Overview.

HCB Group is a specialist provider of employee health and wellbeing services, with over 30 years of experience in the sector. They offer a range of solutions, such as occupational health, health screening, employee assistance, and absence management, to help employers improve the health and productivity of their workforce.

As a trusted partner to many organisations, HCB Group handles sensitive and confidential data on a daily basis. They must ensure their IT systems and processes are secure and compliant with the latest standards and regulations. They also need to demonstrate to their clients and prospects that they take cyber security seriously and have the necessary measures in place to protect their data.

HCB Group is already a technically mature organisation with a robust IT infrastructure and high cyber security awareness.

Objective.

• HCB Group needed to renew their Cyber Essentials Plus certification as part of their ongoing commitment to security. This certification is a government-backed scheme designed to demonstrate that an organisation takes cyber security seriously and has the necessary measures to protect sensitive data. Furthermore, HCB always opts for Cyber Essentials Plus, not Cyber Essentials Standard. Cyber Essentials Plus is a more robust version of the assessment that involves additional third-party external testing.Having just changed MSP’s, HCB now partners with Atomyc for security and compliance and another MSP for day-to-day IT support and management. As a result of this recent change, HCB commissioned Atomyc to ensure their systems firmly align with the standards set out in the Cyber Essentials scheme.

Challenges.

• HCB wanted to complete the Cyber Essentials process as quickly and smoothly as possible, with minimal disruption to their operations and services.HCB Group needed an expert partner to help them prepare for the certification and guide them through the process. They also wanted to seek opportunities to improve their overall cybersecurity posture and awareness and gain access to the latest tools and best practices.

Solution.

HCB Group chose Atomyc as their MSP partner based on their reputation and experience in cybersecurity. Atomyc provided HCB Group with a comprehensive service that included:

• A review of their cyber security posture, specifically where it relates to the requirements in Cyber Essentials.
• A cyber security plan to outline the steps and actions needed to achieve the certification
• Cyber security support to implement the necessary controls, updates, and patches required, if any.
• Liaise with the certification body to complete the additional testing required for the ‘Plus’ part of the certification.

Project Approach.

To manage the project effectively and efficiently, we used PRINCE2 as a framework that covers the key aspects of project management, such as planning, risk management, quality control, and change management. PRINCE2 also aligns with the Cyber Essentials Plus requirements and ensures that the project delivers the expected benefits and outcomes for the customer.

We also provided HCB with access to our project management system, which allows them to track the project progress, review the deliverables, and approve the tasks online. This system facilitates communication and collaboration between the project team and the customer and ensures transparency and accountability throughout the project lifecycle.

In addition, we conducted weekly project update calls and email notifications to keep HCB informed of the project status, issues, and risks. We also sought feedback from the customer on a regular basis to ensure that they are satisfied with the quality of the service and the results. These methods helped us to establish a good working relationship with the customer and to address any concerns or challenges promptly and effectively.

Conclusion.

HCB Group successfully achieved the Cyber Essentials Plus certification, demonstrating their commitment and capability to protect their data and systems from cyber-attacks. Further enhancing customer trust and confidence and increasing their competitive advantage.

HCB Group is very satisfied with the service and support they received and continues to work with Atomyc on various security and IT-related projects.

Feedback.

Name: Eoin Byrne

How satisfied were you with the overall quality and frequency of communication?:

Very Satisfied

How satisfied were you with the overall responsiveness to queries during this project?:

Very Satisfied

How satisfied were you that stakeholders and users understood and were prepared for the project?:

Satisfied

Additional feedback:

Some unanticipated challenges for the users were encountered ( including PEN testing issues and access to external PEN testing resources).

How satisfied were you with the overall technical expertise of the project manager and engineers involved in this project?:

Very Satisfied

Additional feedback:

Technical manager consistently demonstrated required tech expertise

Was the business interruption inline with your expectations?:

Yes

Were the project objectives met to your satisfaction?:

Very Satisfied

Additional feedback:

Challenge was to deliver CE+ accreditation and this was achieved

How satisfied were you with the project management software (Asana)?:

Very Satisfied

Did the use of project management solution like Asana improve your experience?:

No

What did you like most about our service?:

Level of technical expertise and proactive process management and continuous updates from project manager

What areas do you think we could improve on?:

Some additional time line expectation setting ( given the challenges in timely access to external PEN testing) would be useful

Do you think our services are 5-star, if so would you be happy to provide a 5-star Google review?:

Yes

Are you happy for us to use this feedback once annonomised:

Yes