Cybersecurity has never been higher on the business agenda. As organisations face increasing threat challenges, rising compliance expectations and growing pressure to demonstrate resilience, the conversation is shifting beyond technology alone. Businesses are looking for practical guidance, trusted expertise and long-term partners who can help them manage cyber risk with confidence.
Following the launch of WorkNest Secure, the new specialist cybersecurity, information security and data protection division within WorkNest Group, The Gurus caught up with Managing Director Kirsty Fowler to discuss the thinking behind the new division, how customer expectations are changing, and why making cybersecurity more accessible is key to helping organisations build resilience for the future.
Many businesses still see cybersecurity as complicated and reactive. How is WorkNest Secure changing that perception?
One of the biggest challenges organisations face today is that cybersecurity is often viewed as something highly technical, overly complicated and only relevant when something goes wrong. What we see constantly, particularly in mid-sized organisations, is that people understand the risk exists. They’ve read the headlines. They know a breach could be damaging. What they don’t have is a clear sense of what to actually do about it, in what order, and why. Cybersecurity can be overwhelming.
That’s where we focus. At WorkNest Secure, we’re making sure that perception is changed by making cybersecurity more accessible, practical and aligned to business outcomes. Cybersecurity should not be treated as a standalone technical function. It should be part of how organisations manage risk, build resilience and support growth every single day.
That starts with understanding the very different challenges each organisation faces. We focus on helping customers understand their risks, priorities and obligations. Then, we work with them to build a security strategy that is proportionate, achievable and relevant to their business.
Cybersecurity shouldn’t feel like something that happens to a business. It should feel like something a business is in control of, which is why we’re also moving organisations away from a reactive approach. Cybersecurity is no longer about responding to incidents when they happen. It is about creating a culture of continuous improvement, where organisations are regularly assessing risk, strengthening controls and adapting to an evolving threat landscape.
We see our role as to simplify cybersecurity, remove unnecessary complexity and give organisations the confidence to make informed decisions about their security and compliance journey.
What makes WorkNest Secure different from other cybersecurity providers in an increasingly crowded market?
What sets WorkNest Secure apart is our belief that cybersecurity should be built around people, processes and outcomes, not just technology.
Many providers focus on individual products or point solutions, leaving customers with results that they need to figure out. While those solutions have an important role to play, organisations are increasingly looking for support that helps them understand the bigger picture. They want a partner that can help them navigate cyber risk, compliance requirements and operational resilience in a way that makes sense for their business.
WorkNest Secure brings together deep expertise across cybersecurity, information security and compliance, enabling us to support customers across a broad range of challenges. By bringing Pentest People, Bulletproof Cyber Security and Target Defence together under one specialist division, we can provide a more connected experience and a wider range of services through a single trusted relationship.
What also differentiates us is our focus on accessibility. We recognise that not every decision-maker is a cybersecurity specialist, so we are conscious that we need to take a complex risk picture and help a finance director or an Operations lead understand what that means for them. Our approach is centred on providing practical advice, clear guidance and meaningful recommendations that organisations can act on.
For us, success is not measured by the number of tools we deploy. It is measured by how effectively we help organisations reduce risk, improve resilience and build confidence in their ability to manage cybersecurity challenges.
GuardNest was designed around real customer behaviour and workflows. What did customers tell you they were missing from traditional cybersecurity platforms?
The launch of GuardNest was driven by a simple principle: understand how customers actually work and build a platform around those behaviours rather than expecting users to adapt to the technology.
Through customer feedback, usability testing and ongoing engagement, we constantly heard that many cybersecurity platforms felt far too complicated, fragmented and difficult to navigate. Users were often switching between different systems, struggling to prioritise findings and spending valuable time trying to locate the information they needed.
Quite a few customers told us they wanted greater visibility, simpler workflows and a clearer understanding of what actions they should take next. They did not want another platform that generated more alerts or more data. They wanted something that helped them make better decisions and take action more efficiently.
That feedback shaped every aspect of GuardNest. We redesigned workflows to connect assessments, vulnerabilities and remediation activities in a more intuitive way. We simplified navigation, improved accessibility and focused on surfacing the information that matters most to users.
The result is a platform that supports how organisations manage cyber risk in the real world. Rather than adding complexity, GuardNest helps teams collaborate more effectively, prioritise activity and maintain visibility across their security programme. Customers wanted a platform that worked with them, not against them. GuardNest was designed to do exactly that.”
Cybersecurity buyers are often overwhelmed by jargon and fragmented solutions. What was your vision for creating a more joined-up and accessible experience?
Organisations are often dealing with multiple suppliers, different platforms and an endless stream of technical terminology, making it incredibly hard to understand where their real risks lie and what action they should take.
Our vision for WorkNest Secure was to simplify that experience. We wanted to create a more combined approach that brings together cybersecurity, information security and compliance expertise under one roof, giving customers access to the support they need through a single trusted relationship.
Accessibility was also a key driver. Not every decision-maker is a cybersecurity specialist, nor should they have to be. Our role is to translate complex security challenges into practical, business-focused guidance that helps organisations make informed decisions.
Ultimately, cybersecurity should enable organisations to operate with confidence, not create additional complexity. By combining specialist expertise with a more connected and customer-focused approach, we aim to make cybersecurity easier to understand, easier to manage and more closely aligned with the needs of modern businesses.
With Pentest People and Bulletproof now part of WorkNest Secure, what opportunities does that create for customers?
Bringing Pentest People and Bulletproof together within WorkNest Secure creates a significant opportunity for customers because it allows us to offer a broader and more integrated range of services through a single specialist division.
Historically, organisations have often had to engage multiple providers to address different aspects of cybersecurity, whether that is penetration testing, managed security services, compliance support or information security consultancy. Businesses are looking for greater visibility and consistency across their security programmes, rather than trying to piece together advice and services from different providers.
By bringing together the expertise of Pentest People and Bulletproof, customers can access a wider range of capabilities while benefiting from a more seamless experience. They gain access to specialist expertise across offensive security, defensive security, compliance and governance, supported by teams that work together to understand their wider business objectives.
This also enables us to support customers throughout their cybersecurity journey, from identifying vulnerabilities and strengthening controls to demonstrating compliance and building long-term resilience. This gives organisations a clearer view of their risks and helps them make more informed decisions about security, compliance and resilience.
With AI-driven threats, increasing compliance pressures and growing board-level scrutiny, what are organisations most concerned about right now, and how is WorkNest Secure helping them respond?
There is a perfect storm of challenges facing organisations. We are seeing organisations come under increasing pressure to stay ahead of threats while also meeting compliance obligations and answering tougher questions from leadership teams about cyber risk and resilience.
One of the biggest concerns we hear a lot is uncertainty. They understand the risks are growing, particularly around AI-driven attacks and growing compliance requirements, but many are unsure where to focus their efforts or how to prioritise investment.
There is also increasing pressure to demonstrate resilience. Boards are asking tougher questions about risk, governance and incident preparedness, while regulators and customers expect organisations to have stronger controls and greater visibility over their security posture.
Organisations know they need to strengthen their cybersecurity, but they’re not always sure where to focus their efforts. We’re here to help them understand what’s most important, where the biggest risks exist and what actions will have the greatest impact.
The aim is not to create more complications to their workloads. It’s to provide the expertise and reassurance organisations need to make informed decisions and stay ahead of evolving threats.
