Case Study

How a Multi-Site Indiana Nonprofit Raised Security Maturity Across 900 Users Without Disrupting Operations

Indiana | Multi-Site Nonprofit | 900 Users Across Staff and Contractors

40%
Vendor Reduction
900
Users Secured
0
Service Interruptions
The Situation

Security That Grew in Separate Lanes

The internal team was competent but stretched. Identity controls, endpoint protection, email security, awareness training, network tooling, and remote access had each been addressed independently over time. None were weak in isolation — they were weak in how they connected. The team spent more time coordinating between vendors and bridging control gaps than improving security posture.

Security coverage spread across multiple tools and vendors with no unified control strategy
Identity, endpoint, email, and network controls not consistently connected or enforced across locations
Internal team absorbing coordination burden instead of driving quality improvement
Policies enforced unevenly across sites, increasing risk exposure and complicating incident response
Budget constraints that ruled out wholesale replacement or additional headcount
The Approach

A Security Program, Not a Product Swap

Forged structured this as a cybersecurity and risk management program — not a vendor replacement exercise.

Risk and Control Baseline

Mapped how the environment actually functioned — where identity controls sat, how email filtering interacted with awareness, what endpoint visibility existed, and where policy enforcement depended on manual follow-through.

Rationalize by Quality, Not by Logo

Identified where tools overlapped, where policy logic conflicted, and where quality could be raised by simplifying the stack rather than adding to it. The question was not which vendors to cut — it was which operating model would be strongest.

Sequence to Protect Continuity

Higher-value improvements landed first. Pilot groups, exception handling, and user communications were staged before broader enforcement changes. Rollback paths were defined before every cutover.

Reduce the Translation Burden

Forged coordinated vendors, structured decisions, and clarified responsibilities so the internal team did not have to absorb every design, transition, and escalation task alone.

The Results

Higher Maturity. Lower Sprawl. Clearer Ownership.

Identity and access controls standardized across all locations with consistent MFA enforcement and cleaner provisioning
Endpoint and email protections consolidated into a coherent operating model with single-pane visibility
Leadership gained a defensible view of cyber posture, implementation priorities, and budget tradeoffs for the first time
Full transition executed across multiple sites with zero unplanned service interruptions to staff or operations
“We needed security improvements that were real, but we could not afford a change program that disrupted daily operations. The environment is now easier to govern, easier to defend, and easier for a stretched internal team to operate.”
— Rachel M., VP of Operations
Is Your Security Environment Showing the Same Symptoms?

Too Many Tools. Unclear Ownership. Growing Risk.

Start with a no-pressure evaluation. We map the control landscape and determine fit before any commitment.

Book a No Pressure EvaluationBuild Your Initiatives