The group is already accredited to ISO 27001, the information security management standard, and DMA DataSeal, but decided to strive for the Cyber Essentials certificate in part because the scheme has gained prominence due to government promotion and recent high-profile security breaches.

Pureprint IT director Graeme Wilkie said that upgrading to Cyber Essentials Plus was essential for business.

“Our ISO 27001 needed to be built upon to ensure to our clients that from their work with us, their data, is handled expertly and looked after,” he said. 

The accreditation requires organisations to put in place a series of procedural and technical controls in order to slow down potential internet-born cyber-attacks.

“It’s a chance to give our customers the confidence that we are being externally audited against the variety of different standards,” added Wilkie. 

Beginning the process in February 2017, the Cyber Essentials Plus accreditation was achieved on 21 April, with the basics having already been covered in ISO 27001 and DMA DataSeal.

Wilkie added that the new accreditation was giving the circa 400-employee group a chance to bring in new business.

“Adding Cyber Essentials Plus to our suite of security credentials gives our clients assurance that we take handling their data seriously and do everything we can to ensure that we are a safe pair of hands when dealing with confidential information,” he said. 

“We did it because it’s something we needed to do but it's also opening the company to opportunities."

Last month, £65m-turnover Pureprint opened a new Creative Packaging office and client space.