Aston Villa Football Club Case Study

Read this case study to see how the Aston Villa Football Club transformed its cybersecurity operations by partnering with eSentire. As a Premier League organization with ambitious growth targets, Aston Villa selected eSentire's 24/7 security monitoring solution. This partnership provides enterprise-level protection supporting the club's continued success both on and off the pitch.

Company description: Aston Villa Football Club is a medium-sized enterprise and prestigious football club that competes in both the Premier League and Europa League.

Industry: Sports and Entertainment

Security Challenges:

• Relatively small IT and security team managing rapid organisational growth
• Extensive infrastructure including a historic stadium with complex technology requirements
• Microsoft technology stack requiring enterprise-level cybersecurity capabilities
• Subjected to UK/EMEA compliance regulations, including GDPR
• Participating in Premier League's Section K technology standards and security baseline requirements

The eSentire Difference:

eSentire delivers 24/7 SOC-as-a-Service tailored to Aston Villa's Premier League requirements. Unlike competitors with overwhelming or vague solutions, eSentire offered a concise, right-sized approach with seamless Microsoft integration. This partnership established a multi-year roadmap that improved Aston Villa's NIST maturity while meeting league security requirements—without costly in-house security specialists.

The service benefits outlined by Aston Villa's Head of IT include:

• 24/7 threat detection, investigation, and response through eSentire's Atlas Security Operations Platform and global SOC
• Real-time security monitoring previously impossible with in-house resources
• Structured 3-year NIST Cybersecurity Framework implementation roadmap
• 100% scores in endpoint hardening and email security on Premier League's security baseline
• Seamless integration with existing Microsoft E5 technology stack, eliminating fragmented security solutions enabling rapid deployment
• Enterprise-level cybersecurity expertise without specialized hiring costs
• Enhanced detection and response to threats like business email compromise, leading to development of internal security playbooks based on real incidents
• Compliance with UK/EMEA regulations including GDPR requirements