Jupiter celebrates 10 years with launch of cyber health checks
Jupiter IT directors (from left) Dan Gladstone, Craig Paul and Iain Powell offering IT health checks to help tackle cyber crime.
A HIGH-TECH trio who left the NHS to set up their own company are marking its 10th anniversary with a campaign to improve the IT health of local businesses.
The directors at Jupiter IT are offering 10 free cyber security audits to help local businesses strengthen their defences against attacks which could shut down their systems, cost thousands of pounds to fix and jeopardise relations with key clients.
The audits will be offered on a first come, first served basis, with no obligations or other strings attached. Dan Gladstone, Infrastructure Director of the Hull-based firm, said the idea came from recognising how IT has changed in the 10 years since Jupiter was founded, and how threats have become more serious and more expensive.
Dan said: “People are investing a lot more time and money in IT and much of that is because of cyber-crime. When we started 10 years ago it was about viruses that would slow down your machine. Now it’s spam filters, proper firewalls, cyber security, encrypted emails, cloud technology. The job has changed in a crazy way.
“IT is a powerful tool and it’s also much more dangerous, with the need to comply with data protection, the risk of losing access to vital data and the financial hit which results from that.”
Current major issues include ransomware attacks carried out at random, and the safeguarding of data in readiness for the General Data Protection Regulation which will take effect in May 2018.
Dan and colleagues, Technical Director Iain Powell and Operations Director Craig Paul, lead a team of seven who have turned Jupiter from a fledgling business with no contacts or track record into a leader in IT services and a proud holder of the Government’s Cyber Essentials certification.
Achieving Cyber Essentials accreditation for a regional recruitment company convinced Jupiter of the need to make the standard part of its own routine. The company has since guided a local accountancy practice and a Hull-based law firm through the process.
Dan said: “What those clients all have in common is the need to protect the highly sensitive data which is at the heart of what they do. From our background in the NHS we are well aware of the importance of data privacy. There is an IT sector and a separate Cyber Essentials sector, and we have made sure we operate to the highest standards in both.
“Security is more of an issue for the bigger organisations but firms of all sizes tender for contracts with government bodies and the NHS, and increasingly they have to have Cyber Essentials.
“People might wonder why cyber criminals would be interested in their little organisation and its data, but there’s nothing personal about it. They just penetrate where they can, so we’ve decided that the best way to celebrate our 10th anniversary would be to help 10 businesses improve the health of their IT.
“We’ll examine the IT system and produce a report on the risks and potential implications of a security breach. We have prevented serious damage to a client’s business in the past by identifying holes in their system.”
Craig added: “While we were with the NHS we regularly had to deal with large scale virus outbreaks which affected NHS staff. and patients in a big way. Our ability to recognise threats and deal with them promptly has been a major factor in the success of Jupiter IT. We've brought the professional ethics of working as part of the largest IT Helpdesk in the area to the private sector. Our keen eye for detail has set us apart from the competition when it comes to IT Support."
To register for the cyber health check contact Jupiter IT on 01482 974444 or by email at cybersafe@JupiterIT.cloud
