United in protection: How AAH and Kocho strengthened security through partnership

AAH Pharmaceuticals is the UK’s largest pharmaceutical distributor, playing a vital role in keeping the country’s healthcare system moving. Every day, millions of medicines and medical supplies pass through its distribution network, making operational resilience and cybersecurity inseparable priorities.

AAH’s internal security team has long been driven by a proactive philosophy: understand the threat before it hits, and act decisively. With a complex technology landscape that includes operational technology and legacy systems, the organisation recognised the value of partnering with specialists who could help strengthen detection, visibility, and continuous improvement.

Kocho was chosen as AAH’s manged security partner trusted to collate, triage and act on any alerts raised either through internal or other third-party channels.

A partnership built on trust and accountability

From the outset, the collaboration between AAH and Kocho was designed as a partnership rather than a service contract. As Arnold Jasper, Security Operations Manager at AAH, explains:

The approach has been one of shared accountability and mutual respect. Both teams working together to build consistent processes, clear ownership, and transparent communication.

What began as a managed service quickly became a collaborative ecosystem: one where Kocho’s specialists and AAH’s internal team operate in unison.

Arnold describes this shift as transformational:

Evolving process and empowering people

AAH’s proactive culture has shaped the partnership’s success.

Rather than waiting for incidents to define change, AAH and Kocho have continually refined workflows, documentation, and escalation paths to drive clarity and speed.

That mindset has paid off. Analysts are now making informed, independent decisions, supported by consistent guidance and shared context.

Arnold recalls a recent moment of progress:

Collaboration in action

Joint exercises have been key to embedding this partnership culture.

A recent tabletop exercise brought together AAH, Kocho, Microsoft, and Arctic Wolf to simulate an incident scenario. Instead of competitive friction, the session became a showcase of teamwork and continuous learning.

These sessions have strengthened operational trust and given AAH’s leadership confidence in the team’s readiness to respond to real-world events.

The healthcare perspective

The healthcare supply chain presents unique cybersecurity challenges: from legacy systems to critical uptime requirements and tightly integrated partner ecosystems. AAH approaches this complexity as a reason to lead, not an excuse to stand still.

Arnold brings a threat intelligence background to his role, and that influences how AAH shapes its strategy:

The partnership with Kocho supports that vision, combining technology expertise with an agile, human approach to risk management and incident response.

Results at a glance

Looking ahead

Both AAH and Kocho see continuous improvement as the measure of success. Together, they’re refining the use of technologies like Darktrace, Microsoft Defender, and Sentinel to enhance detection precision and streamline response.

“We’ve got strong foundations,” says Arnold. “With the collaboration between AAH and Kocho, I’m confident we’ll keep strengthening our resilience.”