North-West based Xcina Ltd. has become one of seven founding members of the UK’s first police-backed digital certification scheme, led by the London Digital Security Centre (LDSC) in partnership with Secured by Design (SBD), the national Police Crime Prevention initiative. The founding members will receive police preferred status if standards and behaviours are met.
The two-part certification scheme, supported by The Metropolitan and City of London Police and The Mayor’s Office for Policing and Crime (MOPAC), will help British businesses navigate the complexity of cyber security. At the heart of the certification is Cyber Essentials, a Government-backed industry-supported scheme to help organisations protect themselves against common online threats.
As part of the London stock exchange listed, digital resilience group, Shearwater Group plc, Xcina Ltd. helps companies protect their critical information assets by preparing them for the increasing legislative and regulatory demands on how data is held and processed and the on-going monitoring, analysis, detection and response to cyber threats.
The certification scheme is divided into two awards. The first award, Secured by Design – Police Preferred Specification, will assess and verify cyber security suppliers to ensure supply chains are resilient.
The second award, Digitally Aware – Secured By Design, is an educational initiative designed to help SBD members improve their protection against cyber crime. Using a risk assessment tool and an award scheme, the LDSC will educate members on implementing basic measures and promoting good security within their organisations.
Kevin Porter, Business Development Director, Xcina, said: “As a provider of digital, operational and regulatory resilience services and solutions, Xcina is delighted to be one of the first to join the Secured By Design (SBD) Police Crime Prevention initiative, as it broadens its focus to include cyber protection and combatting the growing cyber crime threat.
“Xcina was founded with professional behaviours and ethical working practices as core aspects of its values and these values complement those required by the SBD initiative. We are confident that our participation could benefit customers and the communities and partners we work with in creating greater resilience within the secure environments they use to live and work.
Guy Ferguson, Chief Executive Officer, Secured by Design, commented: “Police Crime Prevention initiatives have always responded to developing and emerging crime patterns with innovation and creativity. We are delighted to be working closely with the London Digital Security Centre to develop new techniques that will better support people and businesses online.”
Chris Diogenous, Chief Commercial Officer at the LDSC, added: “Almost half of small businesses in the UK have been the victims of cyber crime in the past 12 months, yet the overwhelming majority of cyber attacks can be prevented using simple measures.
“For the first time, UK businesses can demonstrate that they have taken the necessary measures to protect the data they hold and reduce their overall vulnerability to cyber crime.”
The London Digital Security Centre is a not for profit organisation founded by the Mayor of London as a joint venture with the Metropolitan Police Service and the City of London Police. The Centre works alongside the National Fraud and Cyber Crime Reporting Centre (ActionFraud) to help prevent businesses being the victims of cyber crime. The London Digital Security Centre provides free impartial advice and support to businesses to help improve their digital security and enable them to work in a secure online environment.
