Isle of Man Chamber of Commerce hosted a workshop about cyber security which was attended by members of the Island’s biggest business network. Titled ‘Cyber security for the board’, it was aimed primarily at board members, owners and managers from small businesses and looked at their responsibilities in relation to the security of the information their businesses hold.

It began with a presentation by Chris Gledhill, Managing Director of software development company PDMS, who explained the importance of cyber security for all businesses – and how lapses in security risked incurring financial losses, disruption of services, loss of confidential data about a company and clients, and damage to a company’s reputation. He went on to look at the type of individuals who could pose a cyber security threat, what form this threat could take, and its potential impact. Cutting through IT jargon, Mr Gledhill then explained simple steps which could be taken to make information security part of normal business risk management procedures. This led on to a summary of how to implement these procedures, and how to respond to any changes or problems – including actual cyber-attacks. His presentation concluded with a few simple questions which members of the audience could ask their respective in-house IT teams, or outsourced IT providers, to inform decision making at board level.

Jane Dellar, Isle of Man Chamber of Commerce Chief Executive, thanked Mr Gledhill for the presentation, and members who attended the workshop. She commented: “With high profile breaches in cyber security regularly hitting the headlines, many experts believe that 2016 will be a watershed year in the evolution of cyber security as a core business competence. This presents a huge challenge, especially for small businesses, which is why Chamber organised this event specifically for members at board level to inform their decision making about IT policies. Chris’s presentation was excellent in explaining the major issues, and this event once again showed the tremendous value of Chamber membership by providing access to expert advice which may otherwise not be available to some small businesses.”

The cyber security CPD Workshop was held at Chamber’s offices in Athol Street, Douglas, on January 27. It is just one of a series of events which Chamber has planned for members this year. Upcoming events include a Road Traffic Bill consultation meeting on February 2, and on February 16 there’s a luncheon at the Claremont Hotel about the potential impact of the European General Data Protection Regulation. To celebrate International Women's Day on March 8, Chamber will be hosting a luncheon at the Claremont Hotel to debate gender parity in the Isle of Man. All these events are exclusively for Isle of Man Chamber of Commerce members.

Go to www.iomchamber.org.im to find out more about the Island’s biggest business network.

Photo - Chris Gledhill.