Who are SolarNet?

SolarNet was formed in 2006 and we focus on automation engineering, network architecture, design, security controls, incident response as well as providing IT consultancy and a breadth of cyber security services.

Our team consists of people who have a great depth of knowledge and expertise covering a wide spectrum of skills from:

• Automation Engineers
• Business Analysts
• Network Engineers
• Project Managers
• Security Analysts
• Senior Security Operations Centre Managers
• Software Developers
   

We have a global partner network which continues to grow and enables us to offer high quality and cost-effective technology solutions covering:

• Automated IT Asset and Vulnerability Management
• Cyber security Assessments & Incident Response Plans
• Email and Firewall Protection
• Endpoint Protection
• External and Internal Attack Surface Management
• Penetration Testing (Wired and Wireless Networks)
• Security Incident and Event Monitoring (SIEM)
• Security Orchestration, Automation and Response (SOAR)
• Workflow Automation
• ZeroTrust for Fixed and Mobile IT
   

How can SolarNet help schools, colleges and universities?

If only protecting your pupil, student and young person’s data was as simple as protecting them in the school grounds.

Pupils, students and young people learning within a safe and secure digital environment is paramount to their development and essential if they are to achieve the best possible outcome from their journey through education, SolarNet are here to help.

We provide security assessments covering all types of IT infrastructure, applications and services such as; Microsoft 365 and more. The assessments provide a current view of an organisation’s security posture, identify any vulnerabilities, and through the use of augmented threat intelligence we can check for any malicious campaigns that are actively exploiting them. This serves to provide a more accurate measure of how susceptible an organisation may be to becoming a victim of a successful cyber-attack.
SolarNet can also help in the creation and review of incident response plans which serve to provide an organisation with a set of well-defined processes that can be used to perform containment, mitigation and remediation activities should a security incident arise.

We offer expert guidance enabling you to obtain cyber security accreditations.

Through our global partner network, we can provide technology solutions tailored for education covering things like IT asset and vulnerability management, external attack surface management, risk and compliance, penetration testing, business process automation, as well as ZeroTrust capabilities.

What are the ProtectEd by SolarNet® and AutomatEd by SolarNet® initiatives?

The initiatives were born out of the success of exhibiting at InfoSec Europe 2023. We spoke to many people who visited our stand at the show and the majority of those were employed by large enterprise organisations and held senior positions dealing with cyber security on a daily basis. A large proportion of them also had links to education either as governors or had partners who worked in education, and it was clear that they could see a real and urgent need for what we were offering for the education sector.

This combined with the rapid transformation of how children are being taught through the use of online learning platforms and an increasing reliance on a digital curriculum just served to reinforce our views that cyber security was now of critical importance within education.

The ProtectEd by SolarNet® set of products and services are tailored for education, enabling all educators to have the same cyber security protection that global enterprise-level businesses benefit from today.

The AutomatEd by SolarNet® set of products and services are focussed on delivering workplace automation for education. Education settings are not immune to the effects of complex and tedious manual processes which often get in the way of delivering positive outcomes and also lead to frustrations felt by staff, students and parents alike. No matter what processes, systems or technologies are in use, SolarNet can help you maximise your investment in IT and gain those all-important efficiencies by combining capabilities.

Are you struggling to obtain security accreditations, like Cyber Essentials?

Cyber security accreditations help demonstrate a commitment to cyber security and reassures your leadership team, staff and pupils that you are working to protect your IT against cyber-attacks. Certification normally requires annual renewal and encourages you to continuously adapt your defences against the latest cyber security threats.

At SolarNet we have an experienced advisory team that can help you navigate your way through the certification process, gather the appropriate information all without the complexities of the jargon that often comes with understanding how this can be achieved.

“We offer a straight forward approach to cyber security certification underpinned by our knowledge and expertise in this sector.”

Do you have an IT asset, vulnerability management and compliance headache?

Traditional asset management was built for ITIL, not for security. Scans and agents don’t account for everything, leaving gaps in visibility. And data is often misaligned between a dozen programs, resulting in frustrating guesswork.

Traditional vulnerability management processes are flawed, there’s too much manual work and it’s built off flawed visibility. You can’t see a vulnerability if you can’t see the asset.

SolarNet through our partner network are able to offer an IT Asset Management and IT Compliance platform offering a range of functionality which reduces 'tool sprawl', consolidates security configurations, uses machine learning to match vulnerabilities to assets with 99.9% accuracy all without requiring the use of agents or network scanning activities.

“Native integration to asset management means better coverage and better security. Tracking vulnerabilities on a per-device basis couldn't be simpler, meaning you filter out the noise and reduce workflows.”

Do you know how vulnerable you might be to a cyber-attack?

Does your organisation have a digital presence which is internet-facing or does it use online platforms to perform business critical functions? If so, then understanding your organisation's external attack surface is paramount in minimising your exposure to cyber threats that can lead to breaches for you and your third-party supply chain.

At SolarNet our team have 50+ years combined experience in cyber security and a trusted partner network that enables us to provide state of the art external attack surface management and external security assessments with ease. Let us tell you who is likely to attack you, how they are going to do it and what live vulnerabilities you have that they will exploit. Doing so will enable you to take the necessary measures to stop your cyber risks before they happen.

We are also able to provide state of the art accredited penetration testing of wired and wireless networks, applications and online platforms using the same tactics, techniques and procedures that cyber criminals use to gain access to your network and your data.

Undertaking a penetration test provides you with a comprehensive report that identifies what live vulnerabilities you have, a risk score of how likely they are to being exploited, who is likely to exploit them and how they are going to do it. But most importantly it provides the remediation steps enabling you to take the necessary measures to stop your cyber risks before they happen.

“Test your organisation’s security to identify and confirm where your cyber security strengths and weaknesses reside.”

Are you fed up of phishing emails, worried about malware and ransomware, or simply don’t know how to deal with the unknown cyber threats?

SolarNet through our partner network are able to offer a truly unique Zero Trust solution covering mobile and fixed IT assets.

For the sake of distinction, we will refer to the term Zero Trust Connectivity (ZTc) to address the specific aspects of the Zero Trust philosophy that is executed through controlled networked connectivity of not only verified assets, but even more importantly, between verified assets and any other possible outgoing connections, including the public internet.

Every heard the words “Whoops I’ve clicked on a phishing link!” or “That attachment wasn’t what I thought it was!”, no problem with our solution the connection is blocked before it reaches the cyber criminals, keeping you protected at all times.

“The consequence of this true-proactive technology is a breath of fresh air amidst the fog of legacy reactive systems that only gets you halfway there.”

Are you suffering from complex, manual processes or clunky IT systems that get in the way of delivering positive change?

Return on investment of IT systems is seldom realised and often the capabilities of those systems are not used to their full potential, leading to time consuming manual workarounds and wasted resource hours.

The SolarNet team can help you with the automation of business processes ranging from simple to complex, without lengthy or complex development, bringing IT systems together to provide a seamless journey through the digitisation of processes.

“Get the savings you never thought were possible!”

How can people get in touch?

Our website is great place to start as there's lots of information about what we offer, including pricing for the education sector. Contact information can be found on the Contact Us page where you can send a direct message or if you'd prefer to speak to one of the team directly then you can call us on the number provided.

We are BESA Launchpad approved members, and as such are registered on the BESA supplier directory as well as being onboarded as quality suppliers to the EverythingICT and EverythingFM frameworks.

SolarNet are also proud cyber security web portal sponsors of the Association of Network Managers in Education aka ANME. If you work in IT in education and you're already a member or looking to become a member we'd highly recommend using the ANME portal. It enables our team to join discussions and share our knowledge and expertise in cyber security with a community of IT professionals that are part of education.