The University of Manchester Sets Cybersecurity Standard in Higher Education with the Tanium Platform

Tanium, the industry’s leading provider of Converged Endpoint Management (XEM), shared that its customer, The University of Manchester, has successfully achieved complete visibility of 40,000 endpoints by implementing its XEM platform. After experiencing a severe data breach in May of 2023, when attackers gained access to the University’s network and proprietary information, the IT department was forced to shut down many of its services to limit the damage.

Leveraging joint solutions with Microsoft and ServiceNow, Tanium supported the University of Manchester in its restoration by providing real-time visibility, control, and remediation on a single platform. By enhancing its security, the University of Manchester can focus on its purpose to advance education, knowledge, and wisdom for the good of society. And, as a leader in cancer prevention and early detection, it can remain committed to both improving access to care in low- and middle-income countries and improving patient treatment. 

“By combining the strengths of Tanium with ServiceNow and Microsoft, we now have a single, strategic platform that allows us to have a complete and accurate Configuration Management Database (CMDB) with real-time data, enhanced threat detection, and response capabilities,” says Patrick “PJ” Hemmaway, Chief Information Officer, The University of Manchester. “These partners are helping us significantly increase our security posture by staying at the forefront of technology and addressing tomorrow’s needs.”  

The University of Manchester’s investment in cyber-incident related spending is already proving to be impactful in improving the cybersecurity standard in the United Kingdom. Earlier this year, it was recognised by the UK government for security under Cyber Essentials, a government scheme to protect organizations against cyberattacks. Additionally, the UK National Cybersecurity Center, which provides security advice and support, recognized the university as an academic center of excellence for cybersecurity research.  

“Large, intricate, multi-campus organisations like the University of Manchester must be prepared for a cyberattack to occur, as they increase in frequency and complexity,” says Kirk Bellerby, Education Lead, UK, Tanium. “To defend against threats, higher education institutions need to measure and control the known vulnerabilities across their networks while remaining user-friendly for both staff and students. Combining proactive and reactive cybersecurity efforts is essential in this era of ransomware attacks and phishing threats.”

The University of Manchester’s cybersecurity team has plans to further leverage the Tanium XEM platform. One initiative includes adapting legacy data to be analyzed by AI capabilities. Another future effort will strengthen the ability of university researchers to share their data with colleagues outside the university – safely, securely, and easily.