies. These outdated platforms often create operational inefficiencies, increase maintenance costs, and slow digital transformation initiatives.
Regulatory compliance remains another major challenge. Wealth managers must meet increasingly complex requirements around data protection, record keeping, reporting, operational resilience, and risk management. As regulations evolve, firms require technology that can support compliance without creating excessive administrative overhead.
Clients increasingly expect seamless digital experiences, personalised services, and secure online access to their information. Industry research shows that many firms are investing in digital platforms, cloud technologies, and AI to improve client engagement and operational efficiency while remaining competitive.
Successfully balancing security, compliance, operational efficiency, and client expectations has become one of the most important technology challenges facing wealth management firms today.
Financial services firms should consider a technology partner’s industry expertise, cybersecurity capabilities, regulatory knowledge, service quality, and ability to support long term business objectives. Given the highly regulated nature of the sector, it is important to work with providers that understand requirements around data protection, operational resilience, audit readiness, and risk management.
Firms should also evaluate a provider’s security credentials, support model, service level commitments, and approach to business continuity and disaster recovery. Evidence of recognised certifications, robust security controls, and experience supporting regulated organisations can provide additional assurance.
Beyond technical capabilities, organisations should look for partners that can offer strategic guidance and adapt to evolving business, technology, and compliance requirements. The most effective technology partners act as trusted advisers, helping firms improve resilience, reduce risk, and support sustainable growth.
Investor technology due diligence is no longer limited to assessing basic IT capabilities. Investors increasingly expect wealth managers to demonstrate that technology, cybersecurity, data protection, and operational resilience are being actively managed and governed.
To prepare, firms should be able to evidence their ability to protect client data, maintain business continuity, respond effectively to cyber incidents, and meet regulatory requirements. This includes having documented cybersecurity controls, operational resilience plans, incident response procedures, and clear governance frameworks in place.
Investors will typically review areas such as cybersecurity controls (including MFA, access management, vulnerability management, and employee training), operational resilience and business continuity, data governance, incident response planning, and third party or cloud risk management. They may also request supporting documentation such as risk registers, penetration testing reports, backup and disaster recovery test results, security policies, and compliance certifications.
Ultimately, successful investor due diligence is about demonstrating that technology risk is proactively managed rather than simply outsourced. Firms that maintain strong documentation, regularly test their controls, and can clearly evidence their security and resilience capabilities are better positioned to build investor confidence.
Investment firms can support hybrid working by providing employees with secure, reliable access to business applications and data regardless of location, while maintaining the security, compliance, and operational resilience standards expected by regulators and clients.
This starts with implementing secure access controls such as Multi-Factor Authentication (MFA), Conditional Access policies, and device management solutions to ensure only authorised users and trusted devices can access sensitive systems. Firms should also protect client data through encryption, role-based access controls, and continuous monitoring of user activity.
To support productivity, many investment firms adopt cloud-based collaboration tools, virtual desktop solutions, and secure document management platforms that allow employees to work effectively from home, the office, or while travelling without compromising security or compliance.
Hybrid working strategies should also include employee cybersecurity training, clear remote working policies, regular device patching, and robust incident response procedures to reduce the risk of cyber threats.
Tivarri Hosted Desktop provides a secure desktop environment hosted in Tivarri’s UK data centres, allowing employees to access their applications and data remotely without storing sensitive information on local devices. This centralised approach helps firms maintain control over security, backups, and compliance while supporting flexible working.
Tivarri Modern Desktop combines the flexibility of Microsoft 365 with enhanced security, auditing, and device management. It enables employees to work from home, the office, or while travelling, while keeping company data protected through centralised controls and security policies.
Both solutions help investment firms reduce the risks associated with hybrid working by improving access control, protecting client data, supporting secure collaboration, and enabling IT teams to manage and monitor environments more effectively.
A new hedge fund needs more than just email, laptops, and internet access. Its IT infrastructure must be secure, resilient, and compliant with FCA requirements from day one.
A key requirement is operational resilience. The FCA requires firms to identify their important business services, understand the technology and suppliers that support them, and ensure they can continue operating during disruptions such as cyberattacks, system failures, or supplier outages. This includes having tested incident response, disaster recovery, and business continuity plans.
Cybersecurity is equally important. Hedge funds are frequent targets for phishing, ransomware, and business email compromise (BEC) attacks. Hedge funds must protect against attack and manage vulnerabilities. Essential controls include Multi-Factor Authentication (MFA), endpoint protection, encryption, email security, security monitoring, and regular penetration testing.
The FCA also expects strong governance and senior management accountability. Under the Senior Managers and Certification Regime (SM&CR), senior management is responsible for overseeing technology and cyber risk, not just the IT team.
As most hedge funds rely on cloud providers, software vendors, and managed service providers, third-party risk management is another key requirement. Firms must perform due diligence on suppliers and maintain oversight of outsourced services. They must ensure contracts allow for monitoring and auditing of the third party.
Finally, new hedge funds must ensure they can securely retain and retrieve business records, including emails, messages, voice calls, and transaction data, while maintaining clear audit trails and appropriate access controls.
Many new hedge funds choose secure cloud platforms or virtual desktop solutions to help meet these requirements, providing a scalable, compliant, and secure foundation that supports both FCA expectations and investor due diligence.
New hedge funds must also use AI safely by maintaining human oversight, transparency, and accountability for algorithmic outcomes. Compliance must be involved early in technology rollouts and AI adoption
Microsoft 365 Security and Governance for Modern Businesses
Microsoft 365 E5 is often worth the cost for organisations that require advanced security, compliance, auditing and identity protection capabilities. It includes features such as Microsoft Entra ID Plan 2, Microsoft Intune, Microsoft Defender services, Advanced Audit, eDiscovery, Data Loss Prevention (DLP) and Information Protection tools.
For organisations operating in regulated sectors, these capabilities can help strengthen cybersecurity, improve visibility into user activity, support compliance requirements and reduce operational risk. The value becomes clearer when compared to the potential cost of a cyber incident. IBM’s Cost of a Data Breach Report found that the global average cost of a data breach reached $4.88 million (£3.64 million) in 2024, highlighting the financial impact of inadequate security controls.
However, E5 may provide more functionality than some organisations require. Businesses should assess their risk profile, regulatory obligations and security requirements to determine whether they will actively use the advanced features included within the licence.
Every organisation should consider implementing Conditional Access policies that strengthen identity security and reduce the risk of unauthorised access. Microsoft recommends Conditional Access as a key component of a Zero Trust security strategy.
Common policies include requiring multifactor authentication (MFA) for all users, enforcing MFA for administrator accounts, blocking legacy authentication protocols, restricting access from high-risk locations, requiring compliant or managed devices before granting access to company data, and applying additional verification when risky sign in behaviour is detected.
These controls are particularly important because identity remains one of the most common attack vectors. Microsoft has reported that more than 99.9% of compromised accounts do not use MFA. By combining Conditional Access with MFA, organisations can significantly reduce the risk of phishing, credential theft and unauthorised access attempts.
Securing Microsoft Teams requires a combination of identity controls, data protection policies and governance. Because Teams is closely integrated with SharePoint and OneDrive, organisations should ensure security settings are aligned across all three platforms.
Key security measures include enabling multifactor authentication, reviewing external sharing settings, restricting guest access where appropriate, applying sensitivity labels to confidential information, controlling who can create teams and monitoring Teams activity through Microsoft 365 auditing tools.
Organisations should also regularly review team memberships, permissions, meeting policies and recording settings to ensure access remains appropriate. This helps reduce the risk of excessive permissions, accidental data exposure and unauthorised access to sensitive conversations, files and meeting content.
Microsoft Entra ID Plan 2 is Microsoft’s advanced identity and access management licence designed to help organisations secure user identities and control access to business applications and data.
It builds on the capabilities included in Entra ID Plan 1 by adding Identity Protection, risk based Conditional Access and Privileged Identity Management (PIM). Identity Protection uses Microsoft’s global threat intelligence, machine learning and behavioural analytics to identify potentially compromised accounts and risky sign ins. Organisations can then automatically require MFA, force password resets or block access when risks are detected.
Privileged Identity Management helps secure administrator accounts by providing time limited and approval-based access to privileged roles, reducing the risk of excessive permissions and compromised administrator credentials.
These capabilities support a Zero Trust security model by continuously evaluating users, devices, locations and risk signals before granting access to corporate resources.
Effective SharePoint security starts with applying the principle of least privilege, ensuring users only have access to the information they genuinely need to perform their role.
Organisations should regularly review permissions, restrict external sharing, enable multifactor authentication, apply sensitivity labels, monitor file sharing activity and use Conditional Access policies to restrict access from unmanaged devices or untrusted locations.
Where possible, permissions should be assigned through security groups rather than directly to individual users, making permissions easier to manage and audit. Regular reviews of site permissions and sharing settings help reduce the risk of accidental data exposure and unauthorised access to sensitive information.
Given that SharePoint often stores contracts, financial information, client records and other business critical data, effective governance is essential for maintaining security and compliance.
Preventing data leakage requires a combination of technology, governance and user awareness. Microsoft 365 includes several security controls designed to help organisations protect sensitive information from accidental or deliberate disclosure.
These include Data Loss Prevention (DLP), sensitivity labels, encryption, Conditional Access, Microsoft Intune and auditing capabilities. Organisations can use these tools to identify sensitive information, restrict external sharing, block downloads to unmanaged devices and automatically apply protection policies to confidential documents.
Microsoft Purview Data Loss Prevention can also detect and protect sensitive information such as payment card data, passport numbers, national insurance numbers and financial records.
However, technology alone is not enough. Many data leakage incidents result from human error, such as sending information to the wrong recipient or sharing files too broadly. Regular security awareness training remains an important part of any data protection strategy.
Microsoft 365 includes extensive auditing, reporting and monitoring capabilities that allow organisations to track user activity across services such as Exchange Online, SharePoint, OneDrive, Teams and Microsoft Entra ID.
Audit logs can provide visibility into user sign ins, file access, file sharing activity, mailbox actions, permission changes and administrative activity. This information can help organisations identify unusual behaviour, investigate security incidents and support compliance requirements.
Organisations with advanced Microsoft 365 licensing can benefit from enhanced capabilities such as Advanced Audit, longer audit log retention, automated alerting, Insider Risk Management and advanced investigation tools. These features provide greater visibility into potentially risky behaviour and can help organisations detect threats earlier.
Monitoring user activity should not be viewed solely as a compliance requirement. It is also a valuable security control that helps organisations protect sensitive data, improve incident response and strengthen overall cybersecurity resilience.
Cloud Infrastructure & Virtual Desktops
Windows 365, Azure Virtual Desktop and traditional Virtual Desktop Infrastructure (VDI) all provide users with virtual desktops, but they differ significantly in terms of management, flexibility and cost. Windows 365 is Microsoft’s Cloud PC service, providing each user with a dedicated virtual machine for a fixed monthly fee. It is designed to be simple to deploy and manage, making it well suited to organisations that want predictable costs and a straightforward user experience.
Azure Virtual Desktop (AVD) is a more flexible cloud-based desktop platform hosted in Microsoft Azure. It supports both dedicated and pooled desktops, multi-session Windows 11 environments and dynamic scaling. This allows organisations to optimise costs and tailor environments to specific workloads, although it typically requires greater technical expertise to manage.
Traditional VDI is usually hosted on-premise or within a private cloud environment. While it offers a high degree of control and customisation, it also requires organisations to manage and maintain the underlying infrastructure, including servers, storage, networking and disaster recovery systems.
For regulated organisations, the right choice depends on security requirements, performance demands, compliance obligations and internal IT resources. Windows 365 often appeals to businesses seeking simplicity, Azure Virtual Desktop provides greater flexibility and scalability, while traditional VDI may remain appropriate where organisations require complete control over infrastructure and data residency.
Virtual desktops enable employees to securely access their business applications, files and desktop environment from virtually any location while keeping corporate data within a centrally managed environment. This makes them particularly valuable for organisations operating hybrid and remote working models.
Because applications and data remain within the virtual desktop environment rather than being stored on personal devices, organisations can reduce the risk of data loss, improve security and maintain greater control over access. IT teams can deploy updates, manage devices, onboard new employees and provide support without requiring physical access to a user’s computer.
Virtual desktops also improve business continuity by allowing employees to continue working during office closures, travel disruptions or device failures. Employees can simply access their virtual desktop from another approved device and continue working with minimal disruption.
For professional services firms, financial services organisations and other regulated businesses, virtual desktops can support compliance requirements by centralising data management, strengthening access controls and providing greater visibility into user activity.
Businesses should consider moving to the cloud when their existing infrastructure begins to limit flexibility, scalability, resilience or operational efficiency. Common triggers include ageing server infrastructure, increasing support costs, growing remote working requirements, disaster recovery concerns and the need to support business growth without significant capital expenditure.
Cloud services allow organisations to scale resources more easily, improve resilience and reduce reliance on physical hardware. They can also provide access to enterprise-grade security, backup and business continuity capabilities that may be difficult or costly to achieve with on-premise infrastructure alone.
However, cloud migration should not be viewed simply as a technology upgrade. Organisations should first assess their applications, security requirements, regulatory obligations and operational goals. In many cases, a hybrid approach combining cloud and on-premise services may be the most appropriate solution.
A well-planned migration strategy should include workload assessment, dependency mapping, security reviews, user training and clear success criteria to ensure the move delivers measurable business benefits rather than simply relocating existing problems to a new platform.
Microsoft Entra ID Plan 2 is Microsoft’s advanced identity and access management licence designed to help organisations secure user identities and control access to business applications and data.
It builds on the capabilities included in Entra ID Plan 1 by adding Identity Protection, risk based Conditional Access and Privileged Identity Management (PIM). Identity Protection uses Microsoft’s global threat intelligence, machine learning and behavioural analytics to identify potentially compromised accounts and risky sign ins. Organisations can then automatically require MFA, force password resets or block access when risks are detected.
Privileged Identity Management helps secure administrator accounts by providing time limited and approval-based access to privileged roles, reducing the risk of excessive permissions and compromised administrator credentials.
These capabilities support a Zero Trust security model by continuously evaluating users, devices, locations and risk signals before granting access to corporate resources.
One of the most common cloud migration mistakes is moving workloads without a clearly defined strategy. Organisations often focus on migrating systems quickly without fully understanding application dependencies, security requirements or long-term operating costs. Other common mistakes include inadequate testing, poor user communication, insufficient backup planning and failing to implement governance controls from the outset.
Cost management is another frequent challenge. Many organisations underestimate ongoing cloud consumption costs or fail to optimise resources after migration. A successful cloud migration should include thorough planning, security reviews, pilot testing, user training and ongoing optimisation to ensure the cloud environment remains secure, cost effective and aligned with business objectives.
The cost of maintaining on-premise servers extends far beyond the initial hardware purchase. Organisations must also consider software licensing, power consumption, cooling, physical security, backup infrastructure, maintenance contracts, disaster recovery capabilities and the staff required to manage and support the environment.
Hardware refresh cycles typically occur every three to five years, creating significant capital expenditure. As infrastructure ages, support costs and operational risks can increase further. While on-premise environments may remain appropriate for certain workloads, organisations should evaluate the total cost of ownership rather than comparing hardware costs alone. In many cases, cloud services can reduce operational complexity and improve scalability, although they must be managed carefully to avoid unnecessary expenditure.
A high-performance virtual desktop environment depends on the right compute, memory, storage, network latency, profile management, application delivery and monitoring. Poorly sized virtual machines, overloaded session hosts, slow storage or weak connectivity can make the user experience feel sluggish. Microsoft recommends focusing on security, performance and cost management when designing Azure Virtual Desktop environments, while VDI architecture generally requires careful planning around host pools, user density, image management and workload requirements.
A high-performance virtual desktop environment requires the right balance of compute resources, storage performance, network connectivity and user experience optimisation. While CPU and memory are important, storage performance and network latency often have the greatest impact on how responsive a virtual desktop feels to end users.
Effective profile management, application optimisation, workload balancing and proactive monitoring are also critical. Organisations should regularly review resource utilisation and ensure that virtual desktop infrastructure is appropriately sized for the applications and workloads being used.
For organisations running resource-intensive applications, such as financial modelling, data analytics, engineering software or research platforms, the ability to scale processing power and storage performance can be particularly important. A well-designed virtual desktop environment should deliver a consistent user experience while maintaining security, resilience and operational efficiency.
Hedge Funds & Financial Startup Technology
A hedge fund requires far more than basic IT support and office technology. Investors, regulators, and counterparties increasingly expect institutional-grade infrastructure from launch. A modern hedge fund should have secure cloud or virtual desktop environments, enterprise productivity platforms such as Microsoft 365, portfolio and order management systems, market data services, cybersecurity monitoring, encrypted backups, disaster recovery capabilities, and secure remote access for employees.
Technology infrastructure should be designed to support scalability, operational resilience, and regulatory compliance while protecting sensitive investor and trading data. Many firms now favour cloud and Virtual Desktop Infrastructure (VDI) solutions because they centralise data, simplify security management, and reduce the risks associated with storing information on local devices.
A new hedge fund should establish a comprehensive technology foundation before beginning operations. This typically includes a secure Microsoft 365 environment with multifactor authentication, virtual desktops or cloud workspaces, portfolio management software, secure file sharing, enterprise email protection, encrypted backups, cybersecurity monitoring, business continuity planning, compliance logging, and third-party vendor management processes.
Investors increasingly assess operational readiness during due diligence, making technology infrastructure a critical component of a successful launch. A well-planned IT environment can help demonstrate professionalism, strengthen security, and support future growth.
Operational due diligence focuses on how a hedge fund is managed rather than how it invests. Investors want confidence that the business has appropriate controls in place to manage risk, protect assets, and operate effectively. Passing operational due diligence typically requires documented governance structures, strong cybersecurity controls, regulatory compliance processes, business continuity and disaster recovery plans, independent service providers, robust financial controls, and clear segregation of duties.
Technology plays a central role in this process, as investors increasingly examine cybersecurity measures, access controls, audit trails, backup procedures, and incident response capabilities. A fund that can demonstrate mature operational processes is generally viewed as a lower-risk investment proposition.
Technology has become one of the most heavily scrutinised areas during investor due diligence. Investors commonly review cybersecurity policies, user access controls, backup and recovery arrangements, cloud infrastructure security, vendor management procedures, business continuity plans, and incident response capabilities. They want assurance that sensitive data is adequately protected and that the business can continue operating during a cyber incident, technology failure, or other disruption.
As cyber threats continue to increase across the financial services sector, strong technology governance is increasingly seen as an indicator of overall operational maturity.
Building a secure IT environment requires a combination of technology, policies, and ongoing management. Investment firms should implement multifactor authentication across all systems, restrict access through role-based permissions, encrypt sensitive data, deploy advanced endpoint protection, and maintain rigorous patch management processes. Continuous monitoring, vulnerability assessments, security awareness training, and incident response planning should also form part of the overall security strategy.
Security should not be viewed as a one-time project but as an ongoing process that evolves alongside the threat landscape. Firms that embed cybersecurity into their daily operations are typically better positioned to satisfy investor expectations and regulatory requirements.
Many hedge funds choose to outsource specialist IT functions to experienced Managed Service Providers (MSPs) to gain access to expertise, reduce operational overheads, and strengthen security. Commonly outsourced services include helpdesk support, Microsoft 365 administration, cybersecurity monitoring, backup and disaster recovery management, cloud infrastructure, patch management, vulnerability assessments, and compliance support.
Outsourcing these functions allows investment teams to focus on portfolio management while ensuring that critical technology systems are managed by specialists with relevant experience in financial services environments.
Cybersecurity should be a priority from day one for any new financial services firm. Core controls include multifactor authentication, role-based access controls, firewalls, endpoint protection, vulnerability management, regular patching, data encryption, and secure backup solutions.
Firms should also implement security awareness training, incident response procedures, and third-party risk management processes. Backup strategies should follow recognised best practices, such as maintaining multiple copies of data across separate locations and regularly testing recovery procedures. These controls help protect against common cyber threats while supporting compliance with frameworks such as Cyber Essentials, ISO 27001, FCA expectations, and the Digital Operational Resilience Act (DORA).
The most suitable IT provider depends on the specific needs of the hedge fund, but many firms seek providers with expertise in financial services, cybersecurity, regulatory compliance, and operational resilience. Tivarri has established itself as a specialist provider focused on hedge funds, asset managers, wealth managers, and other FCA-regulated organisations.
Unlike traditional MSPs that primarily focus on end-user support and local infrastructure, Tivarri delivers secure cloud environments, hosted desktops, and virtual desktop solutions designed specifically for regulated industries. Its services are built around cybersecurity, compliance, business continuity, and UK data residency requirements, making them particularly relevant for firms operating in highly regulated sectors.
The decision largely depends on the firm’s operational and regulatory requirements. Specialist providers such as Tivarri are often chosen by hedge funds that require institutional-grade security, FCA compliance support, investor due diligence readiness, and secure virtual desktop environments hosted within the UK. General MSPs may be more suitable for organisations seeking broader day-to-day IT support, local infrastructure management, and flexible service arrangements.
For many hedge funds, however, the ability to demonstrate strong cybersecurity, operational resilience, and compliance credentials can be a significant factor when attracting investors and satisfying regulatory expectations. As a result, specialist providers often offer advantages that extend beyond traditional IT support.
Compliance, Governance & Data Protection
An IT environment is considered audit ready when controls are well documented, consistently applied and supported by evidence. Auditors typically expect organisations to maintain accurate records of hardware, software, cloud services and data assets, alongside documented security policies, access controls, change management procedures and incident response processes.
They will also look for evidence that security measures such as multi-factor authentication, logging, backup testing and user access reviews are operating effectively. Organisations must be able to demonstrate that a control is working. Without evidence, auditors may treat it as though it does not exist. Audit readiness should therefore be viewed as an ongoing process rather than a once-a-year exercise.
Preparing for a technology audit starts with understanding the scope of the assessment and the regulations or standards that apply to the organisation. Policies, procedures and system documentation should be reviewed to ensure they are current and reflect actual working practices.
Organisations should verify that asset inventories are accurate, user access permissions are appropriate, and backups have been tested successfully. It is also important to gather evidence in advance, including training records, security reports, change logs and incident records. Many audit findings arise not because controls are missing, but because organisations cannot provide sufficient evidence to demonstrate that those controls are operating effectively.
Effective data retention is about keeping information for as long as it is needed and no longer. Organisations should understand what data they hold, where it is stored, why it is being retained and what legal or regulatory obligations apply to it. Retention periods should be clearly defined for different types of information and enforced consistently across systems.
Where possible, retention should be automated to reduce the risk of human error. Equally important is the secure disposal of data once retention periods expire, as retaining unnecessary information can increase both security and compliance risks. Within Microsoft 365, retention policies and retention labels can help organisations automate these processes while maintaining compliance with regulatory requirements.
Information security policies provide the foundation for managing risk and protecting organisational data. Every organisation should have policies covering areas such as acceptable use, access control, authentication, data protection, incident response, backup and recovery, remote working and business continuity.
Additional policies may be required for supplier management, mobile devices, and security awareness training. However, policies should not simply exist as documents stored on a shared drive. They must be communicated to staff, reviewed regularly and supported by procedures that explain how the organisation expects employees to follow them in practice.
Technology suppliers play a critical role in modern business operations, but they can also introduce significant operational and security risks. Effective supplier management begins with due diligence before a supplier is engaged and continues throughout the relationship. Organisations should assess suppliers’ security practices, compliance credentials, financial stability and ability to meet agreed service levels.
Contracts should clearly define responsibilities, performance expectations and security obligations. Regular reviews help ensure suppliers continue to meet business requirements and provide an opportunity to identify emerging risks. Even when services are outsourced, organisations remain accountable for protecting their data and meeting regulatory obligations.
A strong security culture exists when employees understand that cybersecurity is part of their everyday responsibilities rather than solely the concern of the IT department. Building this culture requires regular training, clear communication and visible support from leadership. Employees should be encouraged to report suspicious activity, ask questions and learn from mistakes without fear of blame.
Effective security awareness programmes focus on changing behaviour rather than simply delivering compliance training. As phishing, social engineering and business email compromise attacks continue to target employees, organisations that foster a security-conscious culture are often better positioned to prevent incidents before they occur.
Many governance failures stem from a lack of clarity around accountability and decision-making. Common mistakes include unclear ownership of risks, inadequate oversight from senior leadership, poor documentation, ineffective reporting and weak supplier governance. Organisations can also fall into the trap of treating governance as a compliance exercise rather than a business discipline. When governance processes are poorly defined or inconsistently applied, organisations may struggle to identify risks, respond to issues or demonstrate compliance to regulators. Strong governance requires clear responsibilities, accurate records and regular review of both risks and controls.
A compliance-ready technology environment is one where security, governance and operational controls are embedded into day-to-day processes. Rather than relying on manual activities and periodic reviews, organisations should implement technologies that support continuous monitoring, access management, audit logging, data protection and compliance reporting. Effective compliance programmes also depend on clear policies, regular risk assessments and well-defined responsibilities. As regulatory expectations continue to evolve, organisations are increasingly expected to demonstrate ongoing compliance rather than relying on annual assessments. A compliance-ready environment therefore combines technology, processes and governance to provide both protection and accountability.