Surface finishing and coatings specialist the Anochrome Group has achieved the government-backed accreditation for cybersecurity across all its UK sites.
The business was awarded the Cyber Essentials certification after demonstrating its robust systems, processes and security controls across its Wolverhampton Electro Plating (WEP), Anochrome Ltd and Inlex Locking sites.
Anochrome’s fourth UK business unit, Anotec, had already achieved Cyber Essentials last year and has been reaccredited.
All four businesses are now working towards Cyber Essentials Plus, which is considered the gold standard award and requires even more rigorous testing.
Steve Norman, Anochrome Group UK Divisional Director, said: “We are absolutely delighted to have obtained Cyber Essentials across our UK businesses, which demonstrates to our customers that we have the processes in place to protect our IT systems against the most prevalent forms of cyberattack.
“Data security is of the utmost importance to us and this achievement will give our customers additional confidence that their information is secure.
“The accreditation also strengthens our position in some sectors including defence and aerospace, which is an area in which we are keen to continue our growth.
“We will not rest on our laurels, however, and we are already working towards the Plus certification, which involves even greater scrutiny and independent testing.”
The National Cyber Security Centre, part of GCHQ, says there were 7.7 million cybercrimes experienced by businesses in the UK over the past year – accounting for around half of all companies.
The accreditation process concluded with a remote test of Anochrome Group’s computer and data systems.
The business will be periodically audited to ensure it continues to adhere to the required standards of cybersecurity.
The Anochrome Group has a host of industry recognised accreditations within its six individual companies – four in the Midlands, one in Poland and one in Czech Republic – including ISO 14001, ISO 9001, IATF 16949 and AS9100.
Steve added: “Accreditations helps us to demonstrate regulatory compliance and to build client trust. There are very few businesses within our industry that can compete with us on certifications.”
The Anochrome Group is the UK’s largest independent specialist surface coatings and metal finishing company. With a proud 80-year history, the group of companies processes tens of millions of components every week for a wide range of domestic and international customers.