DeCyber Launches With Mission To Protect Sports Clubs From Hackers
The new technology firm has created a platform for sports/leisure clubs and organisations to access commercial-grade cyber security at affordable prices.
Clubs of all sizes are prize targets for cyber crime – they hold large amounts of valuable user data, and tend to be run by part-time volunteers without a professional understanding of how to properly protect the club. These clubs are just as attractive to hackers as businesses, but have not had the knowledge or resources to invest in anything more than basic personal anti-virus software.
This makes them dangerously vulnerable. On average, the cost of a successful cyber attack to a sports club in the UK is £10,000. For many amateur community clubs this would be a crippling financial hit. Not to mention the time and effort the club would need to put into rebuilding its systems and regaining the trust of its members and sponsors.
Until now, the kind of solutions that could mitigate that risk were prohibitively expensive and difficult to understand and install. DeCyber has built a platform that makes it easy for club officials to protect their organisation in less than 15 minutes, with prices starting at just £100/year.
“Having worked in cyber risk for some time, and being a sports fan myself, I became alarmed at just how vulnerable clubs were to cyber attack” said Jonathon Lane, founder and managing director of DeCyber. “So I approached some of the very best solution providers in the world, and created bespoke security package solutions that were specifically designed to help sports clubs. Most solutions are focused on corporate enterprise and small to medium businesses – we’re the only solution built with sports clubs in mind.”
These packages include solutions such as cyber insurance, anti-virus, firewall protection, deep web monitoring and cyber awareness training. Clubs can visit DeCyber’s website, answer a few simple questions about the club in the Cyber Health Check, and receive a free cyber risk assessment. From there they can purchase a package tailored to the answers they gave, including solutions they often wouldn’t otherwise be able to afford.
The cyber security products available to clubs and organisations through DeCyber are:
- Cyber insurance underwritten by certain underwriters at Lloyd’s of London, which includes commercial-grade Avast anti-virus and firewall software.
- WardWiz, another market-leading anti-virus software package
- OwlDetect, a state of the art data monitoring tool which allows clubs to see if their data appears in places it shouldn’t for example, on the dark web
- KYND, a cyber risk management tool that can help clubs easily identify their cyber risks in real time
- CybSafe, a rich, interactive cyber awareness training programme
DeCyber is able to offer these products at extremely attractive prices for a sport or leisure club.
DeCyber has the backing of Risk Transfer Group, which has a 38-year record in the insurance business. Its cyber insurance is provided underwritten by Lloyd’s of London, and its solution packages have been put together with CPP Group UK, a leading international product innovation business. With these kinds of partnerships, DeCyber is in position to transform the sports cyber security market.
In fact the start-up has already started making waves. It is the 1st team men’s hockey shirt sponsor at Surbiton Hockey Club, the largest hockey club in the UK, and has installed one of its packages as part of the deal. It is also a sponsor of the Sport and Recreation Alliance, and will be sponsoring an award at the CRSA awards in March 2019.
