Why Cyber Security Starts with People: Highlights from Bletchley Park
25th November 2025
Cyber Security at Bletchley Park: Key Takeaways for SMEs
We were thrilled to welcome so many of you to Bletchley Park for an insightful and thought-provoking event in partnership with Franklins Solicitors LLP. The goal? To put cyber security firmly on the radar for SMEs and highlight the growing risks businesses face today.
The day covered a wide spectrum of threat points, from ethical hacking to mobile security and email protection, offering practical advice and actionable steps to strengthen your cyber resilience.
Inside the Mind of a Hacker
Rob Shapland’s session was a real eye-opener. He shared real-world experiences of ethical hacking, using techniques like AI-driven voice cloning and impersonation to gain access to businesses. His message was clear: vigilance matters. No matter how convincing someone sounds, employees must stay alert. And yes, “Password37!” (or any variation) is absolutely not acceptable in today’s threat landscape.
Mobile Security Belongs in the Boardroom
Adam Boynton highlighted why mobile devices are now prime targets for attackers. From OS updates to CEO deepfake risks, the mobile threat landscape is evolving fast. His advice? Treat mobile security as a board-level priority and leverage solutions like Jamf to secure endpoints without compromising user experience.
Real-World Threats and Business Continuity
Hiro Taylor brought frontline insights, stressing the importance of business continuity planning. What happens if you lose access to all data? How do you communicate with your team? Tools like NCSC’s Exercise in a Box can help businesses identify gaps and prepare for real-world attacks.
Securing the Inbox
Robin Bingeman reminded us that over 90% of cyber incidents start with a phishing email. His session covered how solutions like Vipre protect inboxes through AI threat detection, sender verification and email archiving, critical for audits and restoring compromised mailboxes.
Doing the Basics Right
Matt Leonards closed the day with practical steps to improve cyber resilience: enforce strong authentication, patch vulnerabilities, secure cloud environments and build robust incident response plans. His mantra? Do the basics right first, then mature your approach.
Key Takeaways from the Panel
- Be politely paranoid – question everything.
- Inbox zero – rely on secure archiving.
- Make security easy – biometrics and user-friendly policies drive adoption.
- Focus on the big pieces first – patching, MFA and foundational practices.
- Face-to-face training beats e-learning – it resonates and sticks.
Ultimately, the biggest takeaway? People are where attacks start. Train and empower them.
A huge thank you to everyone who joined us, our speakers, and Bletchley Park for hosting us at such an iconic venue. See you at the next event!
Photo Credit: All Things Business
