Cirencester-based cyber security specialist, Core to Cloud, has appointed a new head of cyber security.

Laurence Bentley, who has over 26 years of experience in cyber security, is working in partnership with chief technology officer, Phil Howe. He will oversee the service delivery team, as the company launches three new managed services this month, including its dark web monitoring, fully managed 24/7 detection and response, and crisis simulation services.

Before joining Core to Cloud, Laurence held roles in the finance, healthcare and retail sectors, including Bupa Global, The Co-Operative Group, and Barclays Bank. He has a reputation for successfully delivering enterprise-level cyber security systems, specialising in areas such as incident response and management, systems security, vulnerability and malware management, risk assessment and security testing, network management, and policy design and compliance.

Laurence said: "Core to Cloud has an industry-wide reputation for working collaboratively and in true partnership with its clients to design and deliver bespoke, sustainable cyber security systems and strategies, that not only protect organisations but also build upon, educate and inform our clients' workforces too. The company is going through an exciting period of growth and transition. It's been fantastic working with the team, and our partner vendors, to deliver our new range of services to the market."

Core to Cloud was founded in 2015 by business partners James Cunningham and Mark Liddle. It supports an expanding portfolio of private and public sector clients, including high street retailer Fat Face, global consumer intelligence agency GFK, University College London and over a quarter of the NHS Trusts in England and Wales, as well as working closely with National Services Scotland, which provides services to Scotland's 14 health boards.

Laurence continued: "Our dark web monitoring service provides alerts and insights for our partners to identify potential threats to their business. It enables organisations to quickly pivot to focus on specific threats, minimise risk, identify exposed data, accelerate incident response and profile threat actors. Credentials sold on the dark web are often initial routes into an organisation for cyber criminals and can lead to numerous types of attacks, such as email and server compromise and data exfiltration."

James Cunningham, co-founder and CEO, said: "Laurence brings with him a wealth of experience in the delivery of enterprise-level cyber security systems and strategies. He's a fantastic asset to the team and has played an instrumental role, alongside the whole team, as Core to Cloud enters the market with a new range of cutting-edge cyber security fully-managed services."