Achieving Data Confidence: Mission Australia Strengthens Data Protection with Cyberhaven

Mission Australia has a strong focus on cyber security and threat prevention for its own safety, the safety of supporters and donors, and the safety of the people it serves, as well as everyone who interacts with the charity. Its dedicated cybersecurity team was recently recognised at the 2025 Benchmark Security Awards for its commitment to safeguarding sensitive information.

Challenge & Impact

As regulatory requirements and the digital landscape evolve, Mission Australia recognised the need for greater visibility and governance over sensitive information. Ensuring that data is secure, managed responsibly, and accessible only to authorised personnel is essential to protecting the people it serves and everyone connected to the organisation, while maintaining compliance with privacy obligations.

A significant part of this involves understanding how information is used day-to-day. Mission Australia wanted greater transparency into user behaviours, how data moves across systems, and where unintentional risk may arise. This visibility enables the Security team to identify patterns that need additional safeguards and to apply protections where necessary.

This improved transparency allows Mission Australia to understand typical patterns of information use and identify situations where additional guidance, controls or protections may be needed. Many risks stem from unintentional behaviour such as data being moved in ways staff may not realise are unsafe. Having real-time insight enables the Security team to provide timely education and support.

With support from partner Ethan Global and Cyberhaven, Mission Australia strengthened its data management framework. Cyberhaven provides clear insights into how data moves across the organisation’s systems, improving transparency and enabling proactive protection of information.

Enhancing visibility into data usage and flows helps Mission Australia meet privacy obligations and implement best-practice safeguards while supporting its Strategy 2030 goal of building a stronger, future-ready organisation.

Solution

Mission Australia, in collaboration with Ethan Global, conducted a risk-informed assessment to identify opportunities for improving data governance. Cyberhaven was selected for its advanced data lineage, behavioural analysis, and monitoring capabilities, complementing existing tools such as Microsoft Purview.

These capabilities allow Mission Australia’s cybersecurity team to see how information is accessed, shared, or moved across systems, helping them identify behaviour that may require education, improved controls, or further protection. This ensures safeguards can be applied in a targeted and efficient way.

The platform also helps the cybersecurity team recognise emerging trends or behaviours that could introduce risk even when no incident has occurred. This empowers the team to adjust settings, reinforce policy, or introduce additional safeguards early, ensuring that protections are aligned with how staff actually work.

The initiative began with a 50-user proof of concept, which demonstrated seamless integration and strong performance. Gordon Burke, IT Project Manager at Mission Australia, noted:

‍"Rolling out Cyberhaven was straightforward and efficient. Staff experienced no disruptions, and we quickly saw the benefits for our information management practices."

Cyberhaven enables Mission Australia to respond proactively to potential security events, ensuring sensitive information remains protected. The platform now supports monitoring across key applications, tracking sensitive data activity and maintaining strong safeguards for all stakeholders.

Looking Ahead

Mission Australia is exploring the safe and responsible use of GenAI to enhance services and operations. Insights from Cyberhaven allow the organisation to guide staff in best practices, reduce inadvertent errors and implement proactive policies that protect sensitive information.

Plans are underway to integrate Cyberhaven more deeply with Microsoft Purview for automated data labelling and classification, further strengthening governance, compliance and protection of all information assets.

“We are humbled that Mission Australia entrusted us and our risk-centric approach to help them gain visibility and actively manage these key data security risks for them. Looking ahead, we will continue to look for innovative ways to enable Mission Australia’s IT team to create additional value for the rest of the organisation and broader community through securely leveraging the valuable information resources it has.” - Jason Ha - CISO Ethan Global.

Leana El-Hourani added:

"These tools provide us with confidence to guide staff, uphold privacy standards, and continue safeguarding everyone who relies on our services as we responsibly explore new technologies like GenAI."

Conclusion

Mission Australia’s commitment to data protection is integral to its work. With Cyberhaven, the organisation has greater transparency and control over sensitive information, including how it is accessed and used. This enables it to safeguard the people it serves, staff, donors, partners and everyone the organisation is connected to. This work directly supports its Strategy 2030 aim to build a strong, resilient and future-ready organisation.

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