I am pleased to announce that FGP has been tested and awarded a Cyber Essential Plus accreditation. Along with RSC’s approval in 2019 this means the group are now all operating at Cyber Security level supported by a government backed scheme. Not only does this help improve the security of our data and the stability of our IT infrastructure, but will assist in winning contracts going forward due to the ever growing emphasis on Cyber Security within the industry and the criticality of protecting sensitive information.

SAO, our new IT support, have been doing a brilliant job implementing new systems and dealing with IT help requests: Network wide monitoring tools have been deployed and used to ensure systems and applications stay up to date, antiviruses are performing live and scheduled scans with no identified issues, back up procedures are running without issue, and servers are operating as expected. Additionally our network has been tested for and protected against external vulnerabilities.

This award is in no small part owing to the due-diligence demonstrated by all staff. We must keep treating cyber security with the upmost consideration and importance.

Please remember the following key points to greatly improve cyber security,

• Use unique, long passwords
• Do not share passwords with anyone
• Double check if an email is legitimate. Were you expecting this mail? Does the senders email look suspicious? Are they asking for sensitive information or money? if in doubt, ask IT.
• If you believe you have opened malicious software or the antivirus raises a warning, disconnect your PC from the network by removing any Ethernet cables (see left) and disabling WiFi, switch the PC off from the mains (hold the power button down if it is a laptop) and then make IT aware.

The cyber security world is constantly evolving and its vital we continue adapting to mitigate the risks. New hardware and software are regularly being deployed to our networks, and rules are constantly being fine-tuned, all with the intent of keeping us, our customers and our suppliers safe in the modern digital world.

Craig Phillips, Business Development Manager, FGP Systems & FGP Lufton Ltd.