Leeds-based IDS Group secures government-backed Cyber Essentials Plus certification

Leeds-headquartered software and security specialist IDS Group has been accredited with the Government-backed Cyber Essentials Plus scheme certification.

Part of the UK Government’s National Cyber Security Strategy — developed alongside the Information Assurance for Small and Medium Enterprises (IASME) — the endorsement demonstrates IDS Group’s commitment to protecting its products, services and clients against online security threats.

The Cyber Essentials Plus certificate is further supported by leading industry bodies including the Federation of Small Businesses and the CBI and is a government requirement for many contracts within the NHS, MOD and public sector.

After weeks of preparation and the completion of an independent audit, assessment and testing of its security protocols, IDS Group successfully passed each of the required safeguarding procedures. Showing competency and compliance across five main technical elements – access control; boundary firewalls and internet gateways; malware protection; patch management and secure configuration.

Iakovos Triantafyllou, systems security architect at IDS Group commented: “Information security has always been a priority for IDS and the Cyber Essentials Plus accreditation is further proof of our dedication to protecting our customers against cyber threats.

“A great deal of work has gone into achieving the endorsement. We’re very proud of our latest achievement, and our ability to provide additional reassurance – particularly at a time when cybercrime rates are high.

“The accreditation ensures that as a business we can clearly demonstrate that we continuously offer the highest standard of cyber security to our existing clients and opens up opportunities for us to explore new projects – however complex – moving forward.”

Trusted by SMEs and large organisations such as the NHS Trust, Virgin, KMPG, Nationwide and Vodafone, IDS has a long history of providing secure software and systems integration solutions for its partners and clients. Other services offered include, software development, penetration testing, and technical due diligence.