Risk Evolves – who provide risk management consultancy to SMEs and international corporations across a variety of industry sectors – have recently renewed their Digitally Aware accreditation.
The Police Digital Security Centre’s (PDSC) Digitally Aware certification scheme – which is designed in collaboration with the British Standards Institute – is aimed at helping SMEs reduce their vulnerability to cyber crime and promote businesses who have taken the first step towards better cyber security.
With an SME being hacked on average once every 19 seconds in the UK, and 41% of UK consumers claiming they will never return to a business that has had a security breach, investing in cyber security has never been more important.
The Digitally Aware certification can be completed through a simple online assessment in just 15 minutes. The assessment helps test the resilience of the business to the most common types of cyber crime and businesses are provided with a tailored report based on the assessment, which contains specific recommendations of action in accordance with the latest Government and police guidance. Businesses who achieve the Digitally Aware accreditation receive a certificate valid for 12 months.
Michelle Kradolfer, Cyber Development Officer at the PDSC, remarked: “Digitally Aware is all about ensuring that an organisation builds a strong cyber security foundation from within and encourages good cyber practices throughout the business.
“For some SMEs, this certificate will be a stepping stone in their cyber security journey, which will lead them to go onto achieving higher levels of cyber certifications, such as Cyber Essentials & Cyber Essential Plus, ISO27001 and Digitally Resilient. While we highly encourage businesses to continue on their journey, we also recognise that some of those higher level certifications might not be needed or suitable for some SMEs, which is why PDSC developed Digitally Aware.
“Our goal is to ensure that no business is left behind and everyone, no matter the size or sector they are in, can participate in improving their cyber security posture and become more resilient.”
Helen Barge, Managing Director at Risk Evolves, added: “One of the founding principles of Risk Evolves, is that we will never ask a Client to do something that we ourselves would not be prepared to do. Whilst Risk Evolves have additionally certified to Cyber Essentials, ISO27001 and ISO27701, the Digitally Aware certificate provides SME’s with a great first step on the journey to becoming more resilient to the increasing threat which all organisations, regardless of size or sector, are experiencing.
“All organisations should have cyber security on their business plans for 2021, and achieving Digitally Aware should be the first milestone in that plan.”
To find out more information, visit: https://www.policedsc.com/