Hampshire and Isle of Wight Police and Crime Commissioner offering support against cybercrime
The Hampshire and Isle of Wight Police and Crime Commissioner's offering businesses preventative support against cybercrime
As businesses face huge annual threats from cybercrime, the Hampshire and Isle of Wight Police and Crime Commissioner's offering businesses support.
It's as it's found UK businesses are facing a £440 million annual threat from cybercrime.
PCC Donna Jones is offering free preventative support in the response to the financial and reputational damage that it can cause.
She said: "I'm running a free cyber health check conference at the Police Training Headquarters in Netley, near Southampton.
"This is designed for any business operating across Hampshire and the Isle of Wight.
"Whether you be a small independent trader working from home, anyone who holds data and effectively runs a website and transacts business.
"We know that over four hundred million pounds is stolen from businesses from ransomware and from people who are committing crimes online, particularly those of cyber-related harm.
"Cyber threat is one of the largest and fastest growing crimes across the world, particularly here in the UK."
High-profile ransomware attacks this year saw M&S report losses of around £300 million, with both M&S and the Co-op suffering large-scale theft of sensitive customer and employee data.
The PCC's free event will be held on Friday 21st November, with cybersecurity specialists and real-world case studies attending the event.
She added: PCC Donna Jones said: “This is no longer a niche IT issue, it’s a business survival issue.
"Every business, regardless of size or sector, needs to understand the risks and how to defend against them.
“Defence against these types of cyberattack is now a vitally important part of running and protecting a business.
“I hope many business owners and decision-makers will take advantage of this unique opportunity, so they can gain the knowledge and ability to ensure they do not suffer from the impact we know this crime causes.”