IFA really does see the value of advice

The Cyber PATH team and the regional centres are always delighted to receive positive feedback after they deliver one of their services to a local business, and that was

certainly the case with fmifa (Financial Management - Independent Financial Advice), the long-established and highly respected firm of independent financial advisors based in Penn, Buckinghamshire. However, in reality, it’s not really a surprising reaction from a company whose values and mission are so closely aligned with that of the CRC Network!

As a financial management company, they have a well-earned reputation for providing reliable advice based on the knowledge, expertise and experience of their team. While their advice is primarily focused on financial planning, they occasionally highlight what they know about emerging threats, particularly around financial scams and online fraud; it’s something their clients have come to value and appreciate, mainly because it’s coming from a source they know and trust.

Because they are in a trusted position, they naturally do everything possible to fact-check any cyber advice they pass on to clients. So, they were particularly intrigued when one of their team received a recommendation to look at the work of the South East Cyber Resilience Centre, a police-led, business-focused organisation dedicated to improving cyber resilience among the SME community. Like fmifa, the centre offers truly independent guidance and training, and so the relationship began.

As a business that is conscious of its responsibility to protect client data, fmifa decided to commission the centre to provide some training for all of the staff. Regardless of their previous diligent approach to cyber, like their clients, they appreciate the value of advice, especially when an expert and independent source provides it. After talking through the options with a member of the Cyber PATH team, they booked Security Awareness Training.

The training was provided by Ehsan Mehrdad, a Cyber PATH student under the guidance of Detective Inspector Chris White, who is Head of Cyber & Innovation at the South East Cyber Resilience Centre. The training was delivered in two identical sessions so that the fmifa team could all attend one or the other without any disruption to the day-to-day operation of the business.

fmifa was delighted with the delivery of the training and the time taken by the Cyber PATH team to break the message down into layperson’s terms; again, it aligns very well with their ongoing efforts to speak to their clients in non-financial jargon! The whole fmifa team was particularly impressed with the professionalism of Ehsan, who “presented exceptionally well, in a relaxed manner”. 

However, beyond Ehsan’s style and knowledge, they were particularly impressed with how the Cyber PATH programme enables students to gain paid real-work experience. As a company that is genuinely invested in the local community and that accepts its social responsibility, they truly appreciated how their use of the Cyber PATH service is helping to make students more workplace-ready.

Philip Harper, Managing Partner

Speaking about Cyber PATH and the Security Awareness Training, fmifa Managing Partner Philip Harper said:

“We were delighted with the training sessions delivered by Ehsan; his presentation was excellent, and he hit the right notes.

“As a business, we know the value of expert advice, and we feel this is what we received; and even though we are cyber aware, we still learned a great deal in an easily digestible manner. Every member of our team took something away from the training, so that made it a success for us. 

“We were delighted to provide a university student with the opportunity to experience a professional workplace.  In return, we benefited from their up-to-date knowledge and training.  I highly recommend Cyber PATH to any organisation.”

Indeed, the team at fmifa were so confident in the quality of advice they received that they are now sharing it with their clients via their popular client newsletters!

We are pleased with the outcome of our initial engagement with fmifa; we’re also delighted they are now exploring some of the other Cyber PATH services to further bolster their cyber presence. We look forward to working with them again in the near future.