UBDS Digital | Case Studies | GovAssure Success for DLUHC
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Cyber Security
Digital Consulting

Successful adoption of GovAssure for Ministry of Housing, Communities & Local Government (formerly DLUHC).

Overview
The Ministry of Housing, Communities & Local Government (formerly DLUHC), was one of the first government departments to implement the new GovAssure cyber security assurance approach, replacing the previous Departmental Security Health Check (DSHC). Faced with the challenges of complexity, capacity, and the need for objectivity, DLUHC enlisted UBDS Digital to ensure the successful adoption of GovAssure across the department and its arm’s length bodies (ALBs).
Key Services
Digital Consulting
Cybersecurity
Technologies
Cybersecurity
The Challenge

All government organisations to adopt NCSC's Cyber Assessment Framework.

Government agencies and public sector bodies are frequent targets for cyber attacks due to the sensitive nature of the data they hold, ranging from personal citizen information to classified national security details. Between September 2020 and August 2021, 40% of the incidents managed by the National Cyber Security Centre (NCSC) were aimed at the public sector. In response, the UK Government launched the Government Cyber Security Strategy: 2022 to 2030, mandating all governmental organisations to adopt NCSC’s Cyber Assessment Framework (CAF) through the new GovAssure programme.

Ministry of Housing, Communities & Local Government (formerly Department for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities - DLUHC) faced a number of specific challenges, relating to the complexity of their environment and the span of the GovAssure assurance approach, and to the ways in which their teams would be working with internal and external stakeholders.

Secured access govassure | digital lifecycle partner
The Solution

Structured, outcome based delivery, aligned with GovAssures key stages.

To address these challenges, UBDS Digital provided a structured, outcome-based delivery aligned with GovAssure’s key stages. The solution included the following key activities:

  • Programme Launch: Establishing roles, responsibilities, and key objectives, and mapping internal and external stakeholders.
  • Stakeholder Engagement: Developing a detailed engagement plan to drive awareness and understanding of GovAssure requirements among stakeholders, utilising existing communication channels and creating new ones where appropriate.
  • GovAssure Stage 1 - Capturing Organisational Context: Reviewing existing documentation to understand the Ministry of Housing, Communities & Local Government (formerly DLUHC)’s organisational context, essential services, and critical systems.
  • GovAssure Stage 2 - In Scope Systems: Identifying and prioritising critical systems for GovAssure, determining the appropriate CAF Profile based on specific threats.
  • GovAssure Stage 3 - CAF Self-Assessment: Facilitating self-assessment activities, including workshops and evidence reviews, against CAF guidance and objectives. Ensuring thorough documentation and verification of evidence through the project platform.
  • GovAssure Stage 4 - Independent Assurance Review: Supporting an external service provider to carry out the independent review, providing clarifications and additional evidence as needed.
  • GovAssure Stage 5 - Final Assessment and Targeted Improvement Plans: Facilitating acceptance of the Independent Assurance Review Report and collaborating on Targeted Improvement Plans for systems flagged in the report. Additionally, creating a GovAssure Knowledge Centre to outline processes and best practices.
cyber assessment framework govassure | digital lifecycle partner
The Outcome

Improved cyber-resilience and more efficient GovAssure adoption process.

The comprehensive support provided by UBDS Digital led to significant outcomes for MHCLG:

  • Successful GovAssure Process: Ensuring critical systems successful passed through the GovAssure process in a staged and timely fashion.
  • Comprehensive Artefacts: Comprehensive and objective artefacts were collated as evidence against a broad range of Good Practice (IGPs), with UBDS Digital interpreting the CAF in accessible terms and facilitating a better understanding among stakeholders.
  • Repeatable Methodology: A process flow and blueprint were created, detailing key actions, outcomes, and useful templates for each phase. This was developed into an interactive knowledge centre, providing a lasting resource for MHCLG.
  • Enhanced Cyber Compliance: The GovAssure Knowledge Centre enables MHCLG to efficiently self-serve and adopt GovAssure at scale, ensuring more systems achieve cyber compliance in the future.

Overall, the UBDS Digital engagement positioned MHCLG for improved cyber resilience, facilitating a smoother and more efficient GovAssure adoption process, ultimately contributing to the broader Government Cyber Security Strategy.

Analyst GovAssure | digital lifecycle partner

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