This month we talk to Ranjit Sahota about his business, IT Security and Vulnerability Associates.

Tell us about your business.

Having worked in IT Audit and Security for over 30 years, I wanted to set up a consultancy service that could help all sizes of business, from the single sole trader to large multinational companies.

For some clients it’s about hand holding to improve their understanding of IT Security and Compliance, and gaining some assurance that the controls in place are adequate.

We have helped a number of organisations to improve their management controls over Information Security, and helped to reduce inefficiency, improve effectiveness of controls, and reduce costs.

In one organisation we found that senior managers had set up their own company to defraud the Local Authority of hundreds of thousand pounds. Employees manipulated their overtime by deliberately failing production jobs.

There were duplicate payments being made due to employee negligence, and the inadequate configuration of operating systems allowed employees to gain remote access undetected.

Employees were excessively using company internet and visiting inappropriate sites, and there were managers creating bogus housing benefit accounts.

These are just a few of the issues we have found over the years, that our skills and expertise have been able to detect and resolve, saving huge amounts of money for our clients.

What drove you to start the business

My main motivation for setting up the business was realising the increased proliferation of ICT in all sectors of the business community, and the lack of skills to understand and manage the associated risks that ICT introduces.

My aim was not only to educate, but assist in the implementation of effective controls to manage ICT, and prevent and reduce the impact of potential exploits and scams.

In today’s modern age, ICT is the lifeblood of an organisation’s operations, However, any disruption to this can lead to drastic consequences, including, fines, loss of reputation, loss of business, legal action and bankruptcy.

Compliance with the laws and regulations, such as GDPR, are mandatory and fines can be imposed by the regulators for 4% of turnover or £18m for non-compliance.

Information Security attacks are on the increase, especially phishing and malware attacks that can potentially cause havoc, including requests for a ransom to decrypt your company’s valuable data.

Data analytics can reveal some interesting facts of insider wrongdoing that may go undetected for years.

Why did you choose The Accountancy Partnership?

I could not find another accountant who would charge a fixed fee that could be paid monthly.

Would you recommend The Accountancy Partnership?

The Accountancy Partnership has delivered a solid service in a short period of time to meet deadlines.

What do you have planned for your business in the future?

We are improving our advice and training service to enable businesses to gain valuable skills. It will enable them to self-assess their own IT Security and Compliance arrangements, and continually improve ICT operations.