As a leading electoral printing specialist and trusted supplier to no fewer than 80 local authorities across the UK, Print Image Network has to protect its company assets, IP and customer data, against common cyber threats.
Having held ISO 27001, the international standard for Information Security, for 5 years, information security processes are common practice at the North West based business. However, to further secure its systems, Print Image Network went through the Cyber Essentials application in April 2017 and is pleased to announce that it has passed.
What is Cyber Essentials?
Cyber Essentials is a government-backed cyber security certification scheme that sets out a good baseline of cyber security suitable for all organisations spanning all sectors. The scheme addresses five key controls that, when implemented correctly, can prevent around 80% of cyber-attacks.
Print Image Network implemented these five Cyber Essentials Controls to help it stay secure: -
Why Cyber Essentials?
Working with local authorities to print election stationery including postal votes, ballot papers and poll cards, means handling confidential data and information. For Print Image Network it is therefore crucial to eliminate risk wherever possible, as cyber attacks can cause expense and disruption, something the company will go to extreme lengths to avoid.
Managing Director, John Foster, says of the certification “The reason we applied for Cyber Essentials was to add an additional layer of security to our already robust security set-up. Knowing that, as a business, we are protected from the vast majority of common cyber attacks allows us to concentrate on our customers’ needs with confidence.”
Print Image Services Director and Customer Service Excellence ambassador, Stephen Power, added “Achieving the Cyber Essentials certification will help to further enhance customer trust and confidence in our organisation and our service. As a team we work extremely hard to put the customer first; the customer experience and security has to be at the heart of everything we do.”
Included in the assessment was an external penetration test, which Print Image Network passed. The assessment was completed by IT Governance, the full scope included firewalls, routers, end user devices and hosted systems at the company’s headquarters.
For more information please contact the Print Image Network team on: -
As a business that is committed to our corporate social responsibility programme, we are constantly considering the broader impact of our company actions. Print Image Network ensures that we are acting responsibly in key areas including the environment, wellbeing of employees and the wider community.
Charitable donations
This year Print Image Network asked members of staff to choose charities which were close to their hearts. Once we had all the nominations, we had a clearer idea of where charitable donations would go to for 2016. The charities which staff nominated were Cancer Research, UNICEF and Help for Heroes.
Also, as part of our activity within our local community, we support local charities and outreach programmes, including Circus Starr. Circus Starr is a not-for-profit organisation which exists to support local businesses and local children’s charities. Print Image Network purchases tickets from a unique donated ticket programme that allows thousands of children to attend free shows.
Ethical employment
When recruiting staff, Print Image Network has always been eager to encourage diversity in the workplace, providing equal opportunities for staff regardless of gender, age marital status, sexual orientation, disability, race or religion.
The company's appraisal system provides two-way communication. As the employer, Print Image Network can review an individual's strengths and progress and construct development plans for each person and in turn, employees can have the opportunity to discuss their role and thoughts about the company in a confidential, friendly and safe environment.
Other factors that reflect our socially responsible approach include:
Print Image Network has various policies, procedures and accreditations such as ISO 9001, ISO 27001, Customer Service Excellence (CSE) and Investors in People (IIP), which help to guide us and focus our corporate social responsibility efforts with both internal and external stakeholders.
Contact Print Image Network: -
Email: sales@printimagenetwork.com
Tel: 0161 209 4800
Print Image Network Ltd, election services and printing specialist, has retained the ISO 9001 certification and has been accredited against the new ISO 27001:2013 standard, demonstrating its commitment to quality and information security.
The company, which celebrated its 15th anniversary this year, is based in the North West and has a loyal customer base of local authorities which spans the length and breadth of the country.
Having held the standard since 2012, the company faced its first three-year re-assessment in August and is pleased to announce that it passed without a single ‘non-conformance’ – an achievement that only a small percentage companies assessed against the new standard actually achieve.
ISO 9001 is a Quality Management Standard which helps to create a more disciplined work environment and improve a company’s overall performance, ensuring quality is truly embedded in its culture and operations. ISO 27001:2013 for Information Security Management certification is awarded to organisations that want to assess risk and prevent information security incidents, which is crucial to suppliers that work with local government contracts. Updated in 2013, Print Image Network had to make the transition from the old ISO27001:2005 standard to new ISO27001:2013 standard.
John Foster, Managing Director of Print Image Network, said: “Achieving the re-assessment of both ISO Standards is a fantastic achievement but we are particularly proud that we did so with no non-conformances. The team at Print Image Network works extremely hard to ensure we are conforming to the policies and procedures defined by ISO 9001:2008 & ISO 27001:2013 and we are particularly impressed with Print Image Network Supervisor, Craig Poyser, who worked extremely hard to prepare for the re-assessment and ensured the transition from the old to new 27001 Certification was implemented within our business.”
The re-assessment marks the second celebration for the company, who earlier this year passed its three year re-assessment for the Customer Service Excellence Standard. Services Director, Stephen Power commented on the company’s achievements in 2015. “Print Image Network has always tried to achieve the highest standards possible, whether that’s quality-related, security-related or customer-related. We understand that in order to work with us our customers want to be confident that we operate in a way which makes them secure about our abilities as a supplier. We are really happy to have been recognised for all our hard work, most of all we want our customers to continue to see the benefits that achieving these certifications and accreditations brings.”
