Excelgate Launch New Partnership with Leading Security Suppliers Offering a Holistic Approach to Data Protection

London, February 2012. Excelgate Consulting launches Excelguard -  a new, innovative  partnership with leading security suppliers, that offers  a holistic approach to data protection. The approach combines data discovery and audit from PixAlert; policy distribution and management software from MetaCompliance, eLearning solutions from VigiTrust; secure data disposal, from DataEliminate; and risk assessment and remediation services from Excelgate Consulting.

“Despite the constant stream of data breaches reported in the press day after day, many organisations are overlooking some essential steps they need to take in ensuring that a data protection culture becomes permanent” says Phil Stewart, Director of Excelgate Consulting and Secretary and Director Communications at ISSA UK.  “Creating a cultural change regarding data protection in an organization requires them to think holistically and remember that staff awareness of security policies and training need to becomes embedded, and not just a  one-off exercise when a new employee joins or changes job role.“

Looking at where undertakings have been published by the Information Commissioner in the UK , committing organisations to improve data protection compliance, there is a common theme running amongst them. Nearly all the undertakings issued to date (88%) require staff awareness of the organisations’ personal data handling policy and staff training where appropriate. Most of the undertakings also specify “other security measures.. for the “accidental loss/ destruction [of personal data]”. The undertakings also highlight there are still too many cases where personal data is being left exposed: unencrypted, found in skips, in waste paper bins or left in cars or trains.

“PixAlert is delighted to be a partner with Excelgate’s Holistic Approach to Data Protection as it is a security initiative that we firmly endorse through our data auditing solutions.” Says Ger Curtin, CEO of PixAlert. “ In order to protect your data you must know where to find it and in implementing a data security framework, visibility into network exposures is a vital first step in assessing risk and an essential component in protecting data as a strategic and valuable corporate asset.”

“At the heart of any compliance regime should be the realisation that prevention is better than cure.  “ says Robert O’Brien, CEO of MetaCompliance. “Getting higher levels of user awareness in the area of Privacy and Compliance is key to mitigating the risk of a compliance incident. Organisations need to use every tool at their disposal, and Excelguard is an invaluable addition to the compliance management armoury.”

“This new offering from Excelgate Consulting allows organisations to take steps to create a data protection culture. Regular training of staff, through a variety of methods, is a key element of this. “ says Mathieu Gorge, CEO of Vigitrust. “eLearning is a good alternative to face to face training where there are time and costs constraints in the business. It allows organisations to train users at their own pace, and suit the training schedule around the demands of the business, rather than an entire department taking several days out of the business for training. Employers can demonstrate compliance with training requirements at a click of a button which is a key requirement of most of these undertakings from the ICO”

“Excelgate’s exciting new initiative provides customers with a 360 degree solution from setting-up simple and practical measures to deploying high-tech defences,” says Julian Fraser, Director of Data Eliminate,   “It’s humans who represent the vulnerability in almost every case.  Excelguard addresses that issue head-on.”

“Everyone I’ve spoken to has been extremely enthusiastic about this new offering” says Phil Stewart. “Nearly all of the undertakings issued by the ICO can be attributed to lack of staff awareness of policy, lack of training, no methods for secure disposal of data and no visibility of where the personal data lies within an organization. This offering provides a good foundation for data protection compliance moving forward. Compliance with standards is a given, but what this offering does is address long-term weaknesses in organisations which in turn helps them maintain their compliance levels and thus reduce their overall costs of compliance. “

Excelguard is the new holistic data  protection compliance offering from Excelgate Consulting, Data Eliminate, MetaCompliance, PixAlert and VigiTrust. Further information can be found at:

www.excelgate.co.uk/excelguard.html