80% of financial services firms have seen an increase in cyberattacks due to COVID-19. The arrival of COVID-19 and the ‘new normal’ have pushed communications and services online, especially within financial services.
Protecting your business from digital risk has never been more important. Let's find out how Harwell Finance Group secured their communications during the pandemic.
Harwell Finance Group is a bespoke mortgage and protection network, providing its member firms with dedicated regulation, compliance, and supervisory support.
They place a high priority on continuous development, so they can develop their members' knowledge and skills to ensure each individual firm can provide the very best service to their respective clients.
Run by directors Jonathan Harris and Paul Stockwell, both of whom have considerable experience in the UK mortgage market, Harwell Finance Group aims to bring a personal approach to business support and a closer sense of community with their network.
Harwell Finance Group launched in March 2020, unintentionally coinciding with the start of the COVID-19 pandemic.
This created a challenging situation, as firms within their network who mainly preferred face-to-face contact were hindered from business-as-usual by country-wide lockdowns.
Realising that they had to take their connections online, Harwell Finance Group began relying more heavily on email for client communications.
"Since a lot of our client data is now transferred by email, the directors felt it was responsible for us to look at a system that could protect that client data, as it is the most important thing for our business."
— Rob Hastings, Operations & Compliance Officer
During this time, they also noticed the media commenting on significant increases in cybercrime, especially for financial services.
With Harwell Finance Group wanting to make sure their client data was as secure as possible, they considered multiple email security solutions, eventually deciding on Mailock and officially coming on board in 2020.
"As there has been such a large step up in cybercrime, we’ve taken as many reasonable steps as we can to make sure that client data is protected going forward."
— Rob Hastings, Operations & Compliance Officer
When originally reviewing the suitability of Mailock for use within the network, Rob explains that there were several elements that clearly stood out, ultimately swaying their final decision:
Having a product that is simple to use is one of the most important considerations for a network or firm. Harwell Finance Group was immediately impressed with Mailock’s ease of use, explaining that it demonstrates to the FCA their commitment to providing data security solutions that help rather than hinder client and broker communications.
Easily implementing software with existing processes is vital for ensuring a smooth business workflow, with Rob reporting that Mailock works well with the network’s current CRM system.
Additionally, Harwell Finance Group makes use of the Mailock Outlook Add-in, finding the level of integration so seamless ‘it’s almost as if you’re not using a system.’
Offering solutions at a competitive price is always going to be a winning factor, especially in financial services, where brokers expect to receive good value for money.
Rob explains that apart from good pricing, Mailock also acts as a preventative tool, protecting firms from financially and reputationally harmful data breaches, which cost the business far more than an extended subscription to a piece of security software.
‘Mailock removes a lot of the concern around dealing with everyone’s favourite method of communication, which is email. We feel a lot more secure now we are sending and receiving sensitive client information safely.’
— Rob Hastings, Operations & Compliance Officer
As an Operations and Compliance Officer, a key aspect of Rob’s responsibilities is to make sure any software that Harwell Finance Group utilises meets the required regulatory standards.
Mailock’s compliance capabilities were a strong motivator for use, offering firms the ability to revoke any misdirected emails that have been sent securely.
Harwell Finance Group also appreciates Mailock’s ability to track and audit email correspondence, following up with clients who have not opened or replied to messages.
Now, their standard process is to send anything containing sensitive data, including application forms, personal information, and financial assets, using Mailock.
"I think it’s very good for a business to be able to demonstrate you have taken steps to protect data and be in line with GDPR."
— Rob Hastings, Operations & Compliance Officer
Mailock gives Harwell Finance Group the ability to do ‘absolutely the right thing in an extremely important area’, helping to ensure their members adhere to compliance regulations and that client data remains protected and confidential.
Want to find out how Mailock can help your business with compliance considerations?
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