The trusted,
approachable
cyber guy.
Twenty-five years in IT. A decade in cyber for global corporates. One clear mission: bring proper cyber security to UK SMEs in a language they can actually use.
— Ben
Founder, SafeSide Cyber
Why SafeSide
exists.
Spending my career in global corporate cyber security, I watched the day-to-day get more and more complicated. New tools, new threats, new acronyms — a world that demanded constant learning just to stand still.
And I kept asking myself the same question: how do SMEs cope with all this?
Then I looked around at the business owners I knew — family, friends — and got my answer. They didn't cope. They were out of their depth, overwhelmed, and oversold by vendors who treated them like miniature enterprises. The fundamentals were being ignored while expensive products were being pushed.
That frustration is what built SafeSide Cyber.
The thing
I'm actually good at.
Twenty-five years across IT taught me the tech. A decade consulting to insurers, energy companies, and civil engineering groups taught me something more useful: how to translate.
Walking into a boardroom and explaining cyber risk to a CFO. Sitting with a developer to talk through a vulnerability. Helping a receptionist understand why she should challenge that email asking for an urgent bank transfer.
Same content, three different languages — pitched right for the audience, every time. That's the skill SMEs need, and it's exactly what a one-size-fits-all e-learning module can't deliver.
C-suite
Boardrooms
Risk in business terms — impact, likelihood, cost. No jargon, no scaring people into purchases.
Operations
Managers & IT
Practical roadmaps. What to do first, second, third — and why each one earns its place.
Front line
Every other role
Plain-English advice for the people who actually face the phishing emails. Real examples, no patronising.
What I want every
SafeSide client to feel:
you're not alone.
The trusted, approachable cyber guy. Knows the tech, speaks like a human. Pitches the level to the room. Doesn't sell you anything you don't need, and tells you straight when something matters.
That's what SMEs deserve. Not a brochure full of acronyms or a vendor with a quota. Someone in your corner, who's seen what actually goes wrong, and helps you fix the things that matter first.
When I'm not
thinking about cyber.
I've got a large family and I spend as much time with them and friends as I can. I'm in the gym most weeks — staying strong, keeping the head clear.
And I'm a keen amateur photographer. Usually the opportunist kind — the right light, the right angle, in the moment. Probably explains why I notice the details others miss in cyber work too.
Let's have a chat.
No pressure, no sales pitch. Just an honest conversation about where your business is, and where you'd like it to be.