Prioritising its IT responsibilities, commercial explosives and blasting specialist EPC-UK has announced that it has once again been awarded a Cyber Essentials Plus certificate. This scheme, backed by the UK Government, is designed to protect organisations against cyber attacks.
The certification, which is a key requirement for any business handling sensitive and personal information, is a prerequisite for companies bidding for government contracts. EPC-UK’s repeat cyber-protection achievement has been realised through a dynamic working partnership with innovative IT support provider, Neuways Ltd. and demonstrates successfully that the blast specialist has all appropriate cyber security controls in place, as Neuways’ Business Development Director, Michelle Catterall explains:
“Achieving annual Cyber Essentials Plus accreditation is a valuable strategic accomplishment for EPC-UK, and one Neuways is pleased to assist in securing each year.
“The Government scheme, which operates at two levels, helps to ensure a company’s data is protected from familiar online threats; the first level – Cyber Essentials – can be self-certified, however to achieve the scheme’s higher credential – Cyber Essentials Plus – a third party specialist must perform on-going monitoring to seek out weaknesses in data systems and provide IT compliance for continuous protection.
“Based around meeting five main controls, attainment of the Cyber Essentials Plus certification also confirms successful on-going performance of independent on-site assessments; including audits and vulnerability scans, open ports, or incorrect configurations.
Achieving within these areas proves vital in keeping supplier and customer data secure, complying with government security standards, and becoming merited with the regarded ‘trust badge’, which in this instance, illustrates that both Neuways and EPC-UK are committed to excellence in customer service.”
Michelle Catterall, Business Development Director, Neuways
By demonstrating its commitment to online security through the Cyber Essentials Plus scheme, EPC-UK proves itself as a trusted supplier, certified to reliably protect the data it has access to, from within all its customer and partnering supply chains.
Like many other market-leading businesses with a digital future in mind, the company utilises cloud technology, so feels the repeated success it has achieved with its Cyber Essentials accreditations places it in a strong position to continually keep data secure, both now and in years to come.
Commenting from EPC-UK, Julie Wootton, Head of Human Resources & IT explained:
“We’re delighted to have been awarded with this valuable accreditation once more, and offer deserved recognition to Neuways Ltd. for the support and guidance they continually provide.
Our partnership has developed over the years and progressively, we’ve worked together to develop an IT steering committee.
As part of that task force, we’ve created a stable platform that showcases and explains the latest proven technologies. Offering services in addition to consultancy, Neuways has become involved in recruiting our IT apprentices; helping them learn as part of its own team and supporting learners in furthering skillsets, to successfully gain the IT accreditations that will serve them so well in their future careers.
Through the Neuways partnership, we’ve benefitted from specialist IT support, delivered by a team that has worked to develop its own coherent understanding of EPC-UK’s working operation and business goals.
By nurturing this cooperative concept and applying a strategic and tactical deployment of technology and cyber security, we’ve succeeded in creating a seamless, integrated EPC-UK IT system that has evolved with the changing needs and aspirations of the business; an achievement that could not have been accomplished so effectively without such an successful, co-managed, IT approach.”
Julie Wootton, Head of Human Resources & IT, EPC-UK
A trusted IT supplier to EPC-UK since 2013, Neuways, has successfully worked with the organisation at both strategic and transactional levels. Considered as more than a consultant, the blast specialist has placed Neuways as an active partner, committed to ensuring the company’s understanding of finer, relevant technological details, and the important role strong cyber strategy can play in supporting professional operations.
