The latest note says quick-win fixes (VPN MFA, retiring shared admin accounts) can start before the hardware arrives — but no time is logged against that work yet. Track it as it happens so Phase 1's capped budget doesn't quietly absorb execution alongside the assessment.
Note
Demo visitor
Assessment data in: 9/14 stores on flat networks, firewall firmware 4 years behind, no MFA on the VPN, and 30+ local admin accounts with shared passwords. Quick wins (MFA on VPN, kill shared admin accounts) can land before the hardware arrives.
Note
Demo visitor
Risk surfacing early: store POS terminals share the same VLAN as guest Wi-Fi at 9 of the 14 sites — a clear PCI-DSS and breach risk, and likely how the phishing payload could have spread. Segmentation should be treated as urgent, ahead of the hardware refresh.
Decision
Demo visitor
Agreed a two-phase engagement: Phase 1 (3 weeks) assessment + prioritised roadmap; Phase 2 firewall + core switch replacement and network segmentation, scheduled before the November change freeze. Day rate £140/hr; Phase 1 capped at £18k. Deliverable for Phase 1 is an assessment report + costed remediation roadmap.
Demo visitor
Scope email from Priya confirming priorities: (1) audit the current network and security posture across stores + HQ, (2) replace the EOL firewall and core switches, (3) segment the network (POS / staff / guest) and add MFA. They can give read-only access to their network diagrams and two on-site days at HQ. Change freeze applies Nov–Dec (peak season).
Call
Demo visitor
Kickoff call with Priya (IT Manager). Northwind runs 14 retail stores plus a head office and a small warehouse. Their network is flat, ageing Cisco switches are out of support, and the head-office firewall is end-of-life. After a near-miss phishing incident they want an independent assessment and a refresh plan before peak season. Indicative budget £40–55k for assessment + first phase of remediation.
What do you need?
Phase 1 (assessment) is underway. Early findings:
Quick wins — MFA on the VPN and retiring shared admin accounts — can land before the new hardware arrives. The costed remediation roadmap and segmentation plan follow in the Phase 1 report, ahead of the November change freeze.
Northwind Retail operates 14 retail stores, a head office, and a small warehouse on a flat network with ageing, out-of-support switches and an end-of-life head-office firewall. Following a near-miss phishing incident, Northwind requires an independent assessment and a remediation plan ahead of the Nov–Dec peak-season change freeze.
Phase 1 begins on engagement start and completes within 3 weeks. Phase 2 is scheduled to land before the November change freeze.
£140/hr; Phase 1 capped at £18,000. Phase 2 costed in the Phase 1 roadmap (indicative £40–55k total programme).
Confirm the two on-site assessment days at HQ and read-only access to network diagrams; work begins on confirmation.
Nothing attached yet. Upload scope docs, briefs, or anything else the engagement should be grounded in.
Agreed deliverables (v1)
Phase 1 assessment report + costed remediation roadmap Network segmentation plan (POS / staff / guest) Quick-win security fixes (VPN MFA, retire shared admin accounts)
Check-in cadence