Working together to ensure cyber security
We love connectivity. It helps us keep in touch, makes planning everything from a trip into town to a trip around the world much easier, and it entertains us. But with great connectivity comes great responsibility, you only have to look at the news headlines to understand why always keeping cyber security top of mind is so important, both personally and in the workplace.
We take our responsibilities to our customers, partners and team very seriously. As a leading neutral host known first and foremost for assuring connectivity, cyber security is intrinsic to who we are. We have been accredited with the Cyber Essentials Plus certification, signifying our adherence to a comprehensive set of security controls defined by the UK’s National Cyber Security Centre. Given this certification involves a rigorous verification audit, it is far from a simple box ticking exercise and it’s something we are very proud to hold!
We also hold ISO 27001 which is an international standard for information security management systems. It’s incredibly comprehensive and covers every department a business may have, from human resources to operations. It provides a framework for establishing, implementing, maintaining, and improving information security within an organisation. It requires that management undertakes several key actions, such as defining the organisation’s information security policies and objectives and making sure they are aligned with the organisation’s overarching business objectives.
Overall, ISO 27001 places a strong emphasis on the leadership and commitment of top management in driving the implementation and continual improvement of information security practices within the organisation.
We believe the UK is one of the world leaders when it comes to security. After several years of preparation, the end of March 2024 saw the first tranche of security controls needing to be in place to comply with the Telecommunications (Security) Act 2021 (TSA). This Act introduces new duties on providers of public electronic communications networks and services to identify and reduce the risk of security compromises. It also requires them to prepare telecoms architecture to ensure any such issues are minimised.
As partners of all the UK mobile operators, we’re adhering to all the Tier 1 requirements as they’re implemented over the next few years. And we’ve dedicated a lot of time and resources to ensuring that we meet them and shall continue to do so in coming years.
Of course, when it comes to cyber security an organisation can’t rest on its laurels. It’s a matter of continuing to improve systems and processes, plus reminding everyone in the business of their responsibilities. Defences built together are much stronger than those built alone.