We have recently been awarded Cyber Essentials Plus accreditation in information security following an audit by a Scottish Government approved assessment body, ID Cyber Solutions.

The UK government scheme, which is specifically designed for public sector organisations in the UK, is a globally recognised certification that serves as a kite mark for industries around the world and is increasing becoming a requirement for research funders.

Receiving the certification is testament to our commitment to cyber security. It is also a demonstration of our commitment to continuous process improvement and safeguarding data

The certification covers the entire range of IT services provided within the university. It includes an assurance framework and a set of security controls to protect information from threats coming from the internet. Cyber Essentials Plus includes additional independent testing which requires an on-site technical assessment.

We achieved accreditation by the 31^st October 2018 target date set out by the Scottish Government as part of its Cyber Resilience Strategy for Scotland, making it the largest Scottish University of our size and complexity to achieve the CE+ certification to date.

Kathy McCabe, Global Director of Information Services labelled the certification a huge achievement and an absolute credit to the teams involved”, saying it was the “culmination of many thousands of hours of work undertaken by an institution-wide team of dedicated colleagues.”

She added: “Receiving the certification is testament to our commitment to cyber security. It is also a demonstration of our commitment to continuous process improvement and  safeguarding data. But more than that, it provides the necessary accreditation to access funding from a range of funders, a proactive step giving Heriot-Watt an advantage over other HEIs/competitors.” 

Congratulations to everyone involved.