Ian Gilbey, Exertis technical services director, said “With IASME Gold, we are able to provide expert advice and guidance on cyber security best practices enabling our teams to carry out audits for, or on behalf of, resellers to demonstrate their commitment to protecting their or their customers’ systems against cyber crime. For SMEs, the IASME governance standard provides an affordable and achievable cyber security standard that demonstrates that companies are taking the right steps towards cyber security, particularly important with GDPR set to become law next month.”
Exertis already holds Cyber Essentials Plus, IASME governance and ISO27001 accreditation. Cyber Essentials is a government-backed, industry supported scheme to help organisations protect themselves against common cyber attacks and show that they have taken precautionary steps. IASME governance demonstrates that a company has prepared for the introduction of GDPR by focusing on how data is collected, maintained and protected. ISO27001 accreditation is the international standard for information security.
According to a NSCS and NCA report, “UK businesses face a cyber threat which is growing in scale and complexity. Organisations which don’t take cyber security extremely seriously in the next year are risking serious financial and reputational consequences”. Figures released by a government Cyber Security Breaches 2018 survey showed that only 38 per cent of British firms were even aware of GDPR, let alone ready to comply.
“Whilst there is never a 100 per cent guarantee against cyber security breaches, those companies that can show that they have at least endeavored to comply are likely to be treated more leniently under the new GDPR regulations according to reports. We are in a unique position in that we can work with resellers to help them to audit their customers current procedures, to become more compliant and where necessary to provide additional security solutions,” added Gilbey.