Houghton International
Posted on: 4th January 2023
The Client
Houghton International improves the performance of electro mechanical assets around the world, and innovation drives the business as it uses its market-leading technical expertise to work with customers to solve their problems, offering a high quality monitoring, maintenance, repair and life extension service for motors, generators, pumps and all electrical rotating equipment.
Five years of rapid growth saw Houghton International consolidate its sites into the former Parsons Works in Heaton, Newcastle upon Tyne, in 2020, creating one of the largest rotating electrical machine service centres in the UK. With an international client base across the utilities, manufacturing, transport, mining, marine, and renewables sectors, the business operates in sectors where quality procedures and the safety of equipment are critical.
The Challenge
The first step for Houghton International was to understand Cyber Essentials and what was involved in achieving certification. We were commissioned to conduct a Cyber Essentials readiness assessment, examining Houghton International’s compliance with the five main control areas: firewalls, secure configuration, user access control, malware protection, and patch management.
Our Solution
Our cyber security team helped Houghton International identify areas where improvement was needed to comply with the requirements of the certification and strengthen its cyber security processes. The findings showed that Houghton International already complied with the majority of criteria, which was good news. The assessment added value and reassurance that the most up to date settings and practices were in place, provided direction for improvements, and confirmed that the existing measures met recommended best practice.
Our team kept in touch through regular Microsoft Teams calls, provided useful templates, frameworks and guidance, which all resulted in a smooth and easy process.
The Outcome
Our work helped to raise the profile of cyber security across the business, improving awareness of risks such as phishing, scams, and malware. One requirement was two-factor authentication for administrator accounts, however recognising the importance of this key security measure our client rolled out two-factor authentication across all users and devices within the business as an enhanced security measure.
Cyber Essentials certification now supports Houghton International’s tendering processes and supplier framework requirements, particularly as its customer base and supply chain becomes increasingly conscious of cyber security risks.
The business now plans to implement cyber security training for all staff, and go on to the next level and achieve the Cyber Essentials Plus certification.
Jordan Brown, IT Technician, Houghton International said:
“Our thanks to all the team at ITPS who helped Houghton International achieve the Cyber Essentials certification with ease and efficiency. This certification adds reassurance that as a business we are doing the right things to protect ourselves, our customers and our supply chain, and will help open up new business opportunities. I would definitely recommend ITPS to anyone considering the Cyber Essentials certification."
Jordan Brown, IT Technician, Houghton International
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