Halifax IT firm to help ‘55% of firms hit by cyber attacks’

Each year, authorities throughout Europe aim to raise awareness of cybersecurity threats in October – and it serves as a valuable reminder for organisations to assess their own digital safety net.

In 2019, 55 per cent of UK businesses have been targeted by cybercrime, a 15 per cent increase on last year, meaning there has never been a better time to address the security of your company’s data.

Help is at hand from Calder IT, an expanding IT services business based in Halifax, which offers IT products and services for small to medium-sized businesses throughout the region.

The growing company, which celebrated its two-year anniversary in March, has just moved into new offices in Blackwall and now offers support to more than 30 customers including a Manchester-based University, Ian Firth Hardware and two local charities.

Managing director James Buller says there are a number of ways Calder IT can help firms to prevent online attacks, from educating employees to backing up data regularly.

"We provide a range of complementary products or services for a company's IT, starting with the firewall that they use to protect the perimeter,” he explains.

"Then it is about making sure the machines are patched and up to date, running antivirus software and that the email system is protected against spam and phishing attacks. We can provide content filtering, to make sure that employees are safe with what they are doing online and that they are only visiting sites that are business-focused.

"Every time a user browses a website, your business is potentially exposed to risk; this risk may be from a legitimate website that has been hacked, allowing malicious content to be downloaded. We also offer user advice: companies really need to educate employees about the threat that something could get into the system so they are more cautious.

"And finally, we provide back-up monitoring and solutions which mean that, if the worst does happen and you are hit with a ransomware attack, we can have all your key data saved and backed up elsewhere."

With European Cybersecurity Month offering the ideal opportunity for West Yorkshire organisations to take stock of the security systems they have in place, the training provided and the importance they place on countering cyber threats, it’s good to know that there are local experts you can trust, adds James.

“Our ‘Protection as a Service’ suite of products means your business is protected by providing anti-virus, content filtering, enterprise grade firewall and patch management for a single monthly fee,” he says.

“We’ve recently doubled our office space and are actively recruiting another consultant, and we have ambitious plans for growth in the next few years so now is a great time to start working with us.

“Our clients range from £45m businesses to organisations with five people: all our products can be tailored to meet your needs and we’d especially like to hear from new customers in the distribution and manufacturing industries, as that is my personal area of expertise.”

To see how an IT health check could benefit your business, no matter what size, contact Calder IT today by emailing [email protected] or visit www.calderit.com.

Calder IT is one of the sponsors of the Calderdale Excellence In Business Awards, organised by the Halifax Courier, part of the JPI Media Group.