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150-year-old Hull accountants joins HSBC and Barclays in obtaining cyber certification

A Hull-based accountants with a history stretching back 150 years has bolstered its tech credentials after securing a government-backed certification for its virtual accounting services.

Harris Lacey and Swain worked with fellow Hull business, Jupiter IT Solutions, to obtain the Cyber Essentials accreditation, the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills initiative which aims to recognise businesses which have taken government-recommended measures to protect business data.

The scheme, which counts giants including HSBC, Barclays and Virgin among its members, was introduced by the government back in 2014 to encourage good practice amongst UK businesses in their data security after a string of high-profile hacks and leaks.

In achieving the accreditation, Harris Lacey and Swain becomes one of the first businesses in the region to be recognised for its cybersecurity practices, and has been established in response to a significant uptick in the number of their customers switching to cloud-based accounting systems.

Richard Lacey, partner at Harris Lacey Swain commented: “With more and more clients switching to cloud-based systems, it’s imperative that we can demonstrate that these systems are just as safe and reliable as traditional methods, so we’re delighted to have worked with Jupiter to obtain the government certification.”

Putting the development into a historical context, Lacey said that obtaining the certification exemplified the company’s ethos in staying at the forefront of developments in the industry, something which has contributed to the firm’s longevity.

He added: “Our firm was established two centuries ago – when the thought of using a computer, never mind a phone, to run a business was the stuff of sci-fi novels only - yet we pride ourselves on being at the forefront of the industry, always looking for new, innovative solutions, such as the Quickbooks system, that make our clients’ lives easier.

Dan Gladstone, Jupiter IT believes that the Cyber Essentials accreditation is not just about protecting businesses from embarrassing leaks, but that it can also open doors in terms of contract wins and customers too.

He commented: “By guiding businesses to become cyber certified safe, we’re helping them gain a stamp of approval from the government that their systems are secure, which then can open the door to them working with larger organisations which require this standard.”

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