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nuWARP offers free advice on IT system vulnerabilities

The Information Commissioner’s Office is toughening data protection laws, with heavy fines being levied on those companies that are found guilty of a data loss. This is not to mention the profound damage to a business’s image if a data loss incident is publicized by a competitor or the press. There are massive implications for the
regions’ SMEs. We already know, from official government figures, that 65% of UK SMEs have information that would cause significant business disruption if it were to be corrupted, lost or stolen, yet only 10% of SMEs actually employ qualified information security staff.

In response Northumbria University’s Warning, Advice and digital security Reporting Point (nuWARP) in partnership with Bdaily is offering free information security vulnerability assessments to SMEs across the region. The North East is the latest UK region to join the WARP programme, which is part of the UK Government’s Centre for the Protection of National Infrastructure (CPNI), initiative on securing information infrastructures. The nuWARP will provide an identifiable point of contact for regional SMEs, offering them guidance, support and solutions to IT system vulnerabilities.

The nuWARP has a range of different services to meet differing business needs. These will include a filtered digital security warning service, an advice brokering service, information systems security training, a trusted sharing service and an incident response service – where members can seek independent technical solutions to their information security problems.

Developed by Dr Christopher Laing, Digital Security Researcher at Northumbria University, the nuWARP will provide a community-based service, which enables members to receive and share up-to-date advice on information security threats, incidents and solutions. As Dr Laing points out, “if an SME does suffer a security
breach, they are often reluctant to share that information, but the nuWARP offers a solution by ‘anonymizing’ that information – in effect the nuWARP provides a trusted environment for sharing incident reports, enabling the regional business community to exchange advice and best practice, and giving members the chance to request help and assistance when dealing with data security issues – a shared intelligence that emerges from a collective and transparent collaboration of individuals dealing with a similar problem”.

Full details of the national WARP initiative can be found at www.warp.gov.uk, and for more information on the free information security vulnerability assessments for regional SMEs, please email your name, business name, business address, and contact telephone number to [christopher.laing@nuwarp.org.uk](http://The Information Commissioner?s Office is toughening data protection laws, with heavy fines being levied on those companies that are found guilty of a data loss. This is not to mention the profound damage to a business?s image if a data loss incident is publicized by a competitor or the press. There are massive implications for the regions? SMEs. We already know, from official government figures, that 65% of UK SMEs have information that would cause significant business disruption if it were to be corrupted, lost or stolen, yet only 10% of SMEs actually employ qualified information security staff.  In response Northumbria University?s Warning, Advice and digital security Reporting Point (nuWARP) in partnership with Bdaily is offering free information security vulnerability assessments to SMEs across the region.  The North East is the latest UK region to join the WARP programme, which is part of the UK Government?s Centre for the Protection of National Infrastructure (CPNI), initiative on securing information infrastructures. The nuWARP will provide an identifiable point of contact for regional SMEs, offering them guidance, support and solutions to IT system vulnerabilities. The nuWARP has a range of different services to meet differing business needs. These will include a filtered digital security warning service, an advice brokering service, information systems security training, a trusted sharing service and an incident response service ? where members can seek independent technical solutions to their information security problems.  Developed by Dr Christopher Laing, Digital Security Researcher at Northumbria University, the nuWARP will provide a community-based service, which enables members to receive and share up-to-date advice on information security threats, incidents and solutions. As Dr Laing points out, ?if an SME does suffer a security breach, they are often reluctant to share that information, but the nuWARP offers a solution by ?anonymizing? that information ? in effect the nuWARP provides a trusted environment for sharing incident reports, enabling the regional business community to exchange advice and best practice, and giving members the chance to request help and assistance when dealing with data security issues ? a shared intelligence that emerges from a collective and transparent collaboration of individuals dealing with a similar problem?.  Full details of the national WARP initiative can be found at www.warp.gov.uk, and for more information on the free information security vulnerability assessments for regional SMEs, please email your name, business name, business address, and contact telephone number to christopher.laing@nuwarp.org.uk.).

This was posted in Bdaily's Members' News section by nuWARP, Northumbria University .