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In this episode of InfoSec Insider – Talk BC, Phil Knight, Senior Consultant at URM, explores the different types of business continuity exercises organisations can undertake and what makes an exercise genuinely effective. Drawing on his extensive experience supporting organisations with business continuity and resilience, Phil discusses: The different types of business continuity exercises, from walkthroughs and tabletop exercises to simulations and full-scale exercises How to choose the right type of exercise based on your organisation’s needs, objectives and available resources The importance of realistic scenarios, careful planning and securing stakeholder buy-in The role of effective facilitation in keeping participants engaged and ensuring exercises deliver meaningful results How to capture lessons learned and turn the outcomes of an exercise into practical improvements to business continuity arrangements Phil also shares real-world examples of business continuity exercises, demonstrating how realistic testing can uncover gaps that may otherwise remain hidden until a genuine disruption occurs. Have a question about business continuity? Submit your question using the link below or leave it in the comments, and we may answer it in a future episode of InfoSec Insider – Talk BC. Please use the form here: https://urmconsulting.com/podcasts/successful-business-continuity-exercises-from-planning-to-practice You can find more episodes of InfoSec Insider here: https://urmconsulting.com/podcasts Brought to you by URM, the UK’s leading information and cyber security specialists.

In this episode of InfoSec Insider – Talk DP, Aimee Brown and Rachael Salter, both Consultants at URM, explore lawful basis under the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR), why choosing the right basis is fundamental to compliant processing, and some of the common mistakes organisations make in practice. Aimee and Rachael discuss: Why identifying the correct lawful basis is fundamental to GDPR compliance Why organisations so often misuse consent and how to determine whether it is appropriate How legitimate interests, legal obligation, public task and vital interests apply in practice What changes when processing special category personal data The most common lawful basis mistakes and how organisations can avoid them.   Your questions matter If there’s a data protection or GDPR issue you’d like us to explore, share it with us: https://urmconsulting.com/podcasts/the-lawful-basis-minefield-why-getting-it-wrong-undermines-everything We’ll use listener questions to guide future discussions and ensure our episodes tackle the challenges that matter most to businesses like yours. You can find more episodes of InfoSec Insider here: https://urmconsulting.com/podcasts                Brought to you by URM, the UK’s leading information and cyber security specialists.

In this episode of InfoSec Insider, George Ryan and Jack Woods, both Consultants at URM, provide practical advice on how organisations can improve cyber security training and awareness, and why tailoring training to specific roles, responsibilities and risks can help build a stronger security culture. George Ryan and Jack Woods draw upon their experience of helping organisations strengthen their information security to discuss: The difference between cyber security training, awareness and competence, and why organisations should understand the distinction Why a one-size-fits-all approach to cyber security training may provide a useful baseline, but often fails to address the different risks faced by specific roles, teams and sectors How tailored training can make cyber security more relevant to employees, encourage behavioural change and help organisations develop a stronger security culture How the growing use of AI is creating new security risks and training requirements, as well as new opportunities to make cyber security awareness more effective And more. If there's a GRC or cyber security related issue you'd like us to explore, share it with us here here: https://urmconsulting.com/podcasts/cyber-security-training-awareness-and-benefits-of-tailored-training We use listener questions to guide future discussions and ensure our episodes tackle the challenges that matter most to organisations like yours. You can find more episodes of InfoSec Insider here: https://urmconsulting.com/podcasts             Brought to you by URM, the UK’s leading information and cyber security specialists.

In this episode of InfoSec Insider, Alastair Stewart and Tibor Laczko, both Senior Consultants and Qualified Security Assessors (QSAs) with URM, examine one of the most frequently misunderstood areas of PCI DSS: the difference between compensating controls and the customised approach. Drawing on their extensive PCI DSS assessment experience, they discuss: The key differences between compensating controls and customised approaches, and the specific scenarios where each can be used Why compensating controls are not a “get out of jail free” card for non-compliance and the strict conditions that must be met before they can be applied The legal, regulatory, technical, and financial constraints that may justify the use of compensating controls How customised approaches were introduced in PCI DSS v4.0 to support innovative and non-traditional methods of meeting security objectives Why customised validations require significant planning, documentation, evidence collection, and assessor involvement before they can be approved And more. If there's a PCI DSS related issue you'd like us to explore, share it with us here here: https://urmconsulting.com/podcasts/pci-dss-compensating-controls-vs-customized-approach We use listener questions to guide future discussions and ensure our episodes tackle the challenges that matter most to organisations like yours. You can find more episodes of InfoSec Insider here: https://urmconsulting.com/podcasts              Brought to you by URM, the UK’s leading information and cyber security specialists.

InfoSec Insider Podcast - Season 3, Episode 1 (101) Benefits of Business Continuity Exercising In this episode of InfoSec Insider – Talk BC, Phil Knight, Senior Consultant at URM, explores exercising of business continuity plans, and the benefits this can provide to organisations.  Phil draws upon his extensive experience supporting organisations to strengthen their business continuity arrangements and resilience to discuss: What business continuity exercising is ISO 22301 (the best practice standard for BC management), the business continuity lifecycle and where exercising fits into these The benefits that exercising can provide to organisations The consequences or costs of not performing exercises. Learn more about this topic: https://www.urmconsulting.com/blog/business-continuity-exercising 5 Business Continuity Must‑Dos to Strengthen Your Organisation’s Resilience webinar: https://www.urmconsulting.com/event/5-business-continuity-must-dos-to-strengthen-your-organisations-resilience You can find more episodes of InfoSec Insider here: https://urmconsulting.com/podcasts               Brought to you by URM, the UK’s leading information and cyber security specialists.

In this episode of InfoSec Insider – Talk DP, Rachael Salter and Aimee Brown, both Consultants at URM, share their insights on how to effectively manage the immediate aftermath of a personal data breach.  Aimee and Racheal draw on over 20 years’ combined data protection experience to discuss:  What actually counts as a data breach and when it needs to be reported to the Information Commissioner’s Office (ICO) How organisations can assess risk and decide whether affected individuals need to be told The biggest mistakes organisations make in the first few days following a data breach How ransomware attacks, supplier incidents, and modern technology are changing breach management The practical steps organisations can take now to prepare for a breach and demonstrate accountability afterwards. Ask Rachael and Aimee a question:  https://urmconsulting.com/podcasts/the-first-72-hours-managing-data-breaches      You can find more episodes of InfoSec Insider here: https://urmconsulting.com/podcasts       Connect with us on LinkedIn     Brought to you by URM, the UK’s leading information and cyber security specialists.

In this episode of InfoSec Insider – Talk Cyber, Jamie Leavers, Security Consultant at URM, and Lauren Gotting, New Business Director at URM, share real-world lessons learned from conducting hundreds of CE and CE+ assessments, including early assessments against the new Danzell requirements.   Jamie and Lauren leverage their extensive experience with the Cyber Essentials scheme to discuss: Lessons from real CE/CE+ assessments, what assessors are seeing in practice, and what separates successful submissions from failed ones The Danzell Question Set and key changes introduced in 2026 and how they impact both new applicants and recertifying organisations How to prepare for certification or recertification, including ractical guidance to ensure your evidence, scope and controls meet assessor expectations. The common issues and pitfalls most frequently causing delays or failures and how to avoid them entirely. Learn more about URM’s webinar programme: https://www.urmconsulting.com/events/upcoming-events Contact [email protected] for this webinar’s slide deck. You can find more episodes of InfoSec Insider here: https://urmconsulting.com/podcasts              Brought to you by URM, the UK’s leading information and cyber security specialists.

In this episode of InfoSec Insider, George Ryan and Jack Woods, both Consultants at URM, provide expert advice and guidance on how organisations can maintain the physical security of their information, and where physical security most often goes wrong.  George and Jack draw upon their extensive combined experience of helping organisations strengthen their information security to discuss: Whether organisations are underestimating the importance of physical security in favour of focusing on cyber threats How hybrid working, flexible offices, and remote employees have changed what ‘physical security’ actually means The most surprising physical security weakness they’ve encountered that could have led to a major information security breach Which physical security controls most organisations think is effective, but in reality provide little more than a false sense of security The top three physical controls they would implement in an organisation with a limited budget and why. Ask Jack and George a question: https://urmconsulting.com/podcasts/physical-security-controls You can find more episodes of InfoSec Insider here: https://urmconsulting.com/podcasts       Brought to you by URM, the UK’s leading information and cyber security specialists.

In this episode of InfoSec Insider, Alastair Stewart and Tibor Laczko, both Senior Consultants and Qualified Security Assessors (QSAs) with URM, share their insights on complying with periodic requirements within the Payment Card Industry Data Security Standard (PCI DSS).  Alastair and Tibor leverage nearly 30 years’ combined experience with the PCI DSS to discuss:   Why PCI DSS v4 moved away from fixed frequencies and towards risk-based intervals for some controls The common mistakes they see organisations make when defining their own frequencies Whether the introduction of Requirement 12.3.1 has improved security outcomes or simply increased documentation requirements How PCI DSS targeted risk analysis (TRA) differs from an enterprise risk assessment and why organisations frequently confuse the two How to determine appropriate activity frequency and the evidence that shows QSAs an organisation’s chosen frequency is reasonable How to meet specific requirements such as Periodic Evaluation of Systems Not Considered at Risk from Malware, Application and System Account Reviews, and Change and Tamper Detection Mechanisms And more. Ask Alastair and Tibor a question: https://urmconsulting.com/podcasts/pci-dss-periodic-activities   If you enjoyed this episode of InfoSec Insider, you can leave us a rating and review here:  https://ratethispodcast.com/infosecinsider            You can find more episodes of InfoSec Insider here:  https://urmconsulting.com/podcasts             Connect with us on LinkedIn     Brought to you by URM, the UK’s leading information and cyber security specialists.

In this episode of InfoSec Insider – Talk DP, Aimee Brown and Rachael Salter, both Consultants at URM, break down cookies compliance under the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) and Privacy and Electronic Communications Regulations (PECR).  Aimee and Racheal draw on over 20 years’ combined data protection experience to discuss:  Why cookies are so important to businesses commercially What the law actually requires when using cookies How businesses get cookie compliance wrong in practice Where consent or pay fits in What good compliance actually looks like. Ask Rachael and Aimee a question: https://urmconsulting.com/podcasts/gdpr-cookies-compliance         If you enjoyed this episode of InfoSec Insider, you can leave us a rating and review here:  https://ratethispodcast.com/infosecinsider          You can find more episodes of InfoSec Insider here: https://urmconsulting.com/podcasts         Connect with us on LinkedIn   Brought to you by URM, the UK’s leading information and cyber security specialists.

In this episode of InfoSec Insider, Neil Jones, Senior Consultant at URM, shares key advice and guidance on ISO 27001 Clause 10.2 (Nonconformity and corrective action), its requirements and how organisations can meet them.  Neil leverages over 20 years of experience working with risk and information security-related standards to discuss:  What Clause 10.2 is and why it is important for organisations managing problems with their information security management system (ISMS) What nonconformities are, and the difference between major and minor nonconformities The requirements of Clause 10.2 and how organisations can implement them in practice Common mistakes to avoid when addressing Clause 10.2. Learn more about this topic: https://www.urmconsulting.com/blog/iso-27001-clause-10-2-nonconformity-and-corrective-action If you enjoyed this episode of InfoSec Insider, you can leave us a rating and review here: https://ratethispodcast.com/infosecinsider        You can find more episodes of InfoSec Insider here: https://urmconsulting.com/podcasts  Brought to you by URM, the UK’s leading information and cyber security specialists.

In this episode of InfoSec Insider, Tibor Laczko and Alastair Stewart, both Senior Consultants and Qualified Security Assessors (QSAs) at URM, explore scoping in the Payment Card Industry Data Security Standard (PCI DSS). Alastair and Tibor leverage nearly 30 years’ combined experience with the PCI DSS to discuss:      When an organisation stops being ‘just a merchant’ and becomes a PCI DSS service provider and how this distinction is made Whether organisations can be a merchant and service provider at the same time and how this should be reflected in the PCI DSS assessment Why Requirement 6.4.3 and 11.6.1 are particularly important for modern e-commerce scoping Some examples of systems that are not in the card data environment (CDE) but are still security-impacting and therefore in PCI DSS scope How elements such as administrative access, deployment pipelines, cloud consoles, source code repositories, and secrets management tools be considered during scoping And more. Ask Alastair and Tibor a question: https://urmconsulting.com/podcasts/pci-dss-scoping         If you enjoyed this episode of InfoSec Insider, you can leave us a rating and review here:  https://ratethispodcast.com/infosecinsider          You can find more episodes of InfoSec Insider here:  https://urmconsulting.com/podcasts          Connect with us on LinkedIn  Brought to you by URM, the UK’s leading information and cyber security specialists.

In this episode of InfoSec Insider, George Ryan and Jack Woods, both Consultants at URM, break down the key steps to establishing control over the use of artificial intelligence (AI) within organisations.  Jack and George leverage their extensive experience supporting organisations to strengthen their information security and risk management to discuss: Why organisations should be paying attention to AI right now The most common ways organisations are already using AI The most significant AI-related risks they currently see How organisations can use AI effectively, what ‘good’ looks like, and some simple guardrails against issues and misuse The top three AI controls and measures all organisations should have in place. Ask Jack and George a question: https://urmconsulting.com/podcasts/establishing-control-over-ai-usage If you enjoyed this episode of InfoSec Insider, you can leave us a rating and review here: https://ratethispodcast.com/infosecinsider       You can find more episodes of InfoSec Insider here: https://urmconsulting.com/podcasts              Brought to you by URM, the UK’s leading information and cyber security specialists.

In this episode of InfoSec Insider – Talk DP, Rachael Salter and Aimee Brown, both Consultants at URM, consider emerging trends in the field of data protection and privacy, and the practical implications for organisations that need to maintain compliance.  Aimee and Rachel leverage 20 years’ combined experience in data protection to discuss: What they think will define privacy risk over the next 12 months Why artificial intelligence (AI) will continue to expose weak data protection practices The privacy issues that are most likely to grow fastest in practice Where regulators are most likely to focus next The steps organisations should take now to prepare for the next wave of scrutiny and enforcement. You can register for the STAIRs webinar or watch the recording on URM’s website: https://www.urmconsulting.com/event/stairs-webinar-are-you-ready Ask Rachael and Aimee a question: https://urmconsulting.com/podcasts/next-12-months-in-privacy If you enjoyed this episode of InfoSec Insider, you can leave us a rating and review here:  https://ratethispodcast.com/infosecinsider You can find more episodes of InfoSec Insider here: https://urmconsulting.com/podcasts Connect with us on LinkedIn        Brought to you by URM, the UK’s leading information and cyber security specialists.

In this episode of InfoSec Insider, Alastair Stewart and Tibor Laczko, both Senior Consultants and Qualified Security Assessors (QSAs) with URM, explore some of the most misunderstood areas of PCI DSS scoping, focusing on service providers, merchants, and complex modern payment architectures. Alastair and Tibor leverage nearly 30 years’ combined experience with the PCI DSS to discuss: When an organisation stops being “just a merchant” and becomes a PCI DSS service provider, and what really drives that distinction How an organisation can be both a merchant and a service provider at the same time, and how this should be handled during a PCI DSS assessment The most common mistakes organisations make when deciding how they should be classified for PCI DSS purposes Whether companies providing payment-enabled platforms, but not directly handling PAN, can still fall under the definition of a service provider The responsibilities that remain when a third-party platform hosts the payment page but payment fields are served directly by a provider And more. Ask Alastair and Tibor a question:  https://www.urmconsulting.com/podcasts/pci-dss-and-service-providers   If you enjoyed this episode of InfoSec Insider, you can leave us a rating and review here:  https://ratethispodcast.com/infosecinsider          You can find more episodes of InfoSec Insider here:  https://urmconsulting.com/podcasts         Connect with us on LinkedIn       Brought to you by URM, the UK’s leading information and cyber security specialists.