Cyber security for UK professional services firms.

Business Email Compromise is the leading risk for professional services firms, with attackers impersonating partners or clients to redirect invoice payments or bank details. Phishing targeting senior consultants and partners, loss or theft of client data on laptops and shared drives, and account takeover through reused or weak passwords are also common. Because consultancies and agencies handle sensitive client information and often have access to client systems, a breach can damage client trust and contractual relationships as much as it costs financially. Firms that don't enforce MFA and structured payment-verification processes are particularly exposed to BEC fraud.

Advanced email security sits in front of and within Microsoft 365 or Google Workspace, scanning inbound and outbound mail for phishing links, malicious attachments and impersonation attempts before they reach a fee-earner's inbox. It also detects Business Email Compromise patterns, such as look-alike domains or unusual payment-change requests, and flags or blocks them automatically. We combine this with MFA, conditional access and staff awareness training so that even if one layer is bypassed, another catches it. For a firm juggling client emails all day, the goal is protection that works quietly in the background without slowing anyone down.

Professional services firms hold confidential client data, financial information and often privileged access to client systems, making them an attractive target and a weak link that attackers use to reach bigger organisations. A single breach can trigger GDPR obligations, damage client trust built over years, and cost you contracts if you can't demonstrate adequate security. Increasingly, enterprise clients require proof of certifications like Cyber Essentials before they'll even engage a supplier. Investing in cyber security protects the relationships your business runs on and increasingly opens doors to tenders that would otherwise be closed to you.

Pricing depends on headcount, the systems you use and which services you need, so we always scope this properly on a short call rather than quoting a one-size-fits-all figure. Cyber Shield awareness training, which is a common starting point for firms handling client data, starts at £0.99 per user per month on the Team plan, with a 14-day free trial and no credit card needed. Ongoing services like email security, Cyber Essentials and SOC monitoring are quoted per user or per device on a monthly basis, and we'll give you a clear proposal with no hidden extras before anything begins.

Most professional services firms complete Cyber Essentials in one to three weeks from starting the self-assessment questionnaire, assuming your Microsoft 365 or Google Workspace setup is reasonably well managed already. We review your existing controls first, close any gaps such as missing MFA or outdated devices, then support you through the submission and assessment. Cyber Essentials Plus, which involves a technical audit, typically adds a further one to two weeks. Many firms are able to add the certification badge to tenders and client questionnaires within a month of starting, which is often the primary driver for firms getting certified quickly.

Yes, and arguably more important for smaller firms, who are frequently targeted precisely because attackers assume they have weaker defences than larger competitors. A boutique consultancy or small agency can hold just as much sensitive client data as a much bigger firm, and enterprise clients increasingly require proof of security regardless of your size. We fit our services around smaller teams and budgets, so you get proportionate protection — MFA, email security, awareness training and Cyber Essentials — without needing an in-house IT security team or enterprise-level spend.

The core benefits are protecting client trust, reducing the risk of costly BEC fraud, and being able to answer client security questionnaires and tenders quickly with evidence already in place rather than scrambling each time one arrives. You also reduce the chance of a breach disrupting fee-earning time, get clearer visibility over who has access to what data, and build a security culture among staff that reduces human error, still the leading cause of breaches. For many firms, the reputational and commercial benefit of being able to say 'yes, we're Cyber Essentials certified' outweighs the cost of getting there.

General IT support is essential for keeping systems and applications running, but it's usually reactive and not designed to provide continuous threat monitoring, phishing simulation or incident response. Many BEC and phishing incidents at professional services firms happen because nobody was actively watching for the warning signs between routine support tickets. We work alongside existing IT providers rather than replacing them — handling security-specific work like email security, awareness training, Cyber Essentials and 24/7 monitoring, while your IT provider continues managing day-to-day infrastructure and support requests.