Essential Eight Defence SME Uplift Case Study – Practical Essential Eight SME Compliance

This Essential Eight Defence SME case study outlines how Calexi delivered a rapid Essential Eight uplift for an Essential Eight SME operating in a Defence-aligned environment. The SME required accelerated compliance with the ACSC Essential Eight controls to meet Defence cyber requirements while maintaining business continuity.

Sector: Defence Industry SME | Capability: Essential Eight Compliance & Risk Reduction

Engagement Context

The client was an Australian SME supporting Defence-related work and required improved cyber security assurance to meet customer expectations.

Like many Essential Eight SMEs, the organisation operated with limited internal security resources and a mixed ICT environment. While foundational controls existed, Essential Eight implementation had evolved organically rather than through deliberate design or governance.

Starting Point

An initial baseline assessment identified several conditions commonly observed in SME environments:

• Inconsistent patching across systems
• Administrative privileges that had expanded over time
• Limited control over macro usage
• Incomplete multi-factor authentication coverage
• Backup processes that existed but lacked regular testing and evidence
• Logging and monitoring that was present but not aligned to Essential Eight expectations

These findings informed the prioritisation and sequencing of the uplift activities.

Uplift Approach

Calexi applied a structured, risk-based approach focused on rapid risk reduction followed by sustainable improvement.

The engagement progressed through:

• A focused baseline assessment to establish the Essential Eight starting posture
• Immediate stabilisation of high-risk gaps
• Targeted uplift of Essential Eight controls in a sequence appropriate for an SME
• Development of supporting artefacts and a forward roadmap

This approach allowed meaningful improvement without introducing controls that could not be maintained post-engagement.

Essential Eight Controls Addressed

Improvements were delivered across all eight Essential Eight mitigation strategies, with emphasis placed on controls that provide the greatest risk reduction in Essential Eight SME environments:

• Application control
• Patch applications
• Microsoft Office macro configuration
• User application hardening
• Restriction of administrative privileges
• Patch operating systems
• Multi-factor authentication
• Regular backups

Controls were implemented in a manner proportionate to the organisation’s size, capability, and operational requirements.

The Essential Eight mitigation strategies are defined and maintained by ASD as a baseline set of controls to reduce cyber security risk across Australian organisations.

Artefacts Delivered

The engagement resulted in a set of practical artefacts designed to support ongoing operation and assurance, including:

• An Essential Eight baseline snapshot
• A prioritised uplift plan
• Documented control improvements
• Evidence guidance for future review
• A clear roadmap for continued uplift

These artefacts enabled the SME to demonstrate a defensible Essential Eight position and plan future improvements with confidence.

Outcomes

Through this engagement, the Essential Eight Defence SME achieved a significantly improved maturity posture with defensible evidence of compliance, enabling stronger assurance for future Defence engagements.

The uplift was delivered rapidly and without disruption to core business activities.

Essential Eight and SMEs

This engagement reflects challenges commonly faced by Australian SMEs seeking to improve their Essential Eight posture, particularly those supporting Defence or operating in regulated environments.

Related Services

Need compliance and security fast?
If your organisation is an SME seeking to improve its Essential Eight posture, Calexi provides practical uplift and assurance services aligned to ASD guidance.