Protecting Cottage by the Sea: A Case Study
How eManaged Helped Cottage by the Sea Move from Reactive IT to Greater Security, Confidence and Control
Meet Cottage by the Sea
For more than 135 years, Cottage by the Sea has supported vulnerable and disadvantaged children from its home in Queenscliff, Victoria.
The organisation works with children who have experienced trauma, disadvantage and difficult circumstances, giving them opportunities to build confidence, strengthen their wellbeing and create a more positive vision for their future.
Since the COVID-19 pandemic, Cottage by the Sea has grown significantly. The organisation now welcomes more than 2,000 children through its doors each year and has recently opened a new facility called Riptide, increasing its capacity by approximately 700 children annually.
Its programs are supported by a long-term research partnership with Deakin University, which has spent more than a decade studying the impact of the organisation’s work.
As Cottage by the Sea continued to grow, however, its leaders recognised that its technology and cybersecurity practices needed to grow with it.
Cottage by the Sea Needed Greater Confidence and Peace of Mind
The decision to engage eManaged was not simply about fixing individual technical issues. Cottage by the Sea wanted confidence that its systems, people and information were being properly protected.
For Adam, the most important outcome was peace of mind.
He understood that cyber threats were increasing and that relying on hope was no longer an acceptable strategy, particularly for an organisation entrusted with sensitive information relating to children, families, employees, volunteers and donors.
“I knew the issue was there, but my skill set was certainly way behind the curve. For me, it was about trying to get peace of mind that we were protected when I knew deep down that we weren’t.”
eManaged began helping Cottage by the Sea move away from reactive technology support and toward a structured, managed approach.
This included strengthening its cybersecurity foundations, introducing multi-factor authentication, improving backup arrangements, modernising its Microsoft environment and helping the organisation better understand its risks.
The partnership gave Cottage by the Sea access to ongoing expertise rather than requiring its internal team to navigate complex technology and cybersecurity decisions alone.
Strengthening the Human Side of Cybersecurity
Technology was only one part of the solution.
Cottage by the Sea employs staff and works with a large number of volunteers, including many older volunteers who may have had limited previous exposure to cybersecurity training.
This made awareness and education especially important.
Through eManaged’s UserShield service, the organisation introduced regular cybersecurity training modules designed to help staff and volunteers recognise suspicious emails, phishing attempts and other common threats.
The modules only take a few minutes to complete, but they provide frequent reminders that encourage people to remain vigilant.
Over time, the leadership team has seen cybersecurity awareness become part of normal workplace behaviour.
“What I’m beginning to see now, because we’ve been doing this for a number of months, is that it’s becoming part of everybody’s day-to-day usual practice. That’s where you want to get, where everybody is constantly being vigilant.”
The change has also been noticeable among volunteers.
Rather than ignoring a suspicious message or feeling uncertain about what to do, volunteers are now more comfortable raising concerns and asking the team to investigate.
“Since UserShield has been implemented, even the volunteers are running into the office and saying, ‘Look, this looks really suspicious. Can we check it out?’ Everyone’s more confident and aware and ready to pick it up and question whether it might be fake.”
This shift has helped create a stronger security culture across the organisation.
Training is not presented as a way of catching people making mistakes. Instead, it gives everyone the knowledge and confidence to play an active role in protecting Cottage by the Sea.
Microsoft 365 and SharePoint Created a More Organised Working Environment
Cottage by the Sea also moved its systems and files into Microsoft 365, including SharePoint and Microsoft Teams.
Previously, files were scattered across different locations, making it harder for employees to know where information was stored or whether they were working from the most recent version.
Moving to SharePoint allowed the organisation to consolidate its information and create a clearer, more organised file structure.
“We had a lot of scattered files everywhere. When we moved to SharePoint, everything seemed to fall into place. We organised everything more efficiently, and everyone became more cyber secure and cyber aware.”
The move has given employees a more consistent way to access information, collaborate and work securely.
It has also helped Cottage by the Sea reduce the uncertainty that previously surrounded its technology environment.
Creating a Safe Foundation for Artificial Intelligence
With stronger systems, security measures and policies in place, Cottage by the Sea has also started exploring how Microsoft Copilot can support its work.
Initially, the leadership team was cautious.
They understood the potential of artificial intelligence but did not want employees using it before appropriate policies and procedures had been established.
Once those foundations were in place, the organisation began experimenting with practical use cases.
One of the first major examples involved reviewing Cottage by the Sea’s policies and procedures against new child safety standards.
The organisation’s general counsel used Copilot to compare existing documentation with the new requirements and identify potential opportunities for improvement.
The results demonstrated how AI could help Cottage by the Sea strengthen its operations while saving significant time.
“We looked at our policies and our procedures against the new legislation, and it suggested an incredible array of areas where we could uplift our own operation. That moment changed it for me.”
The organisation also used Copilot to create a staff quiz based on its child safety policies and standards. This allowed the leadership team to test employees’ understanding and identify areas where additional education may be needed.
“We asked Copilot to generate a quiz from the child safety standards and the policy so that we could test the level of knowledge and comfort of the staff. It did, and it was pretty incredible.”
By approaching AI carefully and establishing clear governance first, Cottage by the Sea has been able to explore the technology with greater confidence.
Rather than adopting AI simply because it is available, the organisation is using it in targeted ways that support compliance, staff education and continuous improvement.
The Partnership Has Replaced Uncertainty with Confidence
The most significant change for Cottage by the Sea has been the move from uncertainty and reactive problem-solving to a more confident and proactive approach.
The organisation now has appropriate security protections in place, a more organised technology environment, ongoing cybersecurity training and access to a team that can provide guidance when new risks or opportunities emerge.
Staff and volunteers are more aware of cyber threats. Leaders have greater visibility over the organisation’s systems. Information is easier to access and manage, and the team can explore technologies such as AI from a much stronger foundation.
Most importantly, Cottage by the Sea no longer has to rely on hope.
“It’s very stressful when you’re not sure if you’ve got the capability to look after yourself if something dreadful happens. eManaged has made us feel a lot more comfortable and aware.”
Cottage by the Sea Had Outgrown Its Reactive Approach to IT
Before partnering with eManaged, technology was largely something that operated in the background at Cottage by the Sea.
When something stopped working, someone would be asked to look at it. Many of the organisation’s IT needs were supported through an informal relationship with people who generously provided help, often at little or no cost.
While that support had been appreciated, the arrangement made it difficult for Cottage by the Sea to take a structured and proactive approach to its technology.
The organisation knew there were areas that needed attention. Its backup systems were unreliable, cybersecurity measures were limited, and there was no clear technology roadmap guiding future decisions.
Cottage by the Sea Chief Executive Officer Adam Wake described the situation as one where the organisation knew it should be doing more but continued hoping a serious problem would not occur.
“For me, IT was something that happened in the background. I’d ask somebody to have a look at it if it wasn’t really working. I knew I should do some more. I knew, for example, our backup system was rubbish. It was pretty much non-operational.”
That reactive approach also meant the team could sometimes be reluctant to ask for assistance.
Because the people supporting the organisation were often doing it as a favour, staff did not always feel comfortable contacting them whenever an issue arose. As a result, concerns could remain unresolved and the organisation was left exposed to risks it did not fully understand.
“We were very reactive at the time and reluctant always to be calling on the people who were kind of doing us a favour with our IT. It did lead to some concern that we were leaving ourselves exposed.”
Cybersecurity Incidents Highlighted the Risks
The need for a more professional and proactive approach became clearer after Cottage by the Sea experienced several cybersecurity issues.
In one incident, an employee’s email account was compromised. On another occasion, cybercriminals used automated bots to target the payment gateway on the organisation’s website.
Although Cottage by the Sea does not operate as an online retailer, the gateway could still process transactions. The criminals used bots to make thousands of small transactions, generating an email notification for every attempt.
The incident did not result in a significant financial loss, but it created considerable disruption and required substantial time and energy to resolve.
“Cybercriminals were using bots on our website. They were able to do small transaction amounts and thousands and thousands of them at a time. Every time they did one, we’d get an email. On a day-to-day basis, it was a nightmare.”
More importantly, the incident made the leadership team realise how little visibility it had over its technology environment.
The organisation did not know whether the right protections were in place, what vulnerabilities existed or how effectively it would be able to respond if a more serious incident occurred.
In fact, the dealership would wholeheartedly recommend eManaged’s services to anyone seeking assistance with their business’ information technology. If you’re interested in finding out what eManaged could do for your business, don’t hesitate to call 1300 363 308.
You can also find more information on eManaged’s website at emanaged.com.au
Cottage by the Sea’s Advice to Other Organisations
When asked what they would say to another business or nonprofit organisation that had not yet addressed its cybersecurity, the Cottage by the Sea team offered a simple message: begin the journey now.
Cybersecurity can feel complex, particularly for leaders who do not have a technical background. However, delaying action does not reduce the risk.
For Cottage by the Sea, working with eManaged made the process far more manageable than expected.
“Look at the statistics. It’s not a case of if, it’s a case of when. It’s easier than you think. Get on the journey.”
By taking a proactive approach, Cottage by the Sea can now focus more confidently on the work that matters most: providing life-changing support and opportunities to thousands of vulnerable and disadvantaged children.
Give Your Organisation Greater Confidence in Its Technology
Your organisation should not have to rely on hope when it comes to cybersecurity, data protection and technology.
eManaged can help you understand your risks, strengthen your systems, educate your people and create a practical technology roadmap that supports your organisation’s future.
Contact the eManaged team on 1300 363 308 to discuss how we can help protect your organisation and give your people greater confidence in the technology they use every day.