How a Gloucestershire firm is guiding everyone from students to industry experts on their cyber journey

Trusted by both industry peers and leading educational establishments, Gloucestershire-based North Green Security is helping to make the world of cyber security less complicated, with tailored training and consultancy services to help SMEs protect themselves from cyber attacks.

By Chloe Gorman  |  Published
Cheltenham-based North Green Security works with businesses and educational institutions to provide expert guidance and training, wherever you are on your cyber journey.

Cheltenham-based cyber expert, North Green Security, is on a mission to empower businesses to protect themselves from cyber attacks by making the world of cyber security less complex and uncertain. 

Regardless of where you are in your cyber journey, North Green Security's expert team of pentesters and trainers — who are qualified at the very highest levels and have decades of industry experience — can create training and consultancy services tailored to your business's needs, in language you can understand. 

While the industry is fast-moving and ever-changing, North Green Security is trusted by its peers and fellow industry experts to provide high-level training to the staff that conduct pentesting for their own clients — like Belfast-based Vertical Structure.

Vertical Structure first started working with North Green Security in March 2022, as it was looking for a training provider to help it obtain industry certifications.

CEO, Simon Whittaker, said: 'We chose North Green Security because we wanted experts, the best in the field who knew what they were doing, and Dan and Charles were those people. They've got great experience of pentesting and are technically brilliant. That was very important to us. 

'The course was fantastic and went through what was required from the National Cyber Security Centre. Charles couldn't have been a better trainer. He had no hesitations and really knew his stuff.'

Whittaker said that North Green Security not only achieved the outcomes they were hoping for, but exceeded them.

At the other end of the spectrum, North Green Security's expertise in education means it can make the most challenging concepts easier to understand, even for students. 

It is trusted by leading educational establishments, including CyNam and Gloucestershire College, to help students and young adults take their first steps in the cyber industry, providing incredible insights and showcasing the kinds of careers on offer to them when they leave college. 

The business is a fervent supporter of the government's CyberFirst initiative, which helps students explore their love of technology by introducing them to the world of cyber security.

Charlotte Smith, cyber skills growth lead and coordinator at Cheltenham-based CyNam — which is a member of the South West CyberFirst Consortium — said: 'I can always rely on North Green to support us with our outreach work through our CyberFirst programme, where we deliver unique, face-to-face, interactive opportunities to engage with students. The programme is contracted by the National Cyber Security Centre.

'With a relaxed and confident approach to delivering and working with our schools' young adults, they were fabulous at communicating and connecting effectively.'

North Green Security has also been involved with CyNam's EmpowerCyber event for Year 8 girls, which invites all high schools in the county to bring 25 of their students to meet 20 to 25 local businesses and take part in immersive, hands-on activities all under one roof, to demonstrate the breadth of what the cyber and tech sectors can offer to young women in the county. 

When asked about the benefits of CyNam's relationship with North Green Security, Smith said: 'NGS's directors, Daniel and Kerry, are amazing, we wouldn't have been able to achieve half the things we have done without their support and it's been great to see their organisation grow in stature, products and staff — and for them to be recognised for their work throughout the cyber ecosystem.'

North Green Security also has a close relationship with Gloucestershire College and recently delivered a hands-on penetration testing workshop for students aged 16 to 21.

The students were able to conduct a pentest to see how hackers work in real time and identify vulnerabilities in the network, before presenting their results and recommendations to solve any security issues to a mock board of company directors. 

Head of computing at Gloucestershire College, Debbie Woodward, said: 'We recognise that there is a huge demand for cyber and IT professionals.

'Gloucestershire College and North Green Security have been working together since 2021 bringing learning and industry together. It is a partnership that has been built to provide meaningful learning that has an impact and ensures our learners are equipped with the right skills to support the industry.'

At this year's Cheltenham Science Festival, North Green Security even collaborated with Gloucestershire College to run a project where students created cyber security-themed games for people to play in the festival's arcade area, to make cyber security fun and accessible for festival visitors. 

With its unique capability to operate at the very highest technical levels of the industry and seamless communication with its partners, North Green Security is an ideal choice for SMEs, whether you're fluent in cyber or a complete newcomer.

North Green can help businesses navigate the ever-changing world of cyber security and provide support to fortify them against cyber threats, as well as increasing awareness of cyber risks for all staff throughout the business. 

For more information, visit northgreensecurity.com.

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