Cyber Security Awareness Month may have dominated the headlines in October, but it remains an ongoing priority at Vapour HQ.

And the team is delighted to have secured Cyber Essentials certification – a government-backed scheme that evidences our deeply-engrained commitment to security, and our protection against cyber-attacks.

Independently assessed by the ISAME Consortium – a Cyber Essentials Partner – the accreditation hasn’t just encouraged the Vapour team to review and validate our cyber security protocol. It also now reassures our customers across public and private sectors – ranging from construction to education, and healthcare to professional services – that we take proactive steps to protect our cloud technology infrastructure from risk.

Commenting on the success, Vapour’s head of transformation and operations Carol McGrotty – who led the certification project – said: “A key part of being ‘cyber ready’ is never becoming complacent. It’s a mantra we share with our customers, so it’s important we live and breathe it too – not least because many attacks are a result of fairly unskilled hackers exploiting innocent human error.

“So, while we know we take cyber security extremely seriously throughout the Vapour team, the exercise to achieve certification provided a helpful ‘sense check’ that we’ve got all bases covered. It should also act as a further sign of confidence for our customers – large and small – that when you’re working with us, you’re in safe hands.”

It’s Ronnie Paton’s turn in the spotlight this month. His entrance into the world of tech started with cable TV and fast-forward to 2021, the next 4K offering is on his wishlist. Learn all about our new recruit and cloud UC engineer, in his quick-fire Q&A.

Ronnie, your time starts now…

How did you first get into the world of tech?

It all started when I completed a course surrounding the installation of cable TV, as it was just being rolled out in the UK.

And what is your earliest memory of tech in your life?

I am of an age that means I can remember the world without the internet. And so, my earliest memory of tech is military radios – if you could call them technical?

What’s the one quality you need to thrive in this environment (especially at Vapour)?

The ability to listen to what is being said and explain the solution to everyone at a level they understand, is key.

And what is the one thing you would change about the tech sector?

The use of TLAs (three letter acronyms). I believe they’re over relied on, and that some people try to confuse others by using them to hide their lack of knowledge of what they are explaining.

Why do you think Vapour stands out in the channel?

Vapour has the ability to build a comms platform around the customer’s needs, rather than the customer having to work around the comms platform.

Complete the sentences:

The best piece of tech ever invented is... the telephone.

The next purchase on my (personal) tech wishlist is... a 4KApple TV.

A tech firm that has really stood out for me in the last 12 months is... YouTube. Without it, lockdown would’ve been very boring for sure!

The biggest misconception in the channel is that... everything is difficult, therefore it must be expensive.

By the end of 2021, our tech will have made organisations far more... flexible and secure.