“Cybersecurity isn’t something you do by yourself. Most people won’t try to MOT their own car or fix a faulty wire in their house, so the same should apply to their cybersecurity.”
Ben Proudlove, Modern Microsoft Workplace Lead, Ingram Micro
Protecting your data, customers and employees from increasingly sophisticated cyber threats while also harnessing the transformative power of AI has never been more critical for Ipswich’s business community. Yet many local businesses here in Suffolk, Norfolk and Essex routinely overlook the enterprise-grade protection that is already bundled in Microsoft Business Premium.
You should be making the most of the security features you’re already paying for.
We don’t want cybersecurity to be overwhelming, nor do we want you to spend more than you need on protecting your business.
That’s why we’re hosting our first-ever coffee and questions cybersecurity event, which is designed exactly for businesses like yours.
Cybersecurity & AI Event
Join us on 11 September at Venue 16, Ipswich, for a fantastic roundtable discussion and networking session where you can find out everything you need to know about cybersecurity and AI.
Why you should attend
These are the two biggest threats and opportunities facing your business right now. That’s why we are bringing together some industry experts to help you improve your knowledge.
- Discover security tools you’re already paying for
- Learn to balance AI opportunities with robust data protection
- Network with industry experts and fellow Suffolk business leaders
- Claim a complimentary £1,000 network audit to kickstart your security strategy
Meet our guest speaker, Ben Proudlove
Our Ipswich cybersecurity event will be chaired by Karl Wilkinson, Lucid’s Technical Director and in-house cybersecurity lead.
While we will be sharing some insights about how we can keep your business safe from harm, we’re excited to share the floor with Ben Proudlove, Modern Microsoft Workplace lead at Ingram Micro.
Ben will explain how to make the most of Microsoft Business Premium’s security tools and share exclusive insights you won’t find elsewhere
In an exclusive Q&A with Ben, we’re giving you a sneak peek at what you can expect to learn on the day…
Hi Ben – thank you for agreeing to be part of our coffee and questions networking event. We appreciate it. Can you tell us briefly what Ingram Micro do and what your role is?
“Thanks for having me, I’m looking forward to the event, it’s much needed to talk to people directly about AI and cybersecurity.
Ingram Micro are one of the world’s largest IT Distributors, not just for Microsoft but for any IT-related products and solutions businesses need to operate.
My role at Ingram Micro is Partner Development Manager for Microsoft Modern Workplace. A Key focus of this role is supporting partners such as Lucid Systems in using Microsoft’s vast Security and AI solutions, ensuring their customers are protected with the latest in Microsoft’s security arsenal.”
You will be talking about Microsoft Business Premium security tools. Can you explain why this is important for local businesses that might not realise that they are already paying for enterprise-grade security features?
“Cyber threats are ever-growing, not just in number but in sophistication, as we have seen not just through some recent large-scale public attacks but in countless stories from SMB businesses.
The Microsoft Business Premium license is a business tool that most businesses will be using to some extent already for their email accounts, data storage and office apps. However, the product also contains a raft of Microsoft’s latest security solutions designed to keep businesses, more specifically SMB businesses, safe and secure from cyber threats.”
In your opinion, what are the essential security features that Suffolk businesses should focus on to keep themselves safe online?
“There are many, firstly making sure that strong access controls are in place, meaning all users have strong, regularly updated passwords and Multi Factor Authentication (2FA) applied as an absolute minimum. User awareness is key, also ensuring that all employees are trained to be vigilant and identify when something, such as a suspicious email or web link, is a potential threat. Airing on the side of caution is always safest.
Aside from users, ensuring adequate protection for endpoints and networks is in place, evergreen data protection policies, as well as incident response plans.”
Why do you think businesses inadvertently put themselves at risk when it comes to cybersecurity? Is it because they don’t know what to do, a fear of costs, a lack of education or something else?
“It can be a combination of all of the above and highlights why partnering with the right partner, such as Lucid Systems, can be so vital. Most people won’t try to MOT their own car or fix a faulty wire in their house; the same should apply to their cybersecurity.
Utilising all the solutions and features included in Business Premium can be a great first step to addressing the above, especially as most businesses will be using the license or similar for their day-to-day operations already.”
What are your thoughts on the use of AI in the workplace? Is it a help or a hindrance?
“When used correctly, 100% a huge help, we have been using AI solutions such as Copilot in our business for a while now, and some of the time savings alone have been huge. People often focus on the big, cumbersome tasks that AI can automate, which is great, but personally, I find those little tasks, such as instant meeting recaps or writing the first draft of a proposal outline, to be the most useful. Saving 5-10 minutes an hour adds up over the weeks.
Where it can be a hindrance is when users are left too much to their own devices with shadow AI (solutions that have not been approved by the business’s IT or cybersecurity teams), especially when inadequate data protection policies are in place.
One innocent user can think copying company data into an online AI solution can help save time or produce more accurate output; however, this can represent a huge data security breach to the business.”
Why would you specifically recommend Microsoft Copilot as a safe generative AI tool? Many Ipswich businesses are actively using the likes of ChatGPT, Perplexity, Claude and more. What are the built-in protections in Copilot that give you secure AI without paying for extra licences?
“Microsoft Copilot sits within the business’s tenant only, with no data transported out of the tenant for any reason, including further training of the AI model. What this means is the data in your business stays in your business and is only visible to anyone with the relevant permissions you have granted.
Referring to my answer above, A recent Boston Consulting study found that 54% of UK employees would use AI tools at work, without authorisation. Meaning these users are exposing business data to unknown online AI solutions, which could be malicious attackers. There is also a risk of users allowing these users into the business environment through unauthorised installation of apps, where, without relevant data protection policies, they can potentially have free rein over the inner workings of the business.
By leveraging Microsoft Copilot, you are not just realising the gains that most users will be looking to online tools for already but increasing your cybersecurity posture by using known and trusted apps, which are easily managed by IT teams and have stringent data protection policies.
For good reason, the majority of the world’s businesses already trust Microsoft to store their data and secure their IT environments; the same should apply to their AI solutions.”
Our morning of coffee and candid cyber-chat will be the best ROI you’ll get this year.
Now is the time to stop and really think about your cybersecurity.
There have been so many high-profile cases of data breaches and cyberattacks in the last six months that you can’t afford to ignore them or put them at the bottom of your to-do list.
What is clear is that effective cybersecurity is as much about awareness and education as it is about technical defence mechanisms. That’s why we’ve set up our coffee and questions Ipswich cybersecurity event, so that we can talk to you in person and give you everything you need to improve your defence layers.
As we always say, prevention is always cheaper than rectifying the damage caused by a data breach.
Booking your free ticket to our event could save you £000s, making it the best ROI you’ll receive all year!
There are only 20 seats left – secure yours now
