Success stories
COO needs help to set security priorities in her new role
A political think tank and educational charity approached Build Secure Thinking to review their data infrastructure, governance and cybersecurity posture ahead of the arrival of a new COO. The goal was to provide them with an overview of the current position and recommend priorities for their first 100 days on the job.
Together we reviewed existing governance and policy documentation, conducted stakeholder interviews and follow-up queries before making an assessment of the organisation's current status. Our client report listed key priorities for the incoming COO's first hundred days, including improved board level ownership, increasing staff knowledge and formalising organisational approaches to key risk areas including identity and access management. We also provided learning sessions for existing staff and materials for new starters.
"Alison has done a fantastic job of demystifying cyber risk for our organisation. Her commitment to simplifying complex issues shines through in her approach and she has built our confidence and capacity to understand and effectively respond to cyber risk."
Supporting charity confidence and risk awareness in challenging times
Through the fantastic pro-bono CybAid initiative, we supported two charities focussed on supporting young refugees. They were wrestling with a lack of certainty on whether were on the right security path data governance, information sharing and client privacy in a challenging political climate.
We were able to recommend improvements to the use of existing security controls and the policies and processes supporting them, without any additional costs to infrastructure or outsourcing of IT. Bespoke learning and an "Ask Me Anything" session for staff and volunteers enabled everyone to feel more confident in their skills and less intimidated by the tasks at hand.
"Thank you again for today’s workshop. We packed in a lot of very useful guidance and thinking together and this was down to your planning. Feedback was positive with the team saying how useful and empowering it was (and not overwhelming)."
Where does this approach come from?
My career has been driven by one question: "But why do we do it that way?"
Build Secure Thinking is all about supporting organisations in their cybersecurity journey, meeting you where you are and aligning with your organisational needs in a people-centred, accessible way.
I've worked for some of the biggest names in tech, consulting, science and finance over the last two decades, from Communications to Program Management to Cyber Security, gaining PRINCE2, SSAP and CISM certification along the way. Outside work I've supported a number of small charities, volunteer organisations and social enterprises along the way.
Being able to bring all that experience together and support organisations who may not be able to afford the cost or time commitment of long, expensive consultancy projects is such a great opportunity. Let's get started!
You can check out my background on LinkedIn.
Alison Crockford
Founder
