Gorilla

CYBER ESSENTIALS PLUS

The Client

Gorilla is an accountancy firm based in Horwich, Bolton, established in 2015 and part of the Azets group since 2023. The practice is trusted by around ten percent in recent months and plans to keep that momentum by adding clients and staff. It is led by Managing Director Richard Hepburn and Operations Director Matthew Langhan.

As an accountancy practice, Gorilla handles confidential financial and personal data every day, making secure, reliable technology central to the way the business operates. As the firm became part of the Azets group, it needed to keep pace with a growing headcount and client base while continuing to meet the high security expectations that come with both its own business and its wider group.

The Challenge

With clients increasingly asking how their information is safeguarded, and with stronger security standards expected of firms in the accountancy sector, Gorilla needed to demonstrate that it had robust measures in place to protect sensitive data.

As part of the Azets group, Gorilla also needed to ensure its technology and security arrangements aligned with the expectations of the wider group.

The firm needed a trusted technology partner that could provide the expertise and support required to strengthen its security, while also giving the business a reliable IT infrastructure that could scale alongside its continued growth.

The Solution

Gorilla chose Eventura as its single managed IT partner, bringing together IT support, a hosted phone system, connectivity, web management, cyber security and related services under one provider.

A key objective was achieving Cyber Essentials Plus certification, providing independently verified assurance that the appropriate security controls were in place to protect the business and its clients.

To achieve Cyber Essentials Plus, Eventura worked through the five core controls required for certification. This included securing firewalls and internet gateways, applying secure configuration across devices, tightening user access controls including multi-factor authentication, strengthening malware protection, and ensuring software and firmware were kept up to date.

Eventura guided Gorilla through the assessment and certification process, supporting the firm throughout the work and helping to minimise disruption to its day-to-day operations. The work was completed over a period of a few weeks, with minimal disruption to the running of the practice.

The Result

Gorilla successfully achieved Cyber Essentials Plus certification, giving the business and its clients independently verified assurance that financial and personal data is properly protected.

By working with Eventura as its single accountable IT partner, Gorilla has also reduced the overhead of managing multiple technology suppliers and gained a more joined-up approach to its IT and security.

The result is a stronger security posture aligned with the expectations of the wider Azets group, alongside technology and support that can scale as Gorilla continues to grow its client base and team.

The Future

Gorilla plans to continue growing its client base and team while maintaining its Cyber Essentials Plus certification through annual recertification. This will ensure its security assurance remains current as the business evolves.

Eventura will continue to act as Gorilla’s IT partner, supporting the firm with its technology, communications and security needs as it grows.