Certification

Any organisation making an effort to improve its data security will be more attractive to customers and suppliers, who know that their data will be looked after better with that organisation. As people begin to understand the risks, it will become increasingly important when looking for a supplier or partner that the organisations they deal with have a certain level of cyber security. If you do implement cyber security, you can take a self-assessment or undergo a full audit to achieve certification and a badge which indicates that you are operating to a certain level of security.

This does not mean that you will not be hacked – but it does mean that you are less likely to be the victim of one of the common attacks. This badge will become increasingly important as the government and other organisations start requiring suppliers and partners to gain certification as a prerequisite to conducting business. Certification also entitles you to cyber liability insurance cover, subject to conditions.

Cyber security standards

There are numerous cyber security standards in existence. The best known is ISO 27001 which, although a good governance standard and internationally recognised, has been difficult for many SMEs to achieve because it is designed for larger companies and can be time consuming and expensive. It is always worth checking for other information security standards with the level of practicality to suit your business.