Success Stories
Securing a Danish Workforce Management Platform for Global Compliance
A Denmark-based SaaS company providing digital workforce and time-management solutions partnered with Manao Software to strengthen the security and compliance of its web platform.
As a long-term technology partner, Manao has supported several of the company’s products. This project focused on enhancing system resilience through penetration testing, continuous defence improvement, and audit readiness for GDPR, ISAE-3000, and SOC 2 Type 2.
Client Need
As a provider of a workforce management platform used by organizations across Europe, the client needed to ensure that its web applications remained both secure and compliant.
They required:
- Full compliance with GDPR (General Data Protection Regulation) and ISAE-3000 (International Standard on Assurance Engagements) to maintain trust and meet audit requirements.
- Confidence that their systems were protected from real-world cyber threats targeting sensitive workforce data.
- A partner who could not only perform penetration testing, but also help strengthen the platform at the code level to improve long-term resilience and reliability.
The Challenge
- The client operates across multiple European markets and must comply with strict privacy and security regulations.
- Sensitive employee data required full compliance with GDPR and ISAE-3000 standards.
- Part of the development and infrastructure was managed outside the EU, adding complexity to data-access control under GDPR.
- The system had to withstand advanced penetration testing while maintaining uptime and preparing for third-party audits.
Our Approach
- Compliance-aligned scoping: Analysed GDPR and ISAE-3000 requirements to define a testing scope that met all regulations and respected EU data-residency rules.
- Vulnerability discovery and hardening: Identified weaknesses through penetration testing and reinforced protection using Microsoft Defender for Cloud, Endpoint, and O365, together with Intune, Purview, and Azure ATP. This strengthened device, network, and identity security across the organisation.
- Ongoing security partnership: For organisations requiring continuous security management, Manao Software acts as a dedicated security partner, performing regular penetration tests, monitoring vulnerabilities, and strengthening systems over time to ensure long-term resilience and compliance.
- Collaborative improvement: Our security engineers worked closely with the client’s internal team to close vulnerabilities quickly, verify remediation, and refine detection and response processes. This collaboration ensured lasting improvement and readiness for external audits.
- Audit readiness and documentation: Prepared evidence and coordinated directly with external auditors to demonstrate GDPR and ISAE-3000 compliance. A dedicated Security Manager now oversees continuous monitoring, reporting, and preventive maintenance.
Tools and signals
- Burp Suite (penetration testing and validation)
- Microsoft Defender for Cloud, Endpoint, and O365 (threat detection and response)
- Microsoft Intune and Purview (device management and data governance)
- Azure ATP (Advanced Threat Protection for identity security)
- Cloudflare (edge-level and WAF protection)
Result
- Critical vulnerabilities were identified, remediated, and verified through retesting.
- System and infrastructure were fully hardened across cloud and on-premise environments.
- Audit readiness achieved for GDPR and ISAE-3000 within project timeframe.
- SOC 2 Type 2 preparation completed in under two months.
- Ongoing protection maintained through a dedicated Security Manager.
- Stronger security posture, improved compliance, and enhanced stakeholder confidence.
Client Impact
- Greater assurance in data protection and regulatory compliance.
- Faster response to potential threats and continuous improvement in defence.
- A trusted, long-term partnership that supports the client’s mission to deliver secure and reliable workforce management solutions globally.
