Excalibur Communications hosts cyber security event for South West Regional Cyber Crime Unit

By Jamie Hill - 2 April 2019

BusinessNetworkingCrime

On Thursday, 28 March, Excalibur Communications, leading South West based communications and IT solutions provider, was host to the South West Regional Cyber Crime Unit’s (SWRCCU) Cyber Crime Prevention workshop in Swindon.

Thirty businesses attended the event to learn how to reduce their exposure to potential cyber attacks and how best to protect their business from these disruptive and costly incursions.

With 43%* of UK businesses experienced an attack or breach in 2018, the aim of the event was to raise awareness of the threat of cyber crime to businesses in the region.   SWRCCU experts updated delegates on the latest scams, spoofs and phishing emails that hackers are using, and how best to identify them before serious damage is caused.   

The SWRCCU invited teams of delegates to ‘play out’ protecting a fictional LEGO business.  Whilst some teams managed to navigate network security challenges  successfully, others suffered serious data breaches and virus issues resulting in anything from a £5 million fine that bankrupted one LEGO company to blowing up a production plant!  Other topics covered during the day included; creating secure passwords, what to do in the event of a security breach and the layers of protection required to mitigate risk.

Excalibur and Ironshare, providers of managed cyber security and consulting services, were also on hand to talk to delegates about how to protect their business.

Graham Ford, Excalibur Operations Director, speaking about security, said: “Security is a big and growing issue for all businesses, big or small.  Considering the size and frequency of the problem, it’s still surprising how few businesses have put significant security measures in place. There is a great deal that can be done to protect SMEs from potential attacks and we recommend they put a security strategy in place, in which having up to date software is key, but by no means the only a part.”

Sam Parsons, Cyber Protect Officer for the SWRCCU, said:  “It was fantastic to see so many organisations being proactive and taking the initiative to engage with cyber security. Protecting your business against the majority of cyber threats can be done by adhering to simple yet effective measures, but you need that engagement and buy-in from senior decision makers to ensure that actually happens – that’s what this workshop aims to achieve.”

*Cyber Security Breaches Survey 2018 commissioned by Department for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport

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