How we protect your financial information against cyber attacks.
How we protect your financial accounts against cyber attacks.
We are dedicated to ensuring our clients’ personal and financial information remains safe and secure at all times. Our risk team is here to oversee any potential threats and issues that may affect our clients and our business. In this guide we briefly outline some of the measures we take to help keep client details safe.
A secure office environment.
Strict data security processes.
We have robust policies and processes in place which are regularly reviewed to ensure our business always follows all rules, regulations and best practices with regards to keeping our client’s data safe at all times. This includes a specific set of rules for employees when working from home.
Mobile device security & management.
Like all modern businesses we rely heavily on laptops and mobile phones. All the mobile devices we use have embedded security facilities alongside a mobile device management system that enables us to locate and disable devices if they are lost or stolen.
Secure IT systems.
All the systems we employ use encryption technology and our team can check this is active at all times.
Two-factor authentication (2FA).
2FA is a security feature that requires users to authenticate their login with two different methods. It means that even if a third party acquires a user’s password, they cannot access that account.
Secure networks.
A secure network uses passwords and secure encryption methods to send data between devices. We regularly review and update our systems to ensure they are as up to date and secure as possible.
Cyber insurance.
We have cyber insurance in place, which is a form of cover designed to protect businesses and clients from cyber threats. Cyber insurance policies typically include:
First party cover.
Damage caused to a firm, including investigations, restoration costs, response management, business interruption and payment of ransom costs.
Third party cover.
Damage caused to our clients and others, including defence costs and settlements following legal action or investigation after a data breach, invasion of privacy or breach of confidentiality, and media content liability.
A dedicated risk team.
Even though we are a small business, we have several employees assigned to managing and mitigating the risks within our business. The risk team is dedicated to:
Overseeing all risks within the business and ensure all actual, potential and emerging risks and threats are identified, managed, monitored and mitigated.
Ensure our systems remain up to date and effective at all times.
Ensure the day to day processes we employ in respect of anti-money laundering and data protection are followed and remain effective at all times.
A secure client portal.
Our client portal stores data in an extremely secure and encrypted environment that is used by thousands of financial advice businesses and financial institutions in the UK. The portal provider uses third-party experts to perform regular and comprehensive external auditing of their security protocols.
Secure client communications.
We have strict rules in place for maintaining the security of our clients’ personal and financial information. We recommend all our clients sign up to our client portal to send and receive secure messages, and upload and store documents in a secure document vault. This provides an additional level of security to our communications with you.
A clear commitment to cyber security.
Cyber Essentials is a government-backed, industry-supported scheme to help organisations protect themselves against common online threats. Gaining the Cyber Essentials accreditation demonstrates a clear commitment to cyber security.
What’s next?
If you have any questions about how we protect your financial accounts against cyber attacks, please speak to your Financial Adviser in the first instance or contact us for more information.
If you need advice on pensions or how you can invest for the future, you can get in touch with one of our advisors for independent financial advice. We offer a free initial consultation and although we are based in Tunbridge Wells, we advise clients across the UK.
Don’t forget, this article offers information about financial planning and investing and should not be taken as personal advice. Remember that investments and pensions can go up and down in value, so you could get back less than you put in. Tax rules can change and the benefits depend on individual circumstances.