A pair of Gloucester-based entrepreneurs are hoping to show the small businesses of the South West the way when it comes to data protection.

Friends and business partners Jamie Swan and Peter Berry have created Beacon Consultant Services after spotting a gap in the market in the region for giving advice on companies being data compliant.

"We launched Beacon to try and help local businesses in the South West," Mr Swan said.

"A lot of SMEs don't understand what is needed to be compliant.

"Being compliant is not just about satisfying the regulations and ensuring that you aren't fined by the information commissioner, it's about doing it because it's the right thing to do."

Beacon offer a range of services from consultations on what companies need to do to become - and more importantly remain - compliant, to being an outsourced data protection officer for an SME as well as delivering training to businesses on a range of Data Protection topics.

They want to focus on offering those services to businesses in and around Gloucestershire after spotting a gap in the market that is increasingly London-centric.

"We want to appeal to new companies who want to get off on the right foot, so we help them understand any gaps in their data protection requirements, then work with them to fix them, offering ongoing support when they need it" Mr Berry added.

"Technology is improving at such a pace, that means that more and more data is being created and stored and that needs to be looked after in the right way.

"It can be a data minefield and we're here to protect companies and ensure their businesses are safe"

For more information on Beacon Consultant Services visit www.beaconconsultantservices.co.uk or call 01452 679529.