A new Manx company is the first Isle of Man one-stop shop specialising in data protection and information security.
Simply Secure, based in Mount Havelock in Douglas, opened its doors at the beginning of July. A team of four experts offers a comprehensive service to smaller Island companies that may have some misgivings about security and its implications, but who want to be able to adopt best practice to adhere to data protection regulations and protect their operations, staff and clients.
Simply Secure carries out holistic audits in seven vital areas, ranging from making sure data is stored in line with EU General Data Protection Regulations through to physical security. Once an audit has been completed, an action plan is formulated to ensure the risk of data loss or misuse is minimised as much as reasonably possible.
The company has also entered into strategic partnerships with a number of IT service providers, datacentre hosting companies and specialist vendors both on and off Island.
Colin Tansley, a former police officer and one of Simply Secure’s founders, explains:
“Many companies may already have policies regarding information storage, but find they’re weaker in other areas – perhaps not suspecting they are even at risk. Vulnerabilities can be hard to anticipate in the age of constant connectivity – for example, Internet of Things devices with default passwords, unpatched software or even company mobile phones containing sensitive emails that aren’t locked against possible theft or loss.
“Of course, that doesn’t take into account the human factor. We can also train staff to make sure they can spot social engineering tricks or spear-phishing attacks. Simply Secure’s advantage is that our team takes an overall view to provide practical solutions to all these dangers, without placing huge burdens on agile companies.
“There can be heavy regulatory penalties should things go wrong: financially, it can be ruinous should data be stolen, leaked or lost. And the reputational damage following such an incident can be even more difficult for small businesses to recover from.
“We aim to be the most comprehensive and responsive security company on the Isle of Man, and the breadth and depth of our team’s knowledge and experience allows us to spot potential pitfalls and guide our clients away from them.”
