UK-based secure data exchange specialist DOQEX has achieved Cyber Essentials certification, adding another recognised security standard to its existing portfolio of accreditations.

The York-based company, which specialises in protecting sensitive information shared between organisations, already holds ISO 27001, ISO 27017 and ISO 27018 certifications. The latest achievement reflects its continued focus on maintaining strong security controls and protecting customer information.

Cyber Essentials is a UK Government-backed scheme designed to help businesses defend themselves against common cyber threats. It assesses five fundamental areas of cybersecurity: firewalls, secure configuration, security update management, user access control and malware protection.

Getting the Cybersecurity Basics Right

While DOQEX already operates under established international security standards, the company said completing the Cyber Essentials certification process provided a valuable opportunity to revisit its existing controls.

Nick Case, Director and Co-Founder of DOQEX, admitted that the company had initially underestimated the process.

“Having already achieved ISO 27001, ISO 27017 and ISO 27018, I’ll admit we initially underestimated Cyber Essentials. We thought we had the fundamentals well covered, but going through the process reminded us why they matter.”

He explained that the certification’s emphasis on practical security measures provided an important reminder that even organisations with mature cybersecurity programmes need to regularly assess their defences.

“Cyber Essentials has a clear focus on practical, verifiable security controls, and that has genuine value. It’s easy to concentrate on more complex security challenges, but the basics still need attention.”

The certification comes as organisations face increasing pressure to demonstrate that appropriate security measures are in place, particularly when handling sensitive business information or working with external suppliers.

Strengthening Trust Across the Supply Chain

As businesses become more reliant on third-party technology providers and external partners, cybersecurity certifications are playing a growing role in procurement decisions and supplier assurance.

Recognised standards can help organisations demonstrate that they have implemented appropriate safeguards, providing customers and partners with greater confidence in how their information is managed.

Case believes improving baseline security across UK businesses is particularly important as supply chains become more interconnected.

“We fully support what Cyber Essentials is trying to achieve. Raising the baseline of cybersecurity across UK businesses is important, particularly as organisations become increasingly dependent on suppliers and third parties. Stronger security across the supply chain benefits everyone.”

Supporting Secure Data Exchange

Founded in 2013, DOQEX helps organisations securely manage and exchange sensitive information between employees, customers, suppliers and business partners.

Its services combine security technology with managed support, helping businesses maintain control over information as it moves between organisations.

The Cyber Essentials certification builds on the company’s existing ISO standards and reinforces its approach to security governance, accountability and data protection.

For DOQEX, the achievement also highlights a wider message for businesses: while cybersecurity threats continue to become more sophisticated, maintaining effective fundamental controls remains an essential part of protecting sensitive information.

The post DOQEX Achieves Cyber Essentials Certification to Strengthen Security Standards appeared first on IT Security Guru.

Cybersecurity has become one of the most defining business challenges of recent times. Organisations have invested heavily in protecting their networks, securing cloud environments and strengthening identity and access management. At the same time, organisations are under increasing pressure to prove they are handling sensitive information securely, not just storing it safely but protecting it throughout its journey.

Yet despite this progress, one area continues to receive far less attention than it deserves: how data is shared.

Most organisations have become very good at protecting data while it is stored. Files are encrypted, key handling is properly managed, access is restricted and systems are monitored around the clock. However, once that information needs to leave the organisation, whether it’s being sent to a customer, supplier, auditor or business partner, the controls often become less robust.

Every day, organisations exchange contracts, financial information, employee records, legal documents and commercially sensitive files. More often than not, this happens via email attachments or cloud-based file-sharing services because they are familiar and convenient. The problem is that convenience does not always equal security.

Email remains one of the most common routes for cyber attacks. Phishing, spoofed domains, malicious attachments and business email compromise continue to account for a significant proportion of successful breaches. However, most incidents do not involve a sophisticated bad actor. The official UK annual Cyber Security Breaches Survey continues to show the majority of incidents stem from everyday mistakes.  An email sent to the wrong recipient, an attachment forwarded outside the organisation or a file shared with overly broad permissions can expose sensitive information in seconds.

Human error remains one of the biggest cyber risks organisations face, particularly as businesses become increasingly connected. Information now flows constantly between employees, customers, suppliers, consultants and regulators. Every transfer creates another opportunity for something to go wrong.

What is often overlooked is that securing data is not just about protecting where it is stored. It is also about understanding the journey it takes.

Many organisations assume that because they operate in the UK, their sensitive information remains within UK borders. In reality, emails and attachments may be routed through multiple countries and cloud infrastructures before arriving at their destination. While this is often an invisible part of modern digital communications, it raises important questions around governance, compliance and data sovereignty.

For organisations operating in regulated sectors, this matters. Financial services firms, local authorities, healthcare providers and legal organisations are increasingly expected to demonstrate not only that data is protected, but also that it is managed responsibly throughout its entire lifecycle. Knowing where information is stored is only part of the picture. Understanding where it travels, who has access to it and how it is controlled has become equally important.

This is why conversations around geofencing and data sovereignty are gaining momentum. Rather than simply encrypting information and hoping for the best, organisations are beginning to ask whether they should have greater control over where sensitive data is permitted to travel. If businesses routinely place restrictions on the movement of physical assets, it seems only logical that they should apply similar thinking to digital information.

At the same time, regulators and auditors are asking more searching questions about how organisations exchange information with third parties. They want to understand how access is controlled, whether there is a complete audit trail and what safeguards exist once information leaves the organisation. These are no longer technical questions reserved for IT teams. They are governance issues that increasingly involve compliance, procurement, risk and senior leadership.

There is also a growing disconnect between the way organisations work and the security controls they have in place. Hybrid working, cloud collaboration and increasingly complex supply chains mean information rarely stays within a single organisation. Yet many businesses continue to rely on processes that were designed for a very different way of working.

This is where a change in mindset is needed.

Cybersecurity should not end when a document is saved securely on a server or in the cloud. Information is often at its most vulnerable when it is moving between people, organisations and systems. Protecting data in transit should therefore be considered just as important as protecting data at rest.

That does not mean making it harder for employees to do their jobs. Quite the opposite. Security should support the way people work, allowing information to be shared safely without creating unnecessary barriers or encouraging workarounds that introduce even greater risk.

Organisations need to take a more holistic view of information security. Protecting sensitive data means understanding its entire lifecycle, from creation and storage through to sharing, collaboration and eventual deletion. It means knowing not only who can access information, but where that information is travelling and whether that journey aligns with the organisation’s security, compliance and governance obligations.

Threats aren’t standing still, and neither are regulators. Focusing only on data that’s sitting in storage means missing one of the biggest holes in your security. It’s not enough to just lock data away; it needs to stay safe wherever it travels.

*DOQEX provides a secure data exchange and email gateway platform that helps businesses protect confidential information.

The post The Hidden Risk in Data Transfer appeared first on IT Security Guru.