AUP IT

BACKGROUND

I am the General Manager ICT of Mallee District Aboriginal Services

Mallee District Aboriginal Services (MDAS) is northwest Victoria's leading service provider for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people. We are a proud Aboriginal Community Controlled Health Organisation (ACCHO) with a long history of delivering sustainable, grassroots services and providing the local community with a vehicle for self-determination.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

• Document the current state of our HR and payroll systems and how they connect
• Assess whether our current HR platform was the right fit for our needs
• Identify duplication and cost across our HR systems to inform future decisions

SOLUTION

Other

• Great culture fit
• Good value for cost
• Company values aligned

2-5 Employees

AUP IT carried out a six-week review of our HR and payroll systems, covering HR, payroll, learning and development, and work health and safety. The work included onsite workshops with the teams involved, mapping our current processes and how our systems connect, and assessing our current HR platform against what we need from it. Key deliverables were a documented picture of our current state, a register of issues rated by severity, a clear recommendation on our existing platform, and an estimate of the ongoing cost of our current setup to support future decisions.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

The review was completed over six weeks, with the final report delivered in June 2026. Every issue found was documented and rated by severity, which gave us a prioritised register to work from rather than anecdotes. The report gave our leadership a clear, evidence-based basis for decisions about our HR systems, and it has directly informed the decisions we have made since.

Raja and the team were organised and kept the review on track, including running onsite workshops with our teams. They took the time to understand how our organisation works, communicated clearly throughout, and were responsive, professional and easy to work with.

Virtual Meeting

They spent time with the people who use our systems every day, not just management, and turned what they heard into a structured, evidence-based report. The findings were practical and specific to how an Aboriginal community controlled organisation like ours actually operates.

Nothing significant to note.

BACKGROUND

Please describe your company and position.

I am the Manufacturing Technologist of MSA Safety Company

Describe what your company does in a single sentence.

Company Produces Safety Products

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What specific goals or objectives did you hire AUP IT to accomplish?

• Operational Continuity and Field Accessibility
• Cybersecurity & Data Integrity for compliance
• IT Managed Services

SOLUTION

How did you find AUP IT?

• Referral
• Other

Why did you select AUP IT over others?

• High ratings
• Pricing fit our budget
• Great culture fit

How many teammates from AUP IT were assigned to this project?

2-5 Employees

Describe the scope of work in detail. Please include a summary of key deliverables.

1. Cybersecurity Strategy & Governance Security Framework Alignment: Conduct initial and annual risk assessments to align business infrastructure with modern security frameworks (e.g., ASD Essential Eight / NIST). Policy & Compliance Management: Assist in drafting, reviewing, and implementing internal IT security policies to ensure regulatory compliance. Security Awareness Training: Deploy automated monthly phishing simulations and baseline security training for all personnel.

2. IT Managed Services (Core Infrastructure) 24/7 Network Monitoring: Continuous monitoring of core network infrastructure, firewalls, switches, and internet gateways. Patch & Lifecycle Management: Automated deployment of critical OS and third-party software updates to eliminate vulnerabilities. Backup & Disaster Recovery (BDR): Management of immutable, encrypted local and cloud backups, including verified quarterly restoration testing. Helpdesk & Technical Support: Remote and on-site remediation for technical incidents during agreed-upon operational coverage windows.

3. Endpoint Protection EDR/MDR Deployment: Provision and manage Endpoint Detection and Response (EDR) or Managed Detection and Response (MDR) software across all physical and virtual workstations and servers. Threat Isolation: Implement automated system containment capabilities to isolate infected endpoints instantly from the broader network. Device Control: Enforce peripheral security rules (e.g., USB blocking) and local administrator privilege restrictions.

4. Cloud Security Identity & Access Management (IAM): Enforce strict Multi-Factor Authentication (MFA) and conditional access rules across cloud suites (e.g., Microsoft 365, Google Workspace). SaaS Configuration Auditing: Continuous hardening of cloud tenants against unauthorized external sharing, malicious forwarding rules, and data exfiltration. Cloud Backup & Governance: Secure backup of cloud-stored data (emails, SharePoint/OneDrive documents) with strict data retention rules.

5. Dark Web Monitoring Domain Credential Tracking: Real-time, continuous scanning of underground forums and dark web repositories for compromised corporate email domains and credentials. Immediate Alerting & Remediation: Automated ticketing and immediate password reset protocols triggered upon the discovery of any breached credentials. Executive Profile Protection: Optional extended monitoring for personal accounts of key executives to mitigate targeted spear-phishing or identity theft risks.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

What were the measurable outcomes from the project that demonstrate progress or success?

Zero data breaches and 99.9% uptime achieved across cloud and network infrastructure.

 100% endpoint deployment with immediate threat containment isolation.

100% staff compliance with mandatory multi-factor authentication (MFA).

Zero compromised dark web credentials left unpatched or unreset past a 30-minute remediation window.

Describe their project management. Did they deliver items on time? How did they respond to your needs?

They were extremely professional and completed the project on time.

What was your primary form of communication with AUP IT?

• In-Person Meeting
• Virtual Meeting

What did you find most impressive or unique about this company?

Product specialists, understanding of infrastructure and business needs.

Are there any areas for improvement or something AUP IT could have done differently?

Nothing major.