Leeds-based IT security and compliance company, RandomStorm, has launched a new Cyber Essentials service. The IT firm says that it’s to help smaller businesses to gain access to enterprise level security.
The Cyber Essentials framework, backed by CREST, defines a focused set of controls which can provide cost-effective cyber security for organisations of all sizes. This is an important element of the UK government’s National Cyber Security Strategy because smaller firms may lack the in-house expertise to develop and maintain defences to deter cyber criminals.
As the breaches at Target, Goodwill and Jimmy Johns demonstrated, larger firms can be breached by cyber criminals gaining access to the IT networks of their smaller suppliers and partners, including heating and ventilation companies and PoS (Point of Sale) device vendors.
RandomStorm reports that it was one of the first companies to achieve official CREST accreditation, for penetration testing and Cyber Essentials and is launching the service to help smaller organisations to immediately benefit from expert assessment and guidance on improving their online defences.
Owing to greater public awareness of cyber crime, plus ecommerce, online banking and payment cards, organisations that possess a Cyber Essentials certification are likely to gain a business advantage, as potential customers are more likely to entrust their information to organisations with sound cyber security practices, the IT firm suggests.
Andrew Mason, pictured, RandomStorm co-founder and Technical Director says: “The RandomStorm Cyber Essentials service is mainly targeted at small businesses that might view cyber security as being out of their reach in terms of their budget, or scope of expertise. Cyber Essentials will provide any organisation that has an online presence with the reassurance that its security practices and systems follow current best practice and have been assessed and advised on by government-approved cyber security experts.”
