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Essex based start-up benefits from free cyber security workshops

Docherty Consulting Services Ltd company logo

The challenge

Docherty Consulting Services Ltd is a newly established quantity surveying practice based in Essex. The start-up was founded in 2020 by ARU alumnus and chartered quantity surveyor Will Docherty.

Will was looking to develop his public sector client portfolio. As the Government requires all suppliers bidding for public sector contracts involving the handling of sensitive and personal information to be certified against the UK’s Cyber Essentials scheme, it was vital that Will’s company gain Cyber Security Essentials (CSE) certification.

Will spent some time researching online options for obtaining CSE certification, but struggled to find a reasonably-priced workshop that suited his business’ needs. That was until he was introduced to our business-friendly Cyber Security Essentials workshops.

The Solution

Funded by the Department of Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, the BEST Growth Hub commissioned ARU to deliver a series of online workshops – three, two-hour sessions – which were free to local businesses to attend. Each session covered a different topic. From Brexit and COVID-19 to scamming and hacking.

Through attending events with the BEST Growth Hub, I saw that Anglia Ruskin University and the BEST Growth Hub were collaborating to host a series of Cyber Security Workshops. I attended these interactive sessions and have to say that Dr. Erika Sanchez-Velazquez, the workshop facilitator was brilliant. She pitched the level perfectly for me – there was enough that I knew to not feel overwhelmed, but enough that I was learning for the first time.
Will Docherty
Docherty Consulting Services Ltd

The impact

The workshop provided Will with the right knowledge and online resources he needed to apply for Cyber Essentials certification from the IASME, the National Cyber Security Centre (NCSC)’s chosen delivery partner for UK Government’s basic level certification scheme. As Will says, “Thanks to ARU, I was able to obtain CSE and went for IASME Governance at the same time, which was far more challenging. I passed both in November 2020.”

Learn more about our industry-relevant workshops and take the opportunity to join us.