Woodgreen – Securing critical infrastructure at a leading animal charity
One of the country’s most famous pet charities, Woodgreen has turned to managed services provider Espria to identify its at-risk touch points and to implement a Sophos solution to secure them.
Woodgreen is a charity which helps pets and their people. Every year, their dedicated teams work tirelessly to provide safe shelter, specialist care, and a brighter future for thousands of dogs, cats and small pets. And they support owners in need of advice and support with their pets – on the phone, online and in person.
Based in Godmanchester, Cambridgeshire, the organisation has several full-time employees supported by a network of volunteers who help with fundraising, fostering and staffing their charity shops, including an onsite outlet.
Matthew Bailey, Client Manager at Espria, said, “We have a long-standing relationship with Woodgreen, dating back some 20 years. Given the fact it is a charity, it has always been a lean operation. As a trusted partner to Woodgreen we have always been there to help identify and implement IT projects to support them, given they do not have a dedicated, extensive in-house IT team.”
With not only full-time employees and hundreds of volunteers, keeping everyone at Woodgreen safe from cybercrime is seen as a major challenge. Most staff and volunteers connect at least one device to the charity network – which includes retail outlets.
Keeping staff and volunteers’ data protected and the charity’s systems and services available is central to its operations.
Peter Sumpter, Senior Systems Administrator at Woodgreen, added: “Woodgreen had used an on-prem Sophos solution since 2016, which proved to be effective for us, adding considerably to the value of our security operations. However, we felt from a business perspective we needed to migrate to a cloud-based solution that would be easier for our administrators to protect our community of users.”
Woodgreen therefore turned to its trusted partner Espria to upgrade to Sophos Central. The new solution was selected to address a number of key priorities for Woodgreen. This included the reduction of manual processes through increased automation to reduce threat response times and minimise repetitive manual tasks.
The implementation of Sophos Central by Espria was a smooth process and the migration moved at a steady pace, in line with Woodgreen’s requirements.
Peter continued, “Given we have such a lean IT team at the charity the new Sophos solution means that we can focus our time on high-priority tasks, as it has automated so many traditional jobs.
The Sophos solution now provides us with layered protection in addition to Microsoft Office 365, keeping our staff, volunteers and retail teams, devices, and server safe from online threats.
By implementing Sophos Central we have seen improvements in how our security operations function works. We really like the new interface – more of what we do within Sophos Central is automated or simplified, saving us time. We can now focus on what we are known for – the welfare of animals – knowing we have not only the most effective security solution available but safe in the knowledge that Espria has our back, as it has done over the past couple of decades,” concluded Peter.
Reveal areas that need proactive, defensive or collaborative resource
One of our experts will review your current data risk, examine current governance and security controls.
We’re experts in building sustainable IT infrastructure that can scale to your businesses needs.
You may be interested in
Beyond Copilots: Why AI Agents Are the Next Competitive Advantage
AI is no longer a tactical tool, it’s becoming the engine of enterprise transformation. While copilots and other generative AI tools have helped teams work faster, the real breakthrough is happening with AI agents: autonomous systems that don’t just assist but act, learn and orchestrate entire workflows across the business. The question every executive should be asking is: “How will we harness AI to create value at scale before our competitors do?” High-performing organisations aren’t waiting. They’re embedding AI agents into daily operations and seeing measurable impact; accelerated decision-making, leaner processes and stronger financial outcomes. When markets move at digital speed, standing still means falling behind. Here’s why: So, the question isn’t “Should we adopt AI?”, it’s “What could…
Zero Trust Networking
Protecting Employees Without Friction Your workforce is your greatest asset, and your greatest vulnerability. Attackers know this, which is why phishing and credential theft remain the most common entry points. But here’s the leadership challenge: how do you protect employees without slowing them down? Zero Trust answers that question by making security invisible yet uncompromising. Employees work from anywhere, home, client sites, airports, without clunky VPNs or endless password resets. Behind the scenes, every login is verified, every device assessed, every anomaly flagged. If something looks wrong, a compromised credential, an unusual location, the system reacts…
Shadow AI: Executive Briefing on Real Risks, Business Impact and Mitigation
Shadow AI is here, and it’s growing Shadow AI is the use of artificial intelligence tools and platforms outside the oversight of IT, security, or compliance teams. This is not a hypothetical concern. KPMG’s 2025 global survey found that up to 58% of employees are using AI productivity tools daily, and nearly half admit to uploading sensitive company information to unauthorised platforms. Only 41% of employees say their organisation has a policy guiding the use of generative AI, revealing a significant governance gap. The Risks Are Real and Substantial The evidence from leading analysts and recent incidents is clear:…
Cyber Resilience in 2025: From Tick-Box to Boardroom Imperative
What the NCSC’s 2025 Review Means for UK Businesses The National Cyber Security Centre’s (NCSC) 2025 Annual Review is a wake-up call for business leaders across the UK. The days when cyber security was simply an IT concern or a routine compliance task are over. With a record number of nationally significant cyber incidents handled in the past year (more than double the previous year’s figure), it is clear that cyber risks have become a central issue for organisational survival and national prosperity. The Evolving Threat: Why Businesses Can’t Afford Complacency No sector has been spared in the latest…
Is Your MSP Really Helping You Grow — Or Just Keeping the Lights On?
There’s a moment in every business where the question quietly surfaces: “Are we getting what we really need from our IT provider?” It’s not always easy to answer. On the surface, things seem fine. Tickets are resolved. Reports arrive. There’s someone to call when things go wrong. It’s familiar. It’s comfortable. And that comfort can be deceiving. Because beneath the surface, many organisations are stuck in a service relationship that feels safe — but is actually stagnant. And here’s the truth: comfort isn’t the same as progress. For many, the idea of changing MSPs or challenging the…
The 2025 State of Ransomware: Key Insights on Attacks, Costs, and Recovery
Ransomware continues to evolve — and so must our defenses. The State of Ransomware 2025 report from Sophos presents one of the most comprehensive views yet into how organisations around the world are being impacted by ransomware attacks. Based on an independent survey of 3,400 IT and cybersecurity leaders across 17 countries, the report explores how attacks are evolving, the operational weaknesses adversaries exploit, and the human and financial tolls that follow. Whether you’re building a cybersecurity strategy or assessing risk, this year’s findings offer crucial, real-world insights to guide your response. Key Findings from…