Wales Cyber Resilience Centre announces collaboration with the Federation of Small Businesses.

Wales Cyber Resilience Centre (WCRC) is delighted to announce it has joined forces with the Wales Federation of Small Businesses (FSB).

The partnership will see the two organisations working together to help encourage small to medium-sized businesses across the region to be more cyber secure. As part of the collaboration, the FSB North Wales Senior Development Manager, Mike Learmond will also be an active member of the WCRC’s Advisory Group.

Commenting on the relationship, Director of the Wales Cyber Resilience Centre, Paul Peters, said: “We are delighted to have the opportunity to work with the FSB. The organisation and its network will be crucial in assisting us to extend our reach in order to help support businesses across the region.

“The FSB is a resource that helps many small businesses achieve their ambition and we aim to support this further by working in collaboration to maximise the cyber resilience of micro businesses and SMEs across the region.”

The FSB is the UK’s largest business group with 160,000 members across the UK, made up of small business owners and the self-employed. The not-for-profit organisation offers a range of business services including legal protection, health and safety advice, employment protection, insurance services and crisis management. It also provides a variety of networking events and opportunities for its members as well as being a powerful government lobbyist, continually campaigning for better conditions and resources for small firms and individuals.

Mike Learmond, FSB North Wales Senior Development Manager, said: “I am delighted that FSB Wales has teamed up with the Cyber Resilience Centre for Wales to offer this vital service to business owners across the country.

“We live and do business in an increasingly digital world, the pace of which has ramped up over the last year, and the opportunities as well as the risks that this poses to Wales’ business community have never been more important.

“The WCRC is doing important work in keeping business owners safe online and ensuring that business owners can take advantage of all of the opportunities of trading online whilst keeping risk to a minimum, and I’d encourage all business owners to take a look at the support on offer.”

The WCRC brings together the expertise from law enforcement, private sector, and academia to offer guidance to organisations across Wales protecting themselves against cybercrime.

It is part of a network of centres being established across the country and provides businesses and organisations with an affordable way to access cyber security services and consultancy to safeguard themselves from cyber-attacks.

The WCRC offers a range of membership options depending on what level of support businesses need. Core membership is free and provides businesses with access to a range of resources and tools to help them identify risks and vulnerabilities, as well as providing guidance on the steps they can take to increase their levels of protection.

For more information on the Cyber Resilience Centre for Wales, its services and membership options, please visit www.wcrcentre.co.uk.