Cyber security is a continued threat for businesses in recent times.

Not only have major commercial businesses around the globe fallen victim of high-profile cyber breaches but this has also been detrimental to small to medium sized organisations – Marriott Hotels and Travelex being two recent examples.

This is why here at Kick ICT, we believe it is fundamentally important to keep your company data secure. We are serious about our commitment to UK domestic and international standards on cyber security and that’s why we are pleased to announce we have achieved certification to the UK government Cyber Essentials scheme.

Cyber Essentials is a government backed, industry supported scheme used to encourage organisations to protect themselves against common online threats and adopt secure IT practices for cyber and data security. The scheme launched back in 2014 to enable businesses to gain one of two Cyber Essentials badges and is suitable for all organisations, any size and in any sector.

The Government now requires all suppliers bidding contracts involving the handling of certain sensitive and personal information to be certified against the Cyber Essentials scheme. This was developed in collaboration with UK Government and Industry partners, such as – the information security forum, the assurance for small and medium enterprises consortium and British standards institution.

The main areas which Cyber Essentials cover are:

• Securing connectivity to the internet through appropriate security measures such as firewalls and internet gateways
• Strong access and control of data and services
• Secure alignment of software and devices used within the business
• Processes and mechanisms for protecting against viruses and other malware
• Ensuring devices and software are up to date with effective patch management

Our certification for Cyber Essentials marks another landmark on Kick ICT’s journey of continuous security enhancements and ensures that we have the right mechanisms in place to help protect our systems, our services and our customers. For more information regarding the security measures we take, visit our IT & Data Security page. Alternatively, if you would like to speak to one of our IT experts give us a call on 01698 844 600.