How a vital emergency healthcare provider gained full IT visibility, ensured licence compliance, and reduced security risks through Certero.
Company profile
Name: East of England Ambulance Service
Industry: Blue Light
Region: United Kingdom
Clients: Serving nearly 6 million residents across six counties
Estate size: 130 sites
Products purchased: ITAM,SAM
Challenges
Covering 7,500 square miles and operating across 130 sites, the East of England Ambulance Service (EEAST) faced major visibility issues within its IT estate. Mergers between three former ambulance services had created complex infrastructure that limited oversight of hardware and software assets.
While Microsoft SCCM was in place for inventory, internal teams debated the accuracy and completeness of its data, particularly for remote and mobile systems. With no unified system, EEAST struggled to track and monitor devices and licenses, or prevent non-compliance risks.
Manual processes added further strain, consuming valuable time and leaving potential security gaps. EEAST needed a centralised, automated solution that would allow them to gain full visibility of their estate so they could manage compliance and reduce the risk of vendor audits.
“With previous experience of using Certero, I knew first-hand how effective the solution would be in meeting our requirements.”
- Andy Marrs, IM&T Security & Resilience Manager
The Certero Solution
EEAST chose Certero ITAM and SAM after internal recommendations and direct experience with the platform’s discovery, inventory, advanced reporting and licensing management capabilities.
Deployed in phases, Certero’s solution provided complete IT coverage, integrating seamlessly with Microsoft SCCM while extending visibility across all remote devices, like remote Toughbooks in ambulances, and mobile teams.
To ensure full accuracy without interfering with critical emergency systems, Certero implemented an endpoint server. This collected hardware and software data from the emergency response network and security fed into Certero.
“The tool has truly transformed how we work, making life a lot easier with complete visibility of assets and automation removing the need for manual intervention.”
- Andy Marrs, IM&T Security & Resilience Manager
Value beyond expectation
Beyond compliance, EEAST achieved unprecedented operational efficiency. The centralised SAM solution empowered support teams to proactively monitor devices and identify missing antivirus software. This ensured they could resolve security risks before they escalated.
“Since implementing Certero, we have acquired the visibility we were lacking and can now proactively manage our estate, improve efficiencies and reduce costs.”
- Andy Marrs, IM&T Security & Resilience Manager
Business Benefits
- Complete visibility across 130 sites and mobile teams
- Full licence compliance and simplified vendor audit preparation
- Centralised, automated asset management
- Improved cybersecurity through proactive device monitoring
- Reduced manual workload and improved operational efficiency
- Rapid implementation with minimal disruption to critical systems
Summary
The East of England Ambulance Service transformed its IT governance and compliance through Certero. Within weeks, EEAST achieved full visibility of its IT estate. This provided an enhanced security posture and significantly reduced risk. All this while simplifying licence management and reducing costs. Certero’s solution delivered automation, control, and compliance across one of the UK’s most vital emergency service organisations.
