AiMTECH Business Services is pleased to announce their renewed accreditation with the Railway Industry Supplier Qualification Scheme (RISQS), reinforcing their commitment to supporting organisations across the UK rail sector with IT, cyber security and information security compliance.
Rail has been an important part of AiMTECH’s journey for many years, and their renewed RISQS accreditation represents a deliberate decision to strengthen their focus on the sector.
RISQS is widely used across the GB rail industry to help buyers identify and assess capable suppliers.
For AiMTECH, being part of the scheme means combining their established railway experience with the cyber security and compliance capabilities they have developed significantly over recent years.
Rail is becoming increasingly digital — and increasingly dependent on cyber security
Modern railway businesses depend heavily on technology.
Microsoft 365, cloud services, mobile devices, remote working, operational systems, suppliers and interconnected supply chains all create opportunities — but also introduce cyber and information-security risks.
At the same time, organisations throughout the rail supply chain are increasingly being asked to demonstrate how they protect their systems, information and customers.
AiMTECH helps organisations address these requirements through three complementary areas:
Cyber Essentials
Helping organisations establish and demonstrate the fundamental technical controls required to protect against common cyber attacks.
Cyber Essentials Plus
Taking this further through independent technical assessment and testing of those controls.
ISO/IEC 27001
Helping organisations develop a structured Information Security Management System (ISMS), covering areas including risk management, governance, suppliers, policies, people, technology and continual improvement.
Our objective is to bring these areas together rather than treating them as separate compliance exercises.
From compliance requirement to commercial advantage
For many rail suppliers, cyber security certification first appears as a requirement in a customer questionnaire, tender or contract.
AimTECH believe businesses should get ahead of that requirement.
Rather than discovering during a procurement exercise that Cyber Essentials Plus or ISO 27001 is required, organisations can build the appropriate controls and management systems beforehand.
That changes the conversation from:
“Can we achieve this certification in time?”
to:
“We’re already prepared.”
Good cyber security and information-security governance should therefore support more than compliance.
They should help businesses demonstrate credibility, manage supply-chain risk and put themselves in a stronger position when competing for work.
Combining railway knowledge with cyber expertise
AimTECH’s renewed RISQS accreditation is particularly important because AiMTECH isn’t approaching the railway industry for the first time.
They have years of experience supporting organisations operating within the sector and understand that rail businesses have to balance technology, commercial pressures, customer requirements, assurance and compliance.
Today, theyt combine that background with our capabilities as a Cyber Essentials and Cyber Essentials Plus Certification Body, alongside our ISO 27001 implementation expertise and managed IT services.
That enables them to support rail organisations throughout their journey — from day-to-day IT and cyber security through to formal certification and information-security management.
A renewed commitment to rail
Rejoining RISQS is part of a wider strategic commitment from AiMTECH to grow their work within the railway sector.
They will be working with rail organisations, suppliers and partners to help make cyber security and compliance practical, proportionate and commercially valuable.
Whether the starting point is Cyber Essentials, Cyber Essentials Plus, ISO 27001 or improving the underlying IT and cyber environment, their aim is simple:
Help railway businesses become more secure, demonstrate compliance and be better prepared to win and deliver contracts.