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Cyber ‘MOT’ to help Scottish businesses boost online resilience

Jude McCorry, CEO of Cyber and Fraud Centre - Scotland. Photograph: Robert Perry

A new cybersecurity ‘MOT’ is being offered to Scottish firms to boost their online resilience.

Launched by the Cyber and Fraud Centre – Scotland, the new tool will help budget-conscious businesses assess where the gaps in their online defences may lie.

In the form of a 25-point questionnaire, the self-assessment tool aims to equip business leaders with advice and guidance as to where to put their focus. The initial survey is free to access, taking only 10 –15 minutes to complete.

The Cyber MOT has been designed following consultations with stakeholders and clients, and is aimed at organisations that know they need some assistance to improve their cyber resilience, but don’t know where to start.

The MOT provides a snapshot of where they are in their cyber journey, to support internal discussions with team members, senior leaders and their Board, which helps with strategic planning to identify areas that need immediate attention and urgent investment. 

Jude McCorry, CEO of Cyber and Fraud Centre, said:   “In recognition of an increasing number of organisations reporting that it can be daunting knowing where to go when looking for cyber security advice, we’re proud to launch the Cyber MOT, offering businesses and third sector organisations, regardless of how big or small, the support they need to improve their cyber security decision making.   

“The service is a highly cost effective, simple way of benchmarking your organisation’s overall cyber security strength, giving you a clear picture of where to focus your efforts first.  

“The Cyber and Fraud Centre – Scotland is not a cybersecurity technology supplier, we are vendor agnostic so once recommendations are given on how to improve a cyber posture, we will refer an organisation to our Scottish Cyber Security Network to take any technology or in-depth service requirements further.”

She added: “Organisations are having to work harder than ever to keep pace with the evolving cyber threat landscape. I encourage any businesses looking to evaluate their cyber security strength to take the Cyber MOT to stay one step ahead as the threat of cyber attack continue to grow in complexity and sophistication.”    

The Cyber and Fraud Centre – Scotland team has received numerous calls from organisations applying for government tenders or seeking investment, where having Cyber Essentials is a requirement. A lot of organisations don’t have this certification, may not have heard of it, and don’t know where to start on their journey to achieving it.  

Alternatively, for those organisations that already have Cyber Essentials but would like assurance that they have an optimum cyber posture, having a Cyber MOT will work seamlessly as part of their cyber strategy. The Cyber MOT journey will provide clarity on areas of improvement and recommended next steps. 

Further information about the Cyber MOT, can be found here  

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