Eir business has partnered with .IE to help Irish SMEs assess the security and trustworthiness of their online presence.
The partnership makes Eir business a strategic partner of the Digital Trust Mark, developed by Ireland’s national domain registry.
The scheme assesses a business’s website, email and domain against 28 indicators covering modern internet standards and recognised best practice.
Businesses that meet the required standard can display the Digital Trust Mark as an indication that their online presence has been independently assessed.
The assessment is available to businesses using any domain extension, not only .ie.
Susan Brady, managing director of Eir business, said SMEs increasingly needed to give customers confidence that websites and emails genuinely came from the organisations behind them.
“Many SMEs do not have the specialist resources to assess whether the protections supporting their digital presence are configured correctly,” Brady said.
She added: “The Digital Trust Mark provides a practical and accessible way for businesses to understand where they stand and demonstrate to customers that they take digital trust seriously.”
Eir business research found that cyber incidents could be costing Irish SMEs up to €3.4 billion a year, with more than 7.2 million working days lost annually through disruption, recovery and downtime.
The Digital Trust assessment covers three areas of a business’s digital presence: its domain, website and email.
The assessment is intended to identify gaps that may not be apparent from the outside. A website can appear to work normally while its underlying domain or email protections are inadequately configured, potentially making it harder for email providers to distinguish legitimate messages from communications impersonating a business.
Brady said the partnership would combine the assessment with support for SMEs in addressing issues identified through the process.
“The Digital Trust programme helps organisations identify improvements that can strengthen trust and resilience,” she said.
Louise McKeown, chief growth officer at .IE, said businesses that achieved an A-grade would earn the Digital Trust Mark.
“The Digital Trust Mark helps customers identify organisations whose online presence has been independently assessed against recognised standards,” McKeown said.
She added: “For SMEs, that trust can be a valuable differentiator. It shows customers, suppliers and partners that the organisation is taking practical steps to maintain a trustworthy digital presence.”
Patryk Goron
Ltd
