Partner Article

Cyber security service launched to help North East SMEs

Smaller and mid-tier businesses in the North East can now call upon a cyber security service, launched by KPMG Enterprise, tailored to their needs and resources.

The streamlined package of cyber controls has been developed by the professional services firm in response to the increased targeting of smaller businesses by cyber criminals, due to their relative lack of cyber defence and resulting vulnerability.

The ‘Accelerated Security’ service is designed to help SMEs and mid-tier companies to protect themselves from cyber attack, through a series of cyber pre-packaged defence controls that don’t require significant IT resources to implement. It can be put in place in weeks and is available at a fixed price.

The package also enables organisations to achieve certifications such as the government’s ‘Cyber Essentials’ scheme.

Martin Tyley, KPMG’s head of Cyber for the North, said: “It’s increasingly important that smaller businesses, which have not historically considered themselves to be a target for cyber crime, develop resilient cyber defences. We are seeing attackers focus on businesses with lower levels of cyber maturity as large corporates, the more traditional targets, enhance their protection.

“In fact, any organisation that holds valuable data is a target for hackers, which can be hard to stomach for a business which has previously stayed below the radar. This realisation can leave some companies struggling to achieve their aspirations without feeling exposed to cyber security risk – a concern our new package addresses.

“The government is increasingly considering failure to protect customer data to be a public interest breach and the Information Commissioner’s Office (ICO) is fining organisations up to £500,000 for breaching the Data Protection Act. Suffering a customer data loss can trigger an ICO investigation, risking a financial penalty that can really hurt a smaller business.”

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