Tag: IT Solutions

Top 9 Tips to Work Smarter in Microsoft Teams
Companies are rapidly implementing Microsoft Teams to be able to enrich their businesses’ communications structures, and it’s proving successful. Teams is by far the most rapidly growing unified communications solution, and is not looking to stop anytime soon.

With Teams being such a crucial part of the modern workflow, it’s important to make sure that you know exactly how to use it to its maximum potential. After all, failing to do so could waste lots of time, and can just be an inconvenience for you when trying to get important work done.

We believe that everyone should learn how to use Microsoft Teams to its fullest potential. That’s why in this article, we’re going to go over some of the top tips to work smarter in Microsoft Teams in 2022.

Top 9 Tips to Unlock Teams’ Full Functionality

Send Urgent Messages

Sometimes, it can be easy to miss messages coming in. Especially when your recipient has a busy inbox, it’s important to mark your message as urgent to make sure that whoever’s on the other end knows that it’s a time-sensitive matter.

Luckily, doing so in Microsoft Teams is incredibly simple. Press the exclamation mark in the toolbar below the textbox in the chat interface, and select ‘Urgent’. Your message will now be marked as urgent for the recipient. Type in your message and send it, and that’s it!

Use Meeting Reactions

Sometimes you want to show your approval of something in a meeting, but don’t want to interrupt the flow of conversation or presentation. Sometimes, you just want to laugh at a joke without unmuting your microphone.

Meeting reactions make this simple. Just click on the Reaction menu during the meeting and click a reaction, and they’ll pop up on the side for everyone to see.

Create Polls

Asking everybody how they feel about a topic can just take up time and be a mess. Chances are, people will start a discussion in the chat and it’ll make it hard to be able to see the information you need.

Polls are a great way to easily get opinions without hassle. They’re easy to set up, and can be a great way to collect data without having to sift through discussions to work out what people think. To make a Poll — click the ‘Microsoft Forms’ button in the taskbar and fill in the relevant information, and you’re done!

Automate Tasks with Power Automate

Automation is powerful. Rather than having to manually do a list of tasks, automation takes care of it for you. This can save hours of time and effort, and ensure the tasks are all done correctly and uniformly every time.

In Microsoft Teams, you can easily set up buttons to do multiple things automatically, without needing to manually input.
1. Go into the Store tab on Microsoft Teams.
2. Select ‘Workflows’, and select a template to create a workflow.
3. Fill in each parameter, and you’re good to go!
Use Live Transcripts

Live transcription is a great way to ensure that hard-of-hearing employees can stay in the conversation. It’s also just a good thing to have, as even a slightly poor connection quality can turn a Teams meeting into robotic gibberish.

To turn on live transcription, press the three dots on the meeting controls to view ‘More actions’, and click “Start Transcription”.

You can also change the transcription language. To do so, click the three dots on the right of the transcript window and click “Change Spoken Language”.

Reorganise your Teams

Sometimes, you want to put a specific team at the top of your teams for ease of access. Or, maybe you just like alphabetical order and want to organise your teams that way. Whatever the reason may be, it’s simple to reorganise your teams.

Just click and hold your cursor on the team that you want to move, and drag it to its new place on the teams list.

Use Loop Components

Microsoft’s groundbreaking Loop is the future of collaboration in the workplace. And, you can make use of Loop in Teams — with Loop components. With Loop components, you can collaborate with your team on anything — from agendas, to ideas, to simple checklists.

By sending a Loop Component into a chat, you allow anyone in that chat to be able to work on it collaboratively. To do so, click on the Loop components button in the taskbar. Then, enter whatever you want into the component, and press send.

People will instantly be able to inline edit the component in the chat, and you can even send the same component to multiple chats.

Bookmark Important Conversations

Sometimes, you’ll find that someone in your team says something that’ll be important later. Rather than having to dig back and search for it, it’s much easier to save these messages.

To do so, hover over those messages and click on the three dots next to the reactions, then click “Save this message”. This will save that message to your saved messages, for easy reference. You can also pin messages to the channel here.

Create Teams Templates

Creating a team from scratch can take a lot of time and effort. Microsoft Team’s templates are an easy way to circumvent this hassle. You can either create a template for use in all of your teams from scratch or turn a team you already have into a template.

Create a template from scratch
1. Go to the Teams menu, and into ‘Team Templates’.
2. Click ‘Add.’ and then ‘Create a brand new template.’
3. Fill in the template-builder with the template name and description.
4. Add any channels you may want to the template.
5. Your template is created!
Create a template from an existing team
1. Go to the Teams menu, and click on ‘Team Templates’.
2. Click on ‘Add’, and then select ‘Use an existing team as a template.’
- Select the team you want to use as a starting point.
- Fill in the template name and details.
- If need be, you can add new channels or edit existing channels in the template.
- Your new template is done!
Get Started with Microsoft Teams!

Microsoft Teams is a powerful communications tool that can open up new collaborative workflows for your organisation.

Following these tips & tricks will help unlock Microsoft Teams’ full potential. After all, Teams is rammed with brilliant quality-of-life features that can save you time and help you work better together.

Of course, as Microsoft Teams expands in functionality, its suite of features will only get more in-depth. So, making sure to stay up to date regularly is important. A managed service provider can make sure that all of your 365 applications and tools are up to date, and can ensure that they’re set up properly – just like ourselves here at The Unite Group.

Interested in getting started with Microsoft Teams’ rapidly growing platform? Get in touch today, and see how we can help you!
October 17, 2022
What is the difference between Cyber Essentials & Cyber Essentials Plus?

Are you interested in achieving a Cyber Essentials certification but unsure as to what level of certification is best for you? In this blog, we break down the main differences between Cyber Essentials & Cyber Essentials Plus. As well as offer recommendations for which level of certification businesses should consider.

Let’s recap what Cyber Essentials is

As mentioned in our previous blogs, Cyber Essentials is a government-backed scheme aimed to protect businesses from 80% of the most common cyberattacks. There are 2 levels of certification that we will discuss later; Cyber Essentials & Cyber Essentials Plus. Certification must be renewed annually and cover 5 main areas of checks. Businesses who have a Cyber Essentials certification not only can be assured they comply with the latest cybersecurity measures but also have a clearer picture of their company’s cyber security level.

So, what is Cyber Essentials?

This is the basic level of certification. Achieving Cyber Essentials involves the completion of a self-assessment questionnaire. This questionnaire involves 8 sections and has a total of 70 questions. Here at The Unite Group, we can provide support before taking the assessment to ensure all expected standards are met. As well as providing assistance throughout the application. Upon completion, the business owner or board-level representative must then sign a declaration that all answers are completed correctly. This is then reviewed by a Cyber Essentials assessor and successful applicants will receive their certification.

Who do we recommend Cyber Essentials to?

We recommend the Cyber Essentials certification to all businesses who want to demonstrate that they take cybersecurity seriously. Having this certification can also open new doors for business opportunities as it is a requirement to bid for Government contracts. We recommend this to smaller corporations that want to ensure they are complying with recommended safety measures.

Now let’s compare this with Cyber Essentials Plus

The Cyber Essentials Plus certification involves the same first steps as the Cyber Essentials scheme. Therefore, meaning they both include the completion of the self-assessment questionnaire. However, Cyber Essentials Plus then goes on to further include a vulnerabilities assessment and an on-site assessment. The assessment covers the controls your organisation has in place. As well as, your employee’s work-from-home locations. Also assessing any third parties who may have access to your premises or IT infrastructure. These assessments are undertaken by a trained and qualified Cyber Essentials Plus assessor.

Who do we recommend the Cyber Essentials Plus scheme to?

Here at The Unite Group, we recommend this scheme to those businesses that want to demonstrate higher levels of cybersecurity protection. Whilst Cyber Essentials is a great starting point, the added levels of assessment included in this scheme increase a business’s protection far more. Those who hold a Cyber Essentials Plus certification can bid for Ministry of Defence contracts.

Recap

To recap, the main difference between the two schemes is that the Cyber Essentials Plus certification covers more areas of assessment. It includes a more rigorous test of an organisation’s cybersecurity systems. Experts carry out vulnerability tests and as a result, ensure organisations are well protected against basic hacking and phishing attacks. Therefore, we strongly recommend this option to businesses who want to ensure they best protect their data and that of their customers.

Let us help!

Here at The Unite Group, we can guide you through Cyber Essentials and help you protect your business. We have in-house Cyber Essentials assessors to not only approve certifications but also provide support throughout the application process. We are a friendly voice on the other end of the phone to support you through the certification from start to end.

To find out more, book a quick call with our team today!

October 14, 2022
The 6 worst cyberattacks of 2022 (so far!)

As expected, in the first 10 months of 2022, there have been multiple major cyberattacks that have resulted in a loss of productivity, revenue or large-scale data leaks. Whilst some of the largest attacks have been in countries such as America and Ukraine. There have also been some major cyberattacks within the UK. Although these cyberattacks are the ones that receive media coverage, there are many more attacks on smaller businesses that cause major devastation. So far in 2022, 39% of UK businesses have identified cyberattacks within their business. Fortunately, this number is significantly less than in 2020, as 46% of businesses identified cyberattacks. Without further ado, here are the 6 worst cyberattacks of 2022 so far.

KP Snacks – Ransomware Attack

KP Snacks, the maker of KP Nuts, Hula Hoops, Nik Naks, Tyrell’s, Pom-Bears and more, fell victim to a ransomware attack in January of this year. The gang behind this attack was Conti, an infamous cybercrime group from Russia. Shortly after the attack was detected, KP Snacks released a statement explaining that it could not ‘safely process order or dispatch goods’ due to the incident. Following this, there were supply chain issues until the end of March.

As is now expected, the Conti gang operate double extortion, whereby they would release stolen data if KP Snacks did not pay the ransom. Initially, a small number of staff documents were posted online. These had a 5-day countdown. That when the clock hits zero, all data will be released, unless the ransom is paid. However, the post on the Conti website was removed soon after. This potentially indicates that the ransom was paid, or the two parties were in negotiation. With this being said, neither party disclosed whether or not the ransom was paid.

UKVCAS – Data Breach

In April, the UK Home Office’s visa service had to apologise for a data breach in which the email addresses of over 170 customers were mistakenly copied into an email. The email was informing a customer of a change in the time of their appointment. The emails included in this breach were a combination of personal emails and lawyers working on behalf of customers. This data breach was particularly noteworthy as UKVCAS is run on behalf of the Home Office by a private contractor. Therefore it was not directly the Home Office’s fault. The breach was likely a case of an accidental malicious insider. Businesses can decrease the likelihood of these forms of breaches through regular cybersecurity awareness training.

The Works – Presumed Ransomware Attack

UK Retail chain, The Works, was forced to shut down a number of its stores in April due to a widespread cyberattack. Although the retailer did not go into much detail about the nature of the attack, it is believed to have interrupted deliveries, extended online order fulfilment times and compromised the safety of payments on their POS systems. After the attack was remediated, it was found that no customer data was exfiltrated. However, it is believed that the attack was a ransomware attack. Although it is unknown how much the ransom amount was, or how The Works restored their systems.

The real-world impact of this attack was the fact that the share price for The Works fell by 10% the day they announced the cyberattack. There was also a loss of revenue from the stores that were unable to open due to the attack.

Crypto.com – Account Compromise

In January, one of the largest cryptocurrency exchanges, Crypto.com, released a statement explaining they were the victim of an account compromise attack that resulted in 4,836.26 Ethereum and 443.93 Bitcoin being stolen, totalling approximately $35 million. The attack affected 483 users, and the threat actors performed unauthorised withdrawals from the victims’ wallets to their own. Interestingly, the attackers were able to perform the withdrawals without the MFA authentication control being inputted by the user. After the attack, Crypto.com suspended all withdrawals and migrated to a new MFA infrastructure.

Crypto.com was able to prevent some of the unauthorised withdrawals before it was too late, and the company reimbursed customers so there was no loss of customer funds. Crypto.com has now implemented a new program, the Worldwide Account Protection Program, which will prevent this from happening again. The program includes controls such as the use of MFA and anti-phishing codes.

Ukrainian Government – Website Hacks & DDoS Attacks

Throughout the first quarter of 2022, Russian hackers targeted many Ukrainian websites, including multiple government and financial services websites. In January, around 70 websites were hacked, including the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Cabinet of Ministers and Security and Defense Council. The majority of these hacks only involved changing the text on the website to display pro-Russia sentiments.

Shortly after, Russian threat actors targeted multiple government, non-profit and information technology organisations throughout Ukraine with a piece of malware disguised as ransomware. The malware had all the features of ransomware, but lacked a recovery feature, meaning that it simply destroyed all files on the victim’s computer.

Early in February, there were several large distributed denial of service (DDoS) attacks. These brought down the websites of the Defense Ministry, Army and Ukraine’s two largest banks. Later in the month, there were more DDoS attacks, but the organisations were able to recover quickly from these.

From March until the present day, there are still many cyberattacks being launched against Ukrainian citizens and businesses. Most of these attacks are phishing attacks, with the goal of launching widespread malware attacks.

Ronin – Account Compromise

In March, one of the largest cyberattacks in recent history occurred. A threat actor stole approximately $600 million worth of digital assets. These were stolen from a blockchain network, Ronin, that is connected to a popular online game, Axie Infinity, created by Sky Mavis. This attack was possible as there were some outdated Sky Mavis accounts with dangerous permission levels. The attacks were able to compromise these accounts and subsequent nodes. Therefore allowing them to authorise fake transactions on the network or bridge that handles converting tokens, Ronin. The hackers were able to steal 173,600 Ether and 2.5 million USD Coin, totalling over $600 million. In 2021, there were many similar attacks on bridges and Decentralised Finance platforms, totalling $2.3 billion.

Whilst this form of attack is not viable for most businesses, it acts as a cautionary reminder for businesses looking to adopt new Web 3.0 technologies.

Added Bonus – Two Largest Bug Bounties

Although the media is awash with stories of malicious actors exploiting vulnerabilities and targeting organisations, there is a community of ethical hackers actively trying to find exploits to responsibly disclose them to the affected organisation. Many organisations offer a monetary reward for finding these vulnerabilities, called a bug bounty program. So far in 2022, we have seen two of the largest bug bounties paid out. One totalling $6 million, and another totalling $10 million.

The $6 million bug bounty was awarded to the ethical security hacker by the name of pwning.eth who found a critical vulnerability in the Aurora Engine, a bridging and scaling solution for the cryptocurrency Ethereum. If pwning.eth was to have exploited the vulnerability it could have cost the company $200 million.

The $10 million bug bounty was awarded to the bug hunter Satya0x after discovering a vulnerability in Wormhole cryptocurrency bridge. Wormhole is the message-passing protocol that connects blockchains such as Ethereum, Terra and Binance Smart Chain. If the vulnerability was exploited, it could have resulted in $736 million worth of digital assets being lost forever.

How to Keep Your Business Safe

The past few years have taught us that all businesses, regardless of size, industry or location, are at risk of falling victim to cyberattacks. Although there is no way to ensure that your business is immune to cyberattacks, there are controls and solutions that can be implemented to significantly decrease your cyber risk, as well as making detection and remediation as effective as possible.

We strongly recommend achieving a Cyber Essentials certification to best protect your data. If you want to find out more about how your business can reduce its risk of a cyberattacks in 2022, contact us today or arrange an appointment with our team.

October 11, 2022
Cybersecurity Awareness Month
Did you know October is cybersecurity awareness month? As we shift towards a more digital way of life in 2022, cybersecurity has never been more important! This month is focused on helping businesses, their employees & customer understand the risks that we should be aware of online. As well as the measure we should be taking to reduce the risk of falling victim to such an attack.

In this blog we share our top tips to take the first steps in protecting yourself from cybercrimes.

1. Use strong passwords

One of the easiest ways internet users can fall victim to cybercrimes is through easily guessed passwords. Therefore, we recommend you create strong passwords by using the following:
- A combination of upper- and lower-case letters.
- Include numbers.
- Include symbols.
- Never include your name, birthday or other personal information.
- Use different passwords for different applications.
- Always create passwords with at least 12 characters.
Taking such measures should reduce the chance of a hacker gaining access to your account. If you are a business owner, you should ensure all employees have appropriate passwords to ensure your business is not vulnerable to an attack.

2.      Ensure all software is up to date

We are all guilty of pressing ‘later’ when the dreaded software update pops up. However, this habit must change! Software updates do not only include new features, they are also designed to strengthen the stability of any software and tackle the latest viruses.

Not staying up to date with software updates compromises your cybersecurity massively in comparison to those who do.

This also is a part of the Cyber Essentials scheme so if your business is working towards this certification software updates must be completed.

3.      Be sure to have antivirus software installed

Can you afford for your device to be slow, damaged or have important files deleted? We’re sure the answer is no. Therefore, it’s vital you have antivirus software installed. Antivirus software detects and removes files before they can do any serious damage to your device & files.

Unsure what antivirus to go for or how to install it? Our helpdesk team can help, contact us today!

4.      Use public Wi-Fi cautiously

When using public Wi-Fi you should be cautious of what files you open as hackers can create unsafe networks or steal your information through an unsecure connection.

Therefore, we recommend you consider what you use public Wi-Fi for. For example, avoid accessing your online banking unless you are 100% sure your connection is safe.

Did you know, here at The Unite Group we offer Horizon Wi-Fi our safe public Wi-Fi solution? Are you sure your connection is safe & that you are protecting the data of your customers? If you are unsure get in touch today and we can best advise.

5.      Regularly backup your data

Regular backups of your data are one way to protect yourself in the unfortunate situation of falling victim to an attack. For best practice, we recommend using the 3-2-1 approach.
- Have three copies of your data,
- On 2 different storage mediums,
- With one off-site copy!
Here at The Unite Group, we offer a managed backup solution. Click here to learn more about this service!

6. For businesses, achieve a Cyber Essentials Certification

One simple way for businesses to protect themselves against 80% of the most basic cyber threats is by achieving a Cyber Essentials certification. This scheme covers 5 key areas of cybersecurity:
- Access control – having managing access to administrator accounts means you can protect who has access to your data and services.
- Software Updates – staying current with the latest software updates and security patches protects you against the newest cyber-attacks and vulnerabilities.
- Firewalls & Routers – creating a buffer-zone’ between your IT network and other external networks. This will ensure incoming traffic is analysed to find out if you would like to allow it access to your network.
- Secure Configuration – choosing the most secure setting for your device and software. As well as changing passwords and removing unused accounts and software will reduce the risk of a potential cyber-attack.
- Malware Protection – using properly configured anti-malware software will protect against viruses and other malware risks. This also includes to only allow trusted applications to run.
To learn more about how Cyber Essentials can protect your business, click here!

Throughout the month we will be sharing more top tips on our socials so be sure to keep an eye on our Facebook, Instagram & LinkedIn!
October 4, 2022
An interview with a Cyber Essentials assessor

We recently interviewed Rob, one of our Cyber Essentials assessor’s here at The Unite Group. Rob has received his qualification to be a Cyber Essentials Assessor. This means he can assess companies for the Cyber Essentials accreditation.

Cyber Essentials is a program from GCHQ’s National Cyber Security Centre. Achieving this accreditation gives companies security from known security vulnerabilities.

Rob talked us through some common FAQ’s surrounding Cyber Essentials and the scheme it follows.

What is the role of a Cyber Essentials Assessor within The Unite Group?

As a Cyber Essentials Assessor I am accredited to assess a company to see if they will meet the requirements of the Cyber essentials certification.

When a company wants Cyber Essentials accreditation, The Unite Group will do a quick survey to see how ready the company is for accreditation. Following this, I will advise if there are any changes likely required to meet the accreditation. After the company has applied for the accreditation, and any changes have been made in order to comply, I go through the details of a company and assess this against the Cyber Essentials specification, and will ultimately give the company there grade.

Why is it important to get a Cyber Essentials Certification?

Cyber Essentials is a accreditation developed in partnership with the National Cyber Security Centre, part of GCHQ. Cyber Essentials gives a company a well rounded foundation in security that will mitigate the majority of attacks that companies face. With a Cyber Essentials Certification a company can demonstrate to it’s clients or other business that they are prepared to protect themselves from a cyber attack. This can also be used to demonstrate that the company is insurable against a cyber attack coming. For some companies it would be possible to get insurance as part of the Cyber Essentials certification.

How can Cyber Essentials help protect businesses?

Cyber Essentials demonstrates that your business has various security practices in place. Cyber Essentials has various requirements for how to secure your business routers, firewalls, services, end user devices, and to secure users access.

Your companies router and firewall is what keeps your companies network protected from the general internet. This is just as important as the walls and doors that prevent an attacker just walking in. You may have much of your companies information running on important services. Think of how hard it would be if you didn’t have access to emails for a day!

What is involved in the Cyber Essentials process?

To apply for Cyber Essentials there is a form that demonstrates that your business has all the protections in place. You have to provide evidence of the policies and processes. As well as technical measures that your business has in place to protect the business. These will demonstrate that the measures in place are sufficient to meet the requirements of Cyber Essentials.

How can The Unite Group support businesses through the process?

The Unite Group can help by updating your business to have all of technical measures in place to meet the requirements of Cyber Essentials. We can provide the evidence that is required. Likewise we can provide the details of any technical measures that are in place to protect your business.

The Unite Group can go through all the questions required with you and make sure that you know what is required. We also go through what is currently in place, so you know if there are any changes that your business needs to make in order to achieve the Cyber Essentials accreditation.

Once your business is ready to apply for Cyber Essentials The Unite Group can prepare the final document, and submit this for examination.

Interested in learning more or perhaps you have some questions you’d like answered about Cyber Essentials? Arrange a call with Dean today!

September 30, 2022
September 2022 – Newsletter

Here we are again with our monthly newsletter! As The Unite Group we love keeping our customers up to date with the latest deals, tips, industry news as well as what our fantastic team are getting up to! Read our September issue to see what we have got up to in the past month!

In this newsletter: We attended the Network+ Back to Networking event, we welcome Craig to our team, we share the upcoming Expos we will be attending, share info about the Cyber Essentials scheme, share the the next Network+ event & have a special offer from the Social+ team for all our customers!

To read The Unite Group’s September Monthly Newsletter, click on the image below!

To be added to our mailing list drop us an email, info@theunitegroup.co.uk or to speak to our friendly team call us on, 0191 466 1050

September 28, 2022
Why do I need Cyber Essentials?

Let’s cover why you need a cyber essentials certification?

So, why is achieving a Cyber Essentials certification so important?

In our recent blogs, we have covered the basics of a Cyber Essentials certification as well as what exactly the process of gaining the certification involves. We now move on to covering why you need a Cyber Essentials certification. As well as the opportunities that come with having the certification.

Below, we cover 4 benefits of achieving a Cyber Essentials certification.

1.      Reduce the risk of falling victim to a cyber attack

With cyber-attacks and threats on the rise, it has never been more important to ensure your business protects itself from falling victim. Around 71.1 million people fall victim to cybercrimes every year! Having a Cyber Essentials certification gives you peace of mind that your business is protected against around 80% of the most basic cybercrimes.

2.      Demonstrate to your customers that you take cyber security seriously

Holding a Cyber Essentials certification demonstrates to your customer base that you take both your own as well as their cyber security seriously. This is likely to attract customers to use you over a competitor as they will feel safer that their personal data is protected. No customer ever wants to feel they are at risk of a data breach. Therefore, having a cyber essentials certification will help you retain and attract customers.

3.      Open your organisation to the opportunities of working with the Government and the Ministry of Defence

Did you know, that all Government and Ministry of Defence organisations require their contractors to hold a Cyber Essentials certification to even be considered as a company they can work with? Therefore, for any business that would like to put forward to win contracts within this sector, a cyber essentials certification is vital! Even if this is not an area your business is currently looking to work with, many large organisations are starting to take the same stance. So, not having a certification could hinder your chance of winning contracts.

4.      Feel confident you have the basic levels of protection in place

The Cyber Essentials certification is only valid for one year and must be renewed annually. This however ensures that you are protected against the latest cybercrimes and that your measures put in place remain relevant. This therefore means you can be confident you are ensuring your cyber security is up-to-date. Achieving certification also involves ensuring all software is installed with the latest updates which further protects you from the latest, most advanced cyber threats.

Who needs Cyber Essentials?

In short, every business! After considering the above points, it is hard to find a business that would not want to first protect itself from cybercrime but also its customer base! Aside from that, the opportunity to work with larger organisations as well as bid for Government and Ministry of Defence contracts makes achieving the certification very worthwhile for a lot of businesses looking to expand and attract larger clientele.

Is it worth it?

Yes! Achieving a Cyber Essentials certification is absolutely worth it. It ensures you are protected from the vast majority of basic attacks whilst also giving your customers enhance trust in your businesses as well as opening the doors to new opportunities.

Do you want to learn more about achieving a Cyber Essentials certification? Contact us today and our friendly, knowledgeable team will be happy to explain in more detail the Cyber Essentials process or help you take the first steps to achieve your Cyber Essentials Certification!

September 15, 2022
What is the Cyber Essentials scheme?

Let’s breakdown the Cyber Essentials scheme.

Now that we’ve covered the basics of Cyber Essentials in our latest blog let’s dive deeper into exactly what the scheme entails. How long it is valid for. As well as how we can support your business as you work through achieving the certification. It is very important your business achieves the cyber essentials certification. 61% of certified organisations say they are more likely to choose suppliers with Cyber Essentials or Cyber Essentials Plus certification.

Cyber Essentials Scheme: Overview

The Cyber Essentials scheme is an ISAMW self-assessment questionnaire process. The questionnaire will then be signed off by a member of the board or an equivalent signory. After this, it is then verified by a certification body trained and licensed to certify against the Cyber Essentials scheme (like ourselves here at The Unite Group). It is important before applying you ensure your organisation meets all the requirements. This includes having evidence ready to be provided to prove you meet the requirements.

What is in the scope for Cyber Essentials?

The scope will be agreed upon between your organisation and The Unite Group, (as your certification body), before the assessment begins. Certification can apply to your full organisation’s enterprise IT or just a subset.

How long is Cyber Essentials Valid for?

All certificates are valid for 12 months. They must be renewed annually, much like your cars MOT. This works well to ensure your organisation is protected against the latest cyber-attacks. As those carrying out attacks are constantly looking for new ways to catch out and successfully breach data. If you do not reapply for your Cyber Essentials Certification as the 12-month period expires, you will no longer be able to apply for contracts that require you to hold a valid Cyber Essentials certification – like Government contracts.

What is in the Cyber Essentials certification scheme?

The Cyber Essentials scheme covers 5 main areas:

Access control.

Having managing access to administrator accounts means you can protect who has access to your data and services.

Software Updates

Staying current with the latest software updates and security patches protects you against the newest cyber-attacks and vulnerabilities.

Firewalls & Routers

Creating a buffer-zone’ between your IT network and other external networks. This will ensure incoming traffic is analysed to find out if you would like to allow it access to your network.

Secure Configuration

Choosing the most secure setting for your device and software. As well as changing passwords and removing unused accounts and software will reduce the risk of a potential cyber-attack.

Malware Protection

Using properly configured anti-malware software will protect against viruses and other malware risks. This also includes to only allow trusted applications to run.

How long does it take between submitting the online questionnaire to receive your certificate?

The length of time it takes from application to certification can vary. Some may be verified in one or two days. Whereas, others may take around two weeks to complete the assessment. This is dependent upon your current security setup and speed of action. Those who partake in the Cyber Essentials Plus scheme should expect a longer assessment period as it involves the internal security assessment as well as an external scan.

How can we support you through the Cyber Essentials process?

Here at The Unite Group, we can provide support to you throughout the process. We are an authorised certificate issuing body for Cyber Essentials. As a result, we can manage the entire process for you from the initial audit, remedial works, and certificate issue.

Do you want peace of mind that your defences will protect you from a large amount of the most common cyber-attacks? Contact us today and our friendly, knowledgeable team will be happy to explain in more detail the Cyber Essentials certification process or help you take the first steps to achieve your Cyber Essentials Certification!

September 8, 2022
A chat with Dean, our Sales and Finance Director

Dean, our Sales & Finance director.

Following on in our meet the team series, we introduce you to Dean. Dean is one of our Sales and Finance Directors here at The Unite Group. He mostly focuses on the finance side of the business.

We recently had a chat with him to find out a bit more about him and his role…

Growing up, what did you want to be?

When I was young, my dream job was to join the Royal Airforce and become a Royal Airforce Pilot. Pilots need to be able to make quick decisions based on reasoning. A skill which I suppose is serving me well in my current role.

What is your role at The Unite Group and how did you end up where you are now?

I am one of the directors within the Unite Group I deal with IT, sales and Finances. From previous roles, I have gained experience both in sales roles and technical roles. So, technical sales just make sense. I love working with numbers and data and so taking on the role of managing the group’s finances is purely because I enjoy it. My role means I work closely with Lorraine on a lot of projects.

What does a typical day look like at The Unite Group?

There is no typical day for me. There are so many things that I deal with on a day-to-day basis. Some days I can be working on sales quotes and completing the onboarding of a new client. On other days I can be right in the middle of a technical job. There are days when I just deal with the data and numbers. There are days when I can be doing all of these jobs within one day. I just do whatever needs to be done at any given time.

What is your most and least favourite part of the Sales & Finance directors job?

Currently, the least favourite part of my job is dealing with supply chain issues. Due to various issues over the last couple of years, we’ve seen a global shortage of materials needed to manufacture devices we typically supply to our customers.

What is your greatest achievement?

Aside from being a part of building a business group to be proud of, my 3 children are my greatest achievement in life.

What is the best piece of advice you’ve been given?

Don’t be the cheapest, be the best instead. To me, this is ensuring that customers get value for the money they pay. It’s about being customer focused and realizing that there is no point in being the most expensive or the cheapest in the business if what you are providing isn’t worth it.

Where do you see yourself in 10 years’ time?

Doing what I’m doing now, hopefully in a larger capacity as the group grows.

How do you unwind outside of work?

I have 3 kids, varied in ages and interests. I enjoy spending time with them but there is no unwinding. I’m not even sure what that word means. However, on extremely rare occasions when I am not working or running around after kids, I do enjoy gaming.

To arrange a chat with Dean, or if you want to see how The Unite Group can help you with your business technology needs, contact us on 0191 466 1050.

September 6, 2022
What is Cyber Essentials Certification and why should you get it?
We answer your questions about Cyber Essentials!

You keep hearing the term cyber essentials, but what exactly does it mean? Why should your business consider being a part of the scheme? With cyber-attacks becoming ever more common, there is no better time to understand the steps you can take to protect your business from the most basic attacks. Many cyber-attacks are carried out by low skilled individuals. So taking some basic steps can massively reduce the chance of you falling victim to one! Here at The Unite Group as your trusted technology provider we want to best advise our customers on how to protect themselves as well as their customer data. In this blog, we will explain to you the basics of Cyber Essentials. As well as how we can help & guide you through achieving the certification.

What is Cyber Essentials?

Cyber Essentials is a Government-backed and industry-supported scheme that allows businesses to protect themselves from cyber-attacks. The scheme lays out a clear statement of the basic cybersecurity measures an organisation should have in place to protect themselves from the growing threat of attacks.

Cyber essentials is a foundation level certification. This was created to provide the basic controls an organisations should have in place to reduce the risk of common cyber threats. This first step protects you from 80% of the most basic cyber security breaches.

Upon completion, organisations can then move onto Cyber Essentials Plus. This is the highest level of certification offered in the scheme, so this includes a more rigorous test of an organisations Cyber Security systems. Experts carry out vulnerability tests and ensure organisations are well protected against basic hacking and phishing attacks.

What does the certification process include?

Obtaining The Cyber Essentials certification is a relatively simple process
1. Choose The Unite Group as your Provider
2. Complete your self-assessment questionnaire and then await its review.
3. Once your submission is approved, you will then receive your certificate.
If for any reason you have any issues, Unite will be here to support you through the process.

Who runs Cyber Essentials?

It was developed and is operated by NCSC (the National Cyber Security Centre). It is the UK Government’s answer to a safer internet space for all organisations of all sizes.

Is Cyber Essentials UK only?

Although it was developed by the UK’s National Cyber Security Centre, it is globally recognised as a certification that enhances an organisations protection against data breaches and leaks. Therfore, organisations with global customers can complete this certification and be confident it will be recognised internationally.

Why should you get Cyber Essentials?

Having certification allows businesses to show you can trust them and take their security seriously when it comes to cyber security. This can open new opportunities as a lot of larger organisations will only work with companies who can demonstrate their cyber security protection measures. Many Government contracts require certification to be considered.

However, the benefits are not only external. Internally the scheme provides a clear picture of your organisations cyber security level. You can feel confident you have taken the necessary steps to protect your businesses. Therefore eliminating some of the risk of your organisation experiencing an attack.

Can you afford not to have certification? Are you ready to protect not only your organisation but the data of your customers by doing the Cyber Essentials certification?

How can we support you through the process?

Here at The Unite Group, we can provide support to you throughout the process. Unite are an authorised certificate issuing body for Cyber Essentials. As a result we can manage the entire process for you from initial audit, remedial works and certificate issue.

Do you want peace of mind that your defences will protect you from a large amount of the most common cyber-attacks? Contact us today and our friendly, knowledgeable team will be happy to explain in more detail the Cyber Essentials certification process or help you take the first steps to achieving your Cyber Essentials Certification!
August 17, 2022