How Acumen Cyber Gave Edinburgh Napier University a 24/7 Fully Managed Engineering Led SOC

Edinburgh Napier University partnered with Acumen Cyber to overhaul its cyber-security operations, introducing a fully managed engineering-led SOC service that delivers true 24/7 protection. With a diverse digital ecosystem spanning three campuses, global online platforms, international partnerships, research environments, and thousands of managed devices, Edinburgh Napier University required a security model capable of supporting its scale and complexity.

Acumen Cyber delivered a comprehensive solution, combining scalable and advanced security technologies with a UK-based, CREST-accredited SOC team who own incidents end-to-end. The result is a resilient, intelligence-driven security operation that contains threats in minutes. Acumen Cyber makes key information available in real time, allowing for continuous evaluation of security posture and assessment of key performance indicators. By working with a trusted partner who becomes an extension of existing operations, it frees up valuable resources and enables Edinburgh Napier University’s IT team to focus on strategic priorities.

Client Profile

Edinburgh Napier University (ENU) is a modern, multi-campus institution with three sites across Edinburgh, a global online presence, and transnational programmes delivered throughout Europe, Asia, and the Middle East. Supporting 20,000 students and a diverse community of staff, researchers, and partners, the University operates within a highly complex IT environment made up of multiple platforms and operating systems that facilitate wide-ranging access, research, and teaching requirements.

The Solution

Acumen Cyber deployed its full stack managed SOC service, providing continuous monitoring, proactive threat hunting, and rapid incident response for the university.

Delivered from our UK-based headquarters, the service adopts a modern SOC model, driven by engineers rather than tiered analysts, ensuring every incident is owned from detection through to resolution. This streamlines response by leveraging an engineer’s familiar context of the environment to truly assess risk.

Alerts are enriched with industry leading intelligence platforms, such as Recorded Future, meaning that confirmed malicious behaviour can be quickly escalated. Furthermore, higher-education and cross-industry threat intelligence, reducing noise and enabling faster, more accurate decision-making. Hyper-automation accelerates detection and containment, and integrated DFIR capabilities ensure readiness for any incident.

Key elements included:

Six-week transition to a fully managed SOC, with no interruption to coverage.

Introducing end-to-end incident ownership by experienced engineers, avoiding delays caused by tiered handoffs between triage, threat analysis, and threat response.

Integration with existing tooling: leveraging Elastic’s 400+ existing vendor integrations allowed for rapid onboarding and full visibility.

Proactive threat hunting which allows searching across vast data volumes.

Security Orchestration Automation and Response (SOAR) that integrates enterprise-grade threat intelligence and provides range of tailored actions such as revoking users and resetting passwords without manual intervention.

Named SOC Client Lead who that becomes an extension of existing teams, providing direct access, regular reviews, and tailored reporting via the Acumen Portal. This also streamlines communication during incident response and provides clarity that informs incident severity.

Fine-grained Response to different persona groups, customising how aggressive response should be depending on the threat profile of each.

Acumen’s cross-sector visibility, from aviation to manufacturing, provides early warning of emerging threats and gives Edinburgh Napier University the benefit of broader “herd immunity” against sector-wide risks.

Why Acumen

Edinburgh Napier University selected Acumen Cyber for its engineering-led SOC model and its ability to provide crossindustry threat intelligence.

Through extensive work across the Higher and Further Education sector, Acumen has developed deep expertise that further enhances its approach. Unlike generic providers, Acumen offers an all-inclusive, fixed-price model delivered through a partnership-driven approach that aligns with the needs of a modern university.

Conclusion

By introducing Acumen Cyber’s full-scope Managed SOC, Edinburgh Napier University has significantly strengthened its security posture, visibility, and operational resilience.

They now benefit from continuous monitoring, rapid response, and sector-informed intelligence, without the burden of managing complex tools internally.

Instead of managing highvolume of alerts, the IT team can focus on delivering strategic initiatives that enhance teaching, research, and the student experience. This engagement has evolved into a trusted long-term partnership, delivering the assurance and confidence required in an increasingly complex and fast-moving threat landscape.