Francis Maude visits Midlands

Cyber Security Firm

The Rt. Hon. Francis Maude MP called in to meet the team at
a West Midlands based Cyber Security Consultancy today.
Today, Advent IM was pleased to host a visit by the Rt. Hon Francis Maude MP as part
of his remit as the Minister for Cyber Security.
Mr. Maude met with co-founders of Advent IM, Mike Gillespie and
Julia McCarron, to find out more about the cyber security work the
company delivers as the UKs leading independent information
security consultancy, its history, ethos and the challenges they face
as an SME.
Topics were wide and varied. Mike Gillespie explained the
principles of a holistic and risk based approach to security and Mr Maude was
particularly interested in how this translated into solid governance in business. Mr
Maude was also keen to find out more about threat convergence and how cyber
threats can now impact our physical environments and steps we can take to mitigate
those threats.
The team expanded on Advent IMs
development of cyber security training
courses specifically for the Police in the
areas of SIRO and IAO responsibilities
and accountability, general cyber
security
awareness
training
opportunities
currently
being
developed and Advent IMs mentoring
approach to consultancy delivery,
ensuring it is seen by those involved as a
business enabler.
Mr Maude and the team discussed the merits of the G-Cloud procurement process and
how there is room to improve perception that it is more for technology purchases than
Copyright Advent IM 2015

consultancy, and how Government is starting to drive the requirement for best
practice information security and ISO27001 through its outsourced service
providers. Changes to the Government Security Classification scheme and the lack of
understanding on its application were touched on, as were the issues faced by local
authorities in connecting to PSN and how the latest changes would impact on those
connecting or acting as a provider.
Mr Maude also took the time to discuss areas of work with members of Advent staff
from our Consultancy, Marketing and Sales teams and the challenges they face with
implementing and promoting cyber security within the UK, and spoke to our Business
Administration Apprentice on his social media role within the company.
The visit, which lasted approximately an hour, was a privilege to host for Advent IM.
We appreciate the time Mr. Maude has taken to visit us today, said Advent IMs
Operations Director Julia McCarron. As Cyber security specialists a number of us have
attended events where Mr Maude was present but we rarely have the opportunity to
discuss what is happening in the market with him or air our views fact-to-face. To be
singled out and given the chance to discuss our company, the industry and involve all
of our staff in that forum was an honour for the team.
Mr Maude thanked everyone for a useful exchange of views and thoughts before
departing for his next appointment.

Issued: 21 Jan 2015

Ends

Ref: VIP- 210115 Advent

NOTES TO EDITORS

About Advent IM
Advent IM is an independent specialist consultancy, focusing on holistic security
management solutions for information, people and physical assets, across both the
Copyright Advent IM 2015

public and private sectors. Established in 2002, Advent IM is a centre of excellence for
security services, promoting the benefits of best practice guidelines and standards and
the need to address risk management to protect against potential threats.

From its offices in the Midlands and London, its Consultants work nationwide and are
members of the CESG Listed Advisor Scheme (CLAS), Institute of Information Security
Professionals (IISP), The Security Institute (SyI), Business Continuity Institute and
British Computer Society.
Consultants are also Lead Auditors for the International standard for information
security management (ISO 27001) and business continuity management (ISO 22301),
Practitioners of PRINCE2, a recognised project management methodology widely used
within the public sector, CISSP qualified and Home Office trained physical security
assessors.
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Copyright Advent IM 2015