Wellways is one of Australia’s most respected mental health, wellbeing, and carer service providers, supporting people to live active and fulfilling lives in their communities. As a not-for-profit, every technology decision must balance operational capability with the responsibility to invest as much funding as possible into frontline services.
When Wellways first engaged with CBS, the organisation was managing a patchwork of ageing infrastructure, limited visibility of its existing environment, and fast-rising expectations from a hybrid workforce across multiple sites.
Nicole Traynor, former National Manager Service Systems, recalls the shift clearly. “We were experiencing difficulties with our existing MSP. We needed someone who would work hand in hand with us, not just deliver a set of tasks,” she explains. “During the CBS interviews, we were struck by how real the team was. They wanted a genuine partnership. It was totally different to what we had before.”
“From the outset, our focus wasn’t just on fixing immediate issues,” says Robert Williams, CBS Information Technology Business Development Manager. “We worked closely with Wellways’ leadership to anticipate future challenges, embed governance early, and make sure every engagement strengthened long-term resilience — not just short-term delivery.”
“There’s a trust, a consistency, a stability… you can have the difficult conversations and the fun ones,” agrees Wellways Enterprise Solutions and Infrastructure Manager, Justin McKenzie.
Three years on, Wellways renewed its engagement with CBS for another three-year term. For an organisation driven by people, values, and partnership, continuity matters.
“There’s a stability and consistency in the way we work together. It gives us the foundation to have the difficult conversations, take on more complex initiatives, and level up together,” says Justin.
The challenge
Wellways faced rising risk, cost, and complexity across ageing infrastructure, fragmented tools, and a dispersed hybrid workforce.
Aging infrastructure and limited documentation
Legacy infrastructure in two data centres was reaching end of life, requiring costly refresh cycles that no longer aligned with Wellways’ cloud-first strategy. Documentation from the previous MSP was incomplete, meaning CBS needed to reverse-engineer the existing environment, configurations, and dependencies before improvements could begin.
“If we’re not staying modern and relevant, we get left behind,” Justin explains.
Tool sprawl increasing cost and operational overhead
Over time, multiple overlapping security and operational tools had accumulated. Wellways was managing and licensing:
- Tenable.IO for vulnerability management
- Mimecast for email security
- Sophos Intercept X for endpoint protection
- Send Safely for encrypted email
This environment was increasingly expensive, difficult to maintain, and created unnecessary duplication.
Hybrid workforce needs outgrowing traditional controls
Wellways’ workforce no longer worked from fixed offices. Staff moved across remote sites, temporary hubs, and community locations.
“No one works in buildings anymore. Putting all your protection in a building makes no sense when everyone is hybrid or remote,” Justin notes.
Traditional firewalls and on-prem network controls were no longer fit for purpose.
A need for cultural alignment
As a mission-driven organisation, Wellways sought a partner capable of aligning with its relational, transparent approach.
CBS embraced Wellways’ practices — including acknowledgements of Country and cultural workshops — to ensure teams across Australia and overseas understood the significance of Wellways’ values.
“Their ‘We Truly Care’ culture is real. It shows in the way they work with us,” Justin says.
The solution
A multi-year modernisation program that unified security, reduced third-party spend, improved flexibility, and created a Microsoft-first foundation for future growth.
“Our role was to help Wellways look beyond day-to-day operations,” Robert explains. “Through regular strategic discussions, we explored how technology could remove friction, improve decision-making, and give teams more capacity to focus on their mission.”
Security uplift and cost optimisation
CBS supported Wellways in transitioning from Tenable.IO to Microsoft Defender Vulnerability Management (MDVM). Because MDVM is included in Microsoft 365 E5 licensing, this shift:
- Reduced annual licensing costs
- Improved vulnerability visibility
- Aligned security telemetry with Intune and Sentinel
- Eliminated the need for additional agents
This immediately removed a recurring third-party expense while improving overall posture.
CBS also conducted a comprehensive Defender XDR review, deploying Automated Investigation and Remediation (AIR) across both Wellways and Mental Health & Wellbeing tenancies. Standard incidents are now automatically triaged, while critical assets follow a tailored investigation path.
When internal cyber staff went on leave, CBS rapidly spun up a temporary SOC team, demonstrating flexibility and depth of capability.
“For Wellways, security isn’t abstract — it directly protects their ability to serve the community,” says Robert. “Our approach was proactive: reducing risk before it became disruption and building resilience that supports continuity of care.”
Modern, integrated email and compliance protection
CBS transitioned Wellways from Mimecast to Microsoft Defender for Office 365, simplifying management and ensuring tighter integration across the Microsoft ecosystem.
Microsoft Purview was then configured to manage encrypted email and data retention, enabling HR and legal teams to securely retrieve contente when necessary. CBS delivered:
- RBAC configuration
- Retention policy design
- Clear operational and search/export guides
This uplift strengthened compliance readiness while protecting sensitive information.
Modern endpoint and device management
CBS led the shift from SCCM (spread across 12 distribution points) to Microsoft Intune. This eliminated the need for costly on-prem infrastructure and removed licensing duplication from Sophos Intercept X.
Intune unlocked:
- Faster provisioning for remote workers
- Cloud-based configuration and updates
- A unified endpoint security model via Microsoft 365 E5
Flexible, identity-centric secure access
CBS designed and delivered the Microsoft Entra Internet Access pilot and rollout, moving security enforcement to the device rather than the building. This identity-centric model better supports hybrid work and positions Wellways for a lower long-term TCO compared with traditional firewall deployments.
A secure foundation for analytics and data insights
To support advanced reporting and outcome measurement, CBS deployed an Azure Landing Zone aligned with ISO27001 standards — providing a modern, secure, and scalable environment for a new cloud data warehouse.
Delivered in collaboration with Insight 38, this allowed Wellways to transition from on-prem SQL and Tableau to Power BI and Azure Data Factory.
A partnership approach, not a vendor relationship
CBS maintained transparent communication and coordinated closely with other vendors like Aussie Broadband to ensure smooth delivery across all initiatives.
"CBS partner with us. They don’t dictate. They work to achieve the best long-term outcome, not maximise short-term profit. And one of the standout things is that CBS work really well with other organisations we work with. Not everyone does.”
Justin McKenzie, Enterprise Solutions and Infrastructure Manager, Wellways
The results
A more secure, modern, and cost-efficient technology environment — and a trusted partnership that continues to evolve.
Key outcomes at a glance:
- Stronger, automated security response through Defender XDR and AIR
- Noticeable licensing and infrastructure cost reductions
- Simplified toolset with fewer third-party systems
- Faster provisioning and unified device management via Intune
- A scalable Azure foundation for analytics and continuous improvement
- Modern, identity-centric secure access for hybrid staff
- Greater operational agility and reliability across services.
Improved security and reduced overhead
Centralising security within the Microsoft ecosystem reduced duplication, strengthened detection accuracy, and lowered ongoing operating costs. Incident noise is reduced, and response is faster and more automated.
Enhanced user experience for remote and hybrid staff
Users now benefit from reliable cloud-based management, faster device setup, and secure access wherever they work. The shift toward cloud-only, Intune-joined computing is already shaping the next evolution of Wellways’ endpoint strategy.
Analytics and reporting uplift for service improvement
The new Azure Landing Zone and BI environment allow Wellways to draw richer insights from its data, supporting outcome reporting and enabling more informed decision-making.
A trusted, values-aligned partnership
“CBS made everything easy — explaining without tech speak, sharing accountability, and supporting us in ways that genuinely mattered. It’s become a trusting, open, transparent partnership. It’s a blessing,” says Justin.
With the renewed three-year engagement now in place, CBS and Wellways continue to:
- Streamline network systems
- Advance cloud-only computing
- Explore new automation initiatives
- Modernise safely and cost-effectively
“One of the clear benefits of working with CBS is that you can draw on expertise from a much larger organisation,” Justin explains. “For instance, while our cyber security expert was on leave, CBS stepped into the breach, spinning up a temporary SOC team to cover us.”
With a renewed three-year engagement in place, CBS and Wellways are already moving into the next phase of their partnership — streamlining network systems, advancing cloud-only computing, exploring automation that reduces manual effort, and continuing to modernise in a safe, cost-effective way.
It’s a collaboration built on trust, care, and shared purpose, giving Wellways the confidence to evolve its technology while keeping its focus firmly on community impact.
“Automation wasn’t about replacing people,” Robert notes. “It was about removing repetitive effort so teams could focus on supporting the community — while improving accuracy, speed, and scalability.”
“Every dollar we save on tech is a dollar that goes back into frontline services,” Justin says. “Our partnership with CBS means we can do more for the people who rely on us, and that’s invaluable.”
If your organisation is looking for a partner who brings technical depth, genuine collaboration, and a long-term approach to modernisation, Canon Business Services ANZ can help you take the next step.
