The next BID Business Networking session for the professional services sector will be held at Vulcan Works from 5.30pm to 7.30pm on Wednesday, 30 October.

The session will feature a panel of guest speakers discussing the important issue of cyber security and how it’s vital that business owners keep up to speed with the measures they need to adopt to protect their data.

The Government reports that in the 12 months leading up to January 2024 there were 7.8 million reported cyber crimes against UK businesses.

Heather Francis is the Digital and Technology Delivery Manager within the Office of the Northamptonshire Police, Fire and Crime Commissioner, overseeing the technical strategic direction and technical projects within police and fire services in Northamptonshire while raising the profile of cyber security within the county.

Heather runs the Northamptonshire Cyber Security Forum, in conjunction with Northamptonshire Police. It meets monthly to share best practice and guidance, raise awareness of cyber threats and provides an informal support network for local organisations.

Chris Lambert of Datasense has been running various IT support businesses from Northampton for the past 20 years, working alongside business owners to help ensure their IT Systems run smoothly. Chris will offer guidance on how to avoid common mistakes and also outline the resources available from the East Midlands Cyber Resilience Centre.

Evelyn Williams of In2secure, a company that specialises in offering cyber security services to businesses throughout Northamptonshire, will provide an introduction to the Cyber Essentials scheme and practical ways you can protect your business and personal life from cybercrime.

This session ties in with Cyber Awareness Month and will be followed by a half-day event in November for businesses interested in taking a deeper dive into this issue.