Business Productivity funding helps Doncaster cybersecurity specialists

A Doncaster-based cybersecurity specialist has launched a revolutionary new portal designed to help keep hackers at bay, after calling on help from the South Yorkshire Business Productivity Programme.

DigitalXRAID, which is headquartered in Doncaster’s town centre, was launched by tech entrepreneurs Rick Jones and Scott Goodwin in 2015. Since that time the company has firmly established itself as one of the leading global providers of cybersecurity protection, counting government organisations, football clubs and businesses across the world amongst its growing client base.

With many businesses facing multiple cybersecurity threats, the firm began exploring ways of helping its clients to stay one step ahead of the hackers by providing customers with a more holistic view of their services to better manage and report on their organisation’s cyber hygiene.

They began exploring new ways of improving the way in which cybersecurity measures are managed. Recognising the work could help businesses make significant improvements to their overall risk management, the company discussed their ideas with Business Doncaster and successfully secured match-funded grant funding through the South Yorkshire Business Productivity programme, helping to fund the development of a unique security portal, believed to be the first of its kind within the cybersecurity industry.

With funds in place, they began putting their plans into practice. The result of their work was the creation of OrbitalX, a new form of cybersecurity portal designed to provide its clients with a holistic overview and better visibility of its cybersecurity posture and risk.

The new portal will help businesses to create bespoke and automated reports, making it easier for teams to articulate the value of cybersecurity programmes to a variety of stakeholders – including internal and external auditors or insurers – and for Board members to clearly understand the ROI of their cybersecurity strategy. OrbitalX is the first platform of its kind that enables all of a company’s cybersecurity measures to be viewed from a single source and enable greater collaboration across the business, and as such, DigitalXRAID believes the platform could be a genuine game changer when it comes to giving businesses the initiative in the battle against cybercriminals.

DigitalXRAID hopes that the launch of the platform will help to provide a catalyst to help businesses overcome the challenges associated with cyber crime. Since work began on the platform, DigitalXRAID has found its services to be in high demand: over the past twelve months alone, the company’s workforce has grown by 30%, and the company believes that the launch of its new platform will provide a catalyst to enjoy significant future growth.

Rick Jones, CEO said: “The need for businesses to protect themselves against increasingly sophisticated cybersecurity threats has never been greater. Successful cyber attacks can not only leave businesses facing substantial bills and hefty fines, but they can also cause a great deal of reputational damage.

The development of our new OrbitalX platform is a genuine first for the cybersecurity industry, one that helps to create greater collaboration between IT managers and senior leadership teams. A key feature of the technology is that it assists organisations to be more responsive to potential threats by creating a user-friendly interface that helps address risks in a timely manner.

We’ve worked closely with the Business Doncaster team for a number of years, and when we told them about our future plans, they suggested that our project may be eligible to receive help through the Business Productivity Programme. The funding we’ve secured has been a genuine game changer for us. It has enabled us to be the first to bring a platform of this kind to market.

Deputy mayor and cabinet member for housing and business, councillor Glyn Jones, Doncaster Metropolitan Borough Council said: “DigitalXRAID has quickly established itself as one of the UK’s leading cybersecurity specialists and has enjoyed a significant period of growth. However, it recognised that to remain a leader in the industry it was vital for its services to continue to adapt and evolve. It is great to see Business Doncaster utilising European Regional Development funding to help secure an enriched future for Digitalxraid, an innovative Doncaster company’

Sharon Finch, Key Account Manager, Business Doncaster, said: “After spending time meeting with the company and discussing their future plans, it was clear that support from the Business Productivity Programme could help them to bring a genuinely new product to market, one that would not only help to unlock future business growth, but one that would provide clear benefits to businesses of all sizes against the threats posed by cyber criminals. The results of their efforts help to showcase some of the truly innovative work being undertaken in South Yorkshire and will help to lay the foundations for the business to enjoy future growth.”

The Business Productivity Programme is part funded by the European Regional Development Fund and provides businesses with 50% grant funding up to a maximum of £12,499, and the other 50% must be provided by the business. The maximum project application is £24,999 and can include investment in new equipment or machinery and consultancy services to help them overcome barriers to growth. The scheme is delivered by Enterprising Barnsley, Business Sheffield, Business Doncaster and the Rotherham Investment and Development Office (RiDO).