Word360 awarded highest security certification: Cyber Essentials Plus

Word360 is delighted to have achieved a major milestone by successfully meeting all the requirements of the Cyber Essentials Plus certification for 2023, the highest security certification awarded by the UK government.

What is Cyber Essentials Plus?

Cyber Essentials Plus is a government-backed scheme that helps organisations of all sizes protect themselves from the most common cyber threats. The certification covers a range of controls, including firewalls, intrusion detection systems, and access controls.

Why is it important to have a Cyber Essentials Plus certification for translation and interpreting?

Cyber Essentials Plus certification is not just important for businesses, it is also important for government agencies, non-profits and organisations such as Word360 that handle sensitive public sector data on a daily basis – from patient consultations to police records.

The enhanced Cyber Essentials Plus certification is a verified version of the basic Cyber Essentials self-assessment, providing a more comprehensive evaluation of security measures via an external assessor’s tests and therefore proving that technical controls are in place. As cyber-attacks become increasingly more common and sophisticated, Word360 is invested in bolstering our systems and processes to protect our customers’ data.

Cyber Essentials Plus certification offers several benefits including:

• Peace of mind: Our customers can be confident that their data is being protected to the highest standards.
• Compliance: Our certification helps us to meet compliance obligations for public sector clients and beyond
• Competitive advantage: Our Cyber Essentials Plus certification demonstrates our enhanced commitment to security and service quality.

By achieving Cyber Essentials Plus certification, Word360 demonstrates our unwavering commitment to cyber security and service quality.

Building our business on information security

Word360 has always prioritised information security as a fundamental aspect of our operations. Rahul Mohanachandran, Head of Technology at Word360, emphasises that continuous improvement is a driving force for the business, and information security is no exception.

He said: “Achieving the Cyber Essentials Plus certification underscores our relentless dedication to fortifying our digital infrastructure. It's not just a badge; it's a testament to our proactive approach to safeguarding sensitive data. We understand that our customers trust us with their sensitive data, and we take that responsibility very seriously as we consistently review and enhance our security framework, processes, and policies.

With this achievement, our clients can rest assured that their trust in us is met with the highest standards of security and service and that our team use best practices across the business to remove vulnerabilities, keep the system up to date and be at the forefront of cybersecurity.”

The Certification Process

To achieve the Cyber Essentials Plus certification, we underwent a rigorous assessment of our hardware and technology platform, Wordskii, ensuring appropriate and effective controls were in place to prevent and manage cyber security threats. An accredited assessor conducted an external assessment to evaluate our adherence to the certification requirements, with the audit concluding that Word360's hardware and Wordskii technology met the necessary standards, ensuring the confidentiality, integrity, and availability of information at all times.

Wordskii: A Safe and Secure Solution

Word360’s proprietary Wordskii technology plays a vital role in ensuring the security of customer data. Designed to meet the needs of our clients in the NHS and public sector, Wordskii also provides real-time data management for language services. From user access permissions and booking to service delivery, reporting, and budget management, it offers a highly safe and secure environment for managing interpreting and translation-related tasks. The Wordskii solution empowers public services to unlock the true value of their data and make informed decisions that benefit both service users and the bottom line.

Summary of certifications held by Word360

In addition to Cyber Essentials Plus certification, Word360 also holds the following certifications:

• ISO 27001:2013: covers the protection of sensitive customer information, business information (support and network management) and intellectual property.

• ISO 22301:2019: covers quality management systems and applicable statutory and regulatory requirements.

• ISO 9001:2015: provides requirements for the core processes, resources, and other aspects necessary for the delivery of a quality translation service that meets applicable specifications.

• ISO 17100:2015: provides requirements for the core processes, resources, and other aspects necessary for the delivery of a quality translation service that meets applicable specifications.

• Registered Disability Confident Committed: demonstrates dedication to increasing employee diversity and commitment to the aims of Disability Confident.

If you are looking for a language services provider that is committed to security and service quality, then contact Word360 today. We can help you to translate documents, interpret meetings and, transcribe recordings in a wide range of languages. We also offer ancillary services including British Sign Language (BSL) interpreting, Braille, Large Print and Easy Read.