Cancer Council QLD partners with Macquarie Telecom to bolster cybersecurity and connectivity

The start of a major IT transformation, with an eye to adopting new AI-driven services.

Cancer Council Queensland has partnered with Macquarie Telecom to provide cybersecurity, secure networking and cloud capabilities to strengthen its critical services and staff connectivity across the state.

The charity organisation wanted to consolidate core IT and cybersecurity operations on a single platform and establish a foundation for future innovation such as AI.

The transformation has avoided unnecessary costs such as managing multiple suppliers and has not required any additional headcount. It’s seeing the benefits of improved connectivity already.

“Most importantly, it allows us to concentrate our resources on the work that matters most – supporting those impacted by cancer,” Shane Sullivan, CFO, Cancer Council Queensland said.

At the core of the agreement is an SD-WAN solution with secure access service edge (SASE) layered on top. Macquarie is also deploying Microsoft Azure cloud services, data networks, voice and mobile solutions.

These solutions will be critical in connecting Cancer Council Queensland’s six locations into one secure, streamlined solution that supports remote and hybrid work. It also expands telehealth capabilities and strengthens digital connectivity to help address the healthcare gap.

“This partnership is a key step in putting in place the infrastructure to enable more and better services to people in regional and remote areas in the state,” Sullivan said.

With critical operations and sensitive data at the core of the organisation’s mission, security was a vital consideration.

A security operations centre (SOC) and security information and event management (SIEM) capabilities with extended detection and response (XDR) were implemented in six weeks. It provided an immediate improvement in security in rapid time.

“The most significant improvements we’ve experienced since the partnership commenced have been in cybersecurity monitoring and proactive reporting,” Sullivan told CRN Australia.

The partnership also marks the beginning of a broader journey of digital transformation for Cancer Council Queensland.

“Our initial focus is to create a modern, capable, and secure IT environment. Longer term, we want to expand our partnership with Macquarie Telecom to include improving our digital services to people impacted by cancer,” he said.

In particular, the organisation is looking to AI to improve services and support to patients across the state and explore future applications in cancer detection, prevention and treatment.

“We have a range of AI projects in progress ranging from a comprehensive AI-enabled knowledge base for cancer support and management to automation of internal administrative processes, to efficiency improvements,” he concluded.