Risk and compliance: Information and Cyber Security
"Safeguard your organisation from cyber threats with robust security measures, ensuring the confidentiality, integrity, and availability of your critical information assets."
Threats to the security of sensitive data, financial resources and day to day operations are no longer only the concern of big business and government departments.
All organisations now face existential risks from hacking, phishing and ransomware. The non-profit sector is as much a target as any other but many managers and staff are still unaware of the seriousness of the problem, never mind the steps needed to protect what are arguably the organisation’s most precious – and vulnerable – resources.
We take a structured approach to risk evaluation and mitigation: carrying out a thorough information security review to identify how well your software, business processes and staff awareness comply with best practice in information security management.
Following discussion of our findings, we can help implement the changes to address any shortcomings. Our support in this stage can be purely advisory – or we can help draft documents, deliver training or, where required, manage a complete change programme for you.
Why Adapta
Adapta’s team of consultants has been working in the non-profit sector for many years, helping charities and others put the right protection measures in place. Our consultants are familiar with the cross-section of disciplines involved in risk management – we include specialists in data protection but also in broader information security management. Our team approach ensures that you benefit from a wealth of knowledge and experience and you can be confident that the key risk areas in your organisation will be identified and addressed.
Clients
We have helped many charities, membership organisations and other non-profit organisations with their Information and Cyber Security projects. Below are examples of just a few of the organisations we have worked with.
What our clients say
Stephen Hammersley
Chief Executive, Pilgrims' Friend Society
“Adapta were pivotal to the successful implementation of some mission critical change projects. They brought us expertise that we lacked and supported us through all phases including specification; design; tendering and implementation - and they were nice people to deal with – respectful of our values and way of working.”
Emma Revie
Chief Executive, Trussell Trust
“To achieve the level of change we saw in 6 months without the support of Adapta would have been impossible. Shortly after completing the project the pandemic hit. Without the work completed by Adapta, our organisation would not have been able to weather the pandemic and keep working.”
Our experts
Paul Sypko
Consultancy Director
07773 321293
Email
Paul is a highly experienced technology management consultant, with a senior-level CIO/CTO background and expertise in areas such as technology strategy development, digital...
Manoj
Cyber Security Associate
Manoj is focussed on helping all companies of all sizes in being more cyber security prepared. Recognising that cyber security costs can spiral, Manoj specialises to supporting companies...
Mark
Data Protection and Information Security Associate
Mark began his career in stage and theatre management, working in commercial and subsidised theatre. He held a number of roles in the arts funding sector including Head of National Touring and...
Steve
IT Security, Risk & Compliance Associate
Steve began his interest in IT when he gate-crashed a school computer class, where he found it interesting so he signed up to the O level course Learning to program using punched...
Paul Sypko
Consultancy Director
“Charities and not-for-profit organisations are demanding users of information systems and digital technology. There’s a clear sense of purpose in the sector, and that shows in how technology is used to achieve impact and obtain real value. Not-for-profits often hold massive amounts of data, much of which is highly sensitive in nature, and they engage in many different ways with a very broad range of stakeholders. Whether it’s using digital channels to support personalised ‘user journeys’ or high-impact campaigning and engagement, or diligently taking care of back-office systems to deliver an efficient and cost-effective service, it’s great to be working in a sector where technology can be used so effectively to make a tangible difference to people's lives.”
Paul is a highly experienced technology management consultant, with a senior-level CIO/CTO background and expertise in areas such as technology strategy development, digital solutions, infrastructure and systems management, function reviews, information security and data protection, and selection and management of technology partners. He has 25 years’ experience of leading high-impact consultancy engagements, the majority of which have been with clients in the not-for-profit sector. Prior to Adapta, Paul held senior roles at not-for-profit specialists Sayer Vincent, Crowe UK, and BlueSpark Consulting. He also brings to his engagements significant experience from the commercial sector, having worked for “Strategy &”, a leading firm of strategy consultants that is now part of PwC, where he was awarded their Professional Excellence Award while leading a large-scale digital transformation and innovation programme. Paul has led assignments for more than 100 organisations, including charities, membership organisations, trade unions, trade associations, royal colleges, professional institutes and other not for-profit and commercial organisations. Paul's recent clients have included ActionAid UK, ClientEarth, Cranstoun, Tate Britain, St. Peter's Hospice, the Institution of Civil Engineers, British Gymnastics, the Royal College of Ophthalmologists, Letchworth Garden City Heritage Foundation, the Education Support Partnership, National Children's Bureau, the Institute for Fiscal Studies, Lymphoma Action, SPANA, the Woodland Trust, the Trussell Trust, Volunteering Matters and Woking & Sam Beare Hospices. Paul specialises in strategic planning for information systems, function reviews and outsourcing, commercial contract negotiation, project planning, data protection, information security management, business process improvement, and procurement of business applications such as CRM. Paul holds a MA (Oxon) degree from the University of Oxford, having gained a scholarship to read Economics and Management at St. John’s College and the Saïd Business School. He is a Fellow of the Institute of Consulting and has a particular interest in helping others to achieve their potential. Following a long period of time spent on various committees in a voluntary leadership capacity, he was pivotal to the development of the ‘Chartered Management Consultant’ award which was launched in 2020, and he often provides guidance and support to people working towards their professional qualifications. Paul is also a Chartered Fellow of the Chartered Management Institute, a Fellow of the Institute of Leadership and Management, a Certified Business Advisor and a member of the British Computer Society’s IT Leaders Forum. In his spare time, he is also the chair of trustees for a local Scout group.
“Paul is enthusiastic, dedicated and a highly capable person who works with such integrity and to a high standard. I very much value Paul’s support and guidance and know I can always rely on him.”
Manoj
Cyber Security Associate
Manoj is focussed on helping all companies of all sizes in being more cyber security prepared. Recognising that cyber security costs can spiral, Manoj specialises to supporting companies understand where to better spend their money, yet protecting them from the ever increasing cyber security threats. Manoj has more than 20 years’ experience in the cyber security industry. In 2021, he was named as one of the top performing cyber security leaders due to his wide range of engagements and services to the cyber security community and businesses. Manoj has been a judge for the CSO30 awards for the past three years and regularly speaks at cyber security conferences advising some of the top cyber security leaders on which cyber security investments they should consider for their businesses. Manoj’s broad experience in establishing cyber security functions across Telstra in EMEA and Sopra Steria in the UK means Manoj has a wide range of experience across a variety of cyber security domains. Manoj specialises in providing cyber security assessments and strategies to businesses so they can make the most out of their cyber security investments while addressing the risks and threats that affect them.
Mark
Data Protection and Information Security Associate
Mark began his career in stage and theatre management, working in commercial and subsidised theatre. He held a number of roles in the arts funding sector including Head of National Touring and then Director of Business Process for Arts Council England. Following the Arts Council, Mark spent nearly seven years at Comic Relief, firstly as Head of Grants Operations, then Head of Business Planning and Process and for a short period as Director of Operations. At Comic Relief Mark was the Designated Safeguarding Lead and the Data Protection Officer. The GDPR compliance programme (co-designed with colleague Liz Curry) won the Best GDPR Programme and Grand Prix winner in DataIQ’s Talent Awards in 2017. After leaving Comic Relief, Mark clients have included Barnardo’s, Queen Elizabeth Diamond Jubilee Trust, Be the Business, Hyphen8, Wellcome Trust and Marie Curie. Mark has been a school governor and has held directorships and trusteeships in a number of not-for profit arts organisations and is currently the Chair of trustees of We Are Family, a peer-to-peer adoption support charity, Chair of The Blue Tangerine Charity that supports a federation of SEND schools and Vice Chair of Trustees of the Mercury Theatre Colchester. Mark has more than 20 years strategic leadership and management experience in the charity sector. He has extensive experience and practical knowledge of charity regulation and governance, and of leading strategic business planning; efficiency and transformation projects; team leadership; policy and process development and implementation; grant-making; data protection; and IT system implementation.
Steve
IT Security, Risk & Compliance Associate
Steve began his interest in IT when he gate-crashed a school computer class, where he found it interesting so he signed up to the O level course Learning to program using punched paper-tape! After repeating the course, with some extra items, he obtained his A level and degree in Computer Studies and went on to work for ICL, being part of the ICL Health team developing applications for the NHS. Ten years at ICL and he decided to set up his own business and went freelance, working on projects for local and central government, and many utility companies, including being part of the architecture team for BT's five 1,000 seat call centres handling the "Friends and Family" project in the mid 90's; and being part of the start-up business that became 118118 in the early 2000's. More recently Steve has concentrated on the Information Security aspects of the organisations, finding his 40 years of IT experience a great benefit when dealing with today's IT environments. Since 2014 Steve has been involved in Information Security and the ISO27001 standard, having achieved over 20 successful certifications in that time. The approach he uses is to keep it simple so that staff understand the requirements and what they need to do, without the jargon and waffle. Steve has been a full member of the British Computer Society (BCS) since 1987, a Chartered Engineer (C.Eng) since 1995, Chartered Information Technology Professional (CITP) since 2004, a member of the Chartered Institute of Information Security (CIISec) since 2015 and a Core member of Cyber Wales since 2015. In his spare time he is involved with the local branches of Cancer Research, Talking Newspapers, Rotary and is a founder member of Electric Vehicle Association of Wales
Phil Durbin
Former Head of Corporate Systems, Salvation Army
"Unlike many consultants, Adapta won’t tell you what you expect to hear. They will be very honest and challenging and, even if some of what they say is uncomfortable to hear, it means you end up getting better advice."