Award highlights Borders College’s commitment to online security

In the modern digital age it’s vital that businesses do all they can to help protect themselves from the menace of online threats.

Borders College is no exception, and after some excellent work from the ISLT department, they have recently been awarded the Cyber Essentials Plus accreditation, helping to reassure their students, staff and customers that they remain one step ahead of cybercrime.

ISLT teamed up with their security partners, Barrier Networks, to identify fundamental technical security controls that the College needs to have in place to help defend against internet-borne attacks.

The process involved the department putting into place best security practices, allowing staff to refocus on the security side of things and ensuring all systems, firewalls and network infrastructure were up-to-date. This also involved reviewing old equipment, trimming down the standard package on all laptops and putting automated procedures in place – helping to minimise time-consuming manual updates.

Cyber Essentials is a UK government information assurance scheme that encourages organisations to adopt good practice in information security, and aids businesses in protecting themselves from common threats to their network security.

Stage 1, the initial part of the process, was successfully passed back in May and involved a self-assessment. To be awarded the Cyber Essentials Plus accreditation, the College had to pass a series of tests, carried out by Barrier Networks, and prove that their systems were capable of withstanding any online threats.

Head of ISLT, Scott Moncrieff, commented:

“Having a solid security system in place is essential for any business these days and this award shows that we, as a College, are committed to keeping our systems as safe as possible for our customers, students and staff. I can’t thank the team enough for the hard work they put in to this. Moving forward with the changes we have made, along with the automation we have put in place, it will be easier to maintain our accreditation.”

Vice Principal, Hazel Robertson, commented:

“This is a significant milestone for the College. Much of what this team do is behind the scenes, however we could not function as a College without their individual and collective efforts. This certification is a key cornerstone in our plans for digital delivery and development.”

Cyber Essentials is an ongoing process and will be reviewed next year, ensuring the College remains committed to securing their infrastructure and data to give all their students, staff and customers peace of mind that the College takes security seriously.