Baseline to Blueprint: Security as the Cloud Modernisation Catalyst

In a sector where durability is non‑negotiable, Global HVAC innovator Nailor Industries recognised the need for a partner who could help them stay ahead of an evolving threat landscape. Nailor’s CIO had previously trusted Secrutiny’s deep security expertise (Now part of Acora), and while looking for them, he followed the breadcrumbs to Acora. Once reconnected, a renewed partnership and perfect opportunity presented itself to educate him on the expanded Cyber Incident Baseline (CIB) process.

Reuniting to Create Long-Term Partnerships

When the CIO stepped into his new role at Nailor, he faced an immediate crisis: remediating a recent incident in late 2024 and ensuring it would not be repeated. The incident changed how the enterprise viewed security. It was clear that the business needed stronger security foundations, better visibility, and a partner who could move fast and transparently in a short period of time.

Nailor was not unique in their security posture. As with most businesses, they had limited visibility of endpoints, inconsistent processes, and difficulty understanding the true level of protection across the environment. Rather than seeing this as a setback, they embraced the opportunity to rebuild with a Zero Trust mindset and a clearer, end‑to‑end view of risk.

Although initially hesitant and having many questions around Secrutiny’s acquisition by Acora, simply because joining a larger organisation can sometimes change the close, personal feel, service levels, and support. They soon discovered that it had dramatically strengthened the capability rather than diluted it. The combined expertise at Acora delivered a more robust, sophisticated, harmonised, and defined service with crystal clear return on investment. Reconnecting with the original team who “made things happen” was the obvious next step.

Uncovering Risks and Guiding Remediation

Acora is glad to be the chosen long-term partner to deliver a full CIB, a threat-led assessment designed to reveal risk in an evidence‑based and prioritised way.

The baseline exposed issues that had previously gone unnoticed and translated them into clear, trackable remediation steps, directions on how to deploy fixes, and provided the Corporate IT team with a comprehensive and real roadmap forward.

Key insights quickly emerged:

• Team collaboration gaps, highlighting the need for closer alignment between internal IT teams, locations, and leadership.
• Privilege sprawl, prompting a clean-up of admin accounts and tighter access controls.
• Tooling upgrades, which included moving to SentinelOne, Proofpoint, a new service desk program, improved collaboration tools, automated phishing simulations, & consolidated management tools.
• Opportunities for readiness exercises, including surprise drills & company-wide simulations.
• Process tightening, introducing stronger authentication policies and removing phone-based password resets.

All findings and recommendations were documented in a central register, giving senior leadership full visibility to track progress and make informed decisions.

Team Mindset Transformation

The CIB didn’t just reveal risks; it transformed how the team approached security. It sparked cultural and operational change, helping embed a Zero Trust mindset and giving staff the confidence to act quickly and decisively during incidents.

Acora’s “fix what you have first” methodology became a guiding principle, helping the team focus on smart, sustainable improvements while managing day‑to‑day demands without spending a lot of capital.
Cyber security skeletons can be difficult to share openly with an external partner, but once the Nailor team saw the depth of the assessment and the quality of the outcomes, their confidence & trust grew fast. The Nailor team began turning to Acora to validate strategies, seek guidance, and push themselves to improve.

As their CIO put it, “The success of the Cyber Incident Baseline helped my team understand that it’s OK to trust each other and their cyber partner.”

A Partnership Built for the Long Term

As their CIO reflected, “Acora is not a partner, but a long‑term strategic partner.” This trust, built through the CIB engagement, accountability, results and the transparency of its findings, has been the catalyst for Nailor to begin a bold new chapter: a Cloud & Infrastructure modernisation programme with Acora.

With a solid foundation of confidence and partnership, they can now embark on this ambitious cloud transformation journey, marking not just a technical evolution but a shared commitment to innovation, progress, and a future shaped by true collaboration to get things done.