SUCCESS STORY

Preston City Council strengthens cyber resilience with Boxphish

Overview

Preston City Council, a district council responsible for services including planning, council tax, and recycling, partnered with Boxphish to enhance cyber resilience across the organisation. Recognising that employees are a critical line of defence against cyber attacks, the council sought a solution that could deliver engaging training and phishing simulations while minimising the administrative burden.

By adopting Boxphish’s automated awareness training platform, Preston City Council has raised cyber awareness, improved employee confidence, and freed up valuable time for senior management.

How we helped

“I’ve received good support from the Boxphish staff who have been very receptive to my queries and requests. User feedback received about the courses has also been very favourable – we can see that awareness in the council has been raised and staff are now more inclined to query an email with ICT if they are in any doubt.”

Assistant Director | Preston City Council

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Challenge

While committed to training, Preston City Council identified several key challenges:

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Ensuring training programmes were consistent and properly followed.

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Reducing the time-consuming nature of managing cyber security awareness initiatives.

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Gaining visibility of staff performance without heavy manual reporting.

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Embedding a culture of caution and awareness when handling emails.

Solution

Boxphish’s managed service model meant the council could deploy awareness training with minimal internal effort. The platform required little input from programme managers, ensuring smooth delivery while allowing ICT teams to remain focused on broader priorities. Preston City Council enrolled staff on Boxphish’s standard learning journey, consisting of:

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Short, engaging courses to build and refresh knowledge of cyber security fundamentals.

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Regular phishing simulations delivered directly to inboxes, testing real-world awareness.

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Automated reporting dashboards summarising results in a clear, accessible way for senior management.

Impact

The training has created a stronger culture of vigilance, with staff more likely to query suspicious emails and proactively contribute to the council’s cyber resilience. The Boxphish solution has delivered measurable benefits to Preston City Council, including:

01.

Increased awareness of phishing and cyber threats across staff.

02.

Growth in the number of suspicious emails reported to ICT.

03.

Reduced time lost investigating potential attacks.

04.

Improved employee confidence in handling daily tasks.

05.

Quick, clear insights for senior management via simplified dashboards.

Standout features

Fully managed platform requiring minimal council input.

Consistently positive user feedback on training modules.

Clear and simple dashboards for senior leaders.

Realistic phishing simulations with actionable insights.

Future outlook

The council plans to introduce branded course invitation emails, further aligning training with the council’s identity and driving higher levels of engagement. Preston City Council continues to see Boxphish as a key partner in building cyber resilience across its workforce.