Insurance organisations are increasingly targeted by cybercriminals due to the volume of sensitive personal, financial and commercial information they hold.

As phishing attacks became more sophisticated and AI-enabled threats continued to evolve, a UK insurance broker recognised the need to strengthen its Microsoft 365 security posture and reduce the risk of account compromise.

Working with Peritus Cloud Security, the organisation implemented a series of security improvements that significantly reduced phishing-related incidents and improved confidence in its ability to protect customers, employees and business-critical data.

Customer Profile

The organisation is a UK-based insurance broker providing personal and commercial insurance services to customers across the country.

With a growing workforce, increasing regulatory obligations and a heavy reliance on Microsoft 365, maintaining a strong security posture had become a strategic priority.

Protecting sensitive client information, ensuring business continuity and meeting cyber insurance requirements were all key considerations.

The Challenge

Like many organisations within the insurance sector, the broker was facing an increasingly sophisticated threat landscape.

Employees were receiving growing numbers of phishing emails, while concerns around credential theft and account compromise were becoming more prominent.

At the same time, the rise of generative AI was changing the nature of cyber threats. Cybercriminals were using AI to create increasingly convincing phishing emails, making it harder for employees to distinguish legitimate communications from malicious ones.

The organisation recognised that traditional security awareness training alone was no longer enough.

Alongside these emerging threats, cyber insurers and regulators were placing greater emphasis on demonstrable security controls, particularly around identity protection, email security and access management.

The business needed a clear understanding of its current security posture and a practical roadmap for reducing risk.

Strengthening Microsoft 365 Security

The organisation engaged Peritus Cloud Security to assess its Microsoft 365 environment and identify opportunities to improve protection against both traditional and emerging cyber threats.

The review focused on:

• Identity and access management
• Multi-factor authentication
• Conditional access policies
• Email security controls
• Security monitoring and alerting
• User risk reduction

Working closely with stakeholders, Peritus developed a prioritised improvement plan designed to strengthen security without disrupting day-to-day operations.

Importantly, the project considered not only current threats but also the growing risk posed by AI-enabled phishing and social engineering attacks.

Delivering Security Improvements

Over a 30-day period, the organisation implemented a series of targeted improvements across its Microsoft 365 environment.

These included:

• Enforcing multi-factor authentication for all users
• Strengthening conditional access policies
• Improving protection against phishing and impersonation attacks
• Reducing privileged account exposure
• Enhancing visibility of suspicious user activity
• Improving monitoring and response capabilities

The project was delivered with minimal disruption to users while significantly improving the organisation's overall security posture.

Reducing Phishing Risk

One of the most significant outcomes was a substantial reduction in phishing-related incidents.

Prior to the project, employees regularly reported suspicious emails and the IT team spent considerable time investigating potential threats.

Following the implementation of stronger controls and security recommendations, phishing-related incidents fell dramatically, reducing both organisational risk and administrative burden.

The organisation also gained greater confidence that compromised credentials would be far less likely to result in a successful account takeover.

By strengthening identity security and improving access controls, the business significantly reduced its exposure to both conventional phishing attacks and emerging AI-driven social engineering threats.

Delivering Measurable Outcomes

Following the engagement, the organisation achieved:

• An 85% reduction in phishing-related incidents
• Multi-factor authentication enabled across the business
• Improved visibility of Microsoft 365 security risks
• Stronger protection against account compromise
• Enhanced readiness for cyber insurance and compliance requirements
• Increased resilience against AI-enabled phishing attacks

Most importantly, leadership gained confidence that the organisation was better prepared to defend against an evolving threat landscape.

Customer Perspective

For the organisation's leadership team, the biggest benefit was clarity and confidence.

"The project gave us a clear understanding of our security posture and a practical roadmap for improvement. We now have far greater confidence in our ability to protect client data, support our employees and respond to emerging threats."

Expert Perspective

Tim Barrow, Managing Director at Peritus Cloud Security, commented:

"The emergence of AI has fundamentally changed the threat landscape. Cybercriminals can now create highly personalised phishing emails at scale, making attacks more convincing than ever before.

For organisations in sectors such as insurance, where trust and sensitive customer data are critical, it's no longer enough to rely solely on users identifying suspicious emails.

What we're helping organisations achieve is a security posture that combines strong technical controls, intelligent monitoring and user protection to reduce risk from both traditional and AI-driven attacks.

By taking a structured approach to Microsoft 365 security, organisations can significantly reduce risk while supporting compliance, cyber insurance requirements and operational resilience."

About Peritus Cloud Security

Peritus Cloud Security helps organisations strengthen their cyber resilience through specialist cybersecurity solutions, expert guidance and trusted vendor partnerships.

Working across sectors including financial services, insurance, legal and professional services, Peritus helps organisations reduce risk, improve protection and simplify cybersecurity management.

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