Cyber security in Antrim
Cyber security in Antrim for the manufacturers, logistics firms and suppliers whose customers now ask how their data is protected. Business Technologies NI secures Microsoft 365 accounts, email, laptops and networks for Antrim businesses from our office in Lisburn, gets them ready for Cyber Essentials and keeps watch day and night. It is security sized for small and medium-sized firms, explained in plain English.
Why cyber security matters for Antrim suppliers
Antrim and Newtownabbey Borough Council promotes advanced manufacturing, aerospace, health and life sciences and logistics as the borough's strengths 1Source 1Invest in Antrim and Newtownabbey (Antrim and Newtownabbey Borough Council, 2026)www.investantrimnewtownabbey.com/See in Sources. Firms in those sectors rarely sell straight to the public. They supply larger companies, and larger companies increasingly send a security questionnaire before they sign, or ask for a Cyber Essentials certificate as a condition of the contract.
That puts small Antrim firms in an awkward spot. Most have nobody whose job is security, yet a single compromised mailbox could be used to send convincing fake invoices to every customer on the list. Criminals know that a supplier's email is often the easiest way into a bigger target.
What the PSNI figures show
In 2025/26 the PSNI recorded 3,894 crimes flagged as online, 4.2% of all recorded crime and up from 3,422 the year before 2Source 2Police Recorded Crime Bulletin, period ending 31 March 2026 (PSNI, 2026)www.psni.police.uk/system/files/2026-05/525903612/Police%20Recorded%20Crime%20Bulletin%20Period%20Ending%2031st%20March%202026.pdfSee in Sources. Those numbers leave out most business fraud: since April 2015, fraud and cyber crime in Northern Ireland have been reported centrally, to the service now called Report Fraud, rather than to local police 2Source 2Police Recorded Crime Bulletin, period ending 31 March 2026 (PSNI, 2026)www.psni.police.uk/system/files/2026-05/525903612/Police%20Recorded%20Crime%20Bulletin%20Period%20Ending%2031st%20March%202026.pdfSee in Sources.
The PSNI's advice is to report to Report Fraud as a matter of course, and to ring 101 as well when a fraud is still going on, happened in the last 24 hours, or money or evidence needs securing quickly 3Source 3Reporting fraud (PSNI, 2026)www.psni.police.uk/safety-and-support/keeping-safe/protecting-yourself/scams-and-fraud/reporting-fraudSee in Sources. Speed matters: a bank can sometimes recall a payment if it is told the same day.
For a wider view, the government's Cyber Security Breaches Survey 2026 found that 43% of businesses had suffered a breach or attack in the previous year 4Source 4Cyber Security Breaches Survey 2025/2026 (UK-wide) (GOV.UK, 2026)www.gov.uk/government/statistics/cyber-security-breaches-survey-20252026/cyber-security-breaches-survey-20252026See in Sources. That figure is UK-wide, and suppliers in Antrim face the same automated attacks as firms anywhere else.
The controls we put in place
We start with the handful of measures that prevent most incidents, then add monitoring so anything unusual is spotted early.
- Accounts. Multi-factor sign-in for every user, conditional access, and admin rights kept to the few who need them.
- Email. Filtering for phishing and malware, with SPF, DKIM and DMARC on your domain so nobody can easily send mail as you.
- Devices. Managed endpoint protection, encryption and timely updates on every laptop, desktop and shop-floor PC.
- Backups. Copies of Microsoft 365 and server data held apart from the originals, with restores tested.
- Watching. 24/7 monitoring on every TechState™ level, and 24/7 Cyber Response from TechState™ Assured upwards.
Answering the questionnaire
When a customer asks how you protect their information, a vague answer loses the contract. We keep a record of the controls in place on your systems, so questions about multi-factor sign-in, patching, backups and incident response can be answered with evidence rather than guesswork.
Cyber Essentials gives that evidence a recognised form. It covers five controls: firewalls, secure configuration, user access, malware protection and update management. We test your setup against them, fix what fails and support the self-assessment, which an IASME-licensed certification body marks. Readiness comes with TechState™ Assured, and Cyber Essentials Plus readiness, which adds an independent technical audit, with TechState™ Verified.
Free help, and where we fit in
The PSNI Cyber Crime Centre gives small firms and charities free awareness sessions and tabletop exercises, and can set up Police CyberAlarm, which watches the traffic hitting your internet connection for signs of attack 5Source 5Cyber Protect: the PSNI Cyber Crime Centre's help for businesses (PSNI, accessed 2026)www.psni.police.uk/safety-and-support/online-safety/cyber-protectSee in Sources. The NI Cyber Security Centre, set up by the Department of Finance in 2020 and based at CSIT at Queen's University Belfast 6Source 6Cyber Security Centre launched (Department of Finance, 2020)www.finance-ni.gov.uk/news/cyber-security-centre-launched-0See in Sources, publishes guidance written for smaller businesses 7Source 7NI Cyber Security Centre (NI Cyber Security Centre, accessed 2026)www.nicybersecuritycentre.gov.uk/See in Sources.
Those services raise awareness and spot trouble. Our part is the hands-on work: configuring the controls, keeping them current and answering when an alert fires. On-site support is part of the standard service across Northern Ireland, Antrim included.
How the price is built
Security is built into each TechState™ level and charged per user, per month, rather than sold as an add-on. The Cyber Essentials certification fee is set by the scheme according to your size and paid to the certification body, not to us.
For the published fees with sources, an indicative monthly figure, and the questions to ask any provider:
Sectors with the most to protect in Antrim
Security reading for Antrim firms
Questions from Antrim
Yes. We compare your devices, accounts and firewall with the five controls, put right what fails and guide you through the self-assessment. Readiness is part of TechState™ Assured.
Yes. We answer from the controls actually in place on your systems, and where something is missing we tell you plainly and fix it before you reply.
Report fraud and cyber crime to Report Fraud. If it is still happening, happened in the last day or money needs stopping, ring the PSNI on 101 as well. Call us too, so we can contain the problem.
A free PSNI service for small firms and charities that monitors the traffic reaching your internet connection and reports suspicious activity. It complements, rather than replaces, the protection on your own systems.
Yes. We resolve most issues remotely from our Lisburn office, and on-site support is part of the standard service when hands are needed.
Sources
- 1.Invest in Antrim and Newtownabbey, Antrim and Newtownabbey Borough Council, 2026.↩https://www.investantrimnewtownabbey.com/
- 2.Police Recorded Crime Bulletin, period ending 31 March 2026, PSNI, 2026.↩https://www.psni.police.uk/system/files/2026-05/525903612/Police%20Recorded%20Crime%20Bulletin%20Period%20Ending%2031st%20March%202026.pdf
- 3.Reporting fraud, PSNI, 2026.↩https://www.psni.police.uk/safety-and-support/keeping-safe/protecting-yourself/scams-and-fraud/reporting-fraud
- 4.Cyber Security Breaches Survey 2025/2026 (UK-wide), GOV.UK, 2026.↩https://www.gov.uk/government/statistics/cyber-security-breaches-survey-20252026/cyber-security-breaches-survey-20252026
- 5.Cyber Protect: the PSNI Cyber Crime Centre's help for businesses, PSNI, accessed 2026.↩https://www.psni.police.uk/safety-and-support/online-safety/cyber-protect
- 6.Cyber Security Centre launched, Department of Finance, 2020.↩https://www.finance-ni.gov.uk/news/cyber-security-centre-launched-0
- 7.NI Cyber Security Centre, NI Cyber Security Centre, accessed 2026.↩https://www.nicybersecuritycentre.gov.uk/
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