Ex-Eltronics Tackles Your Security Concerns in Global Procurement

The military equipment market is the bedrock of national and multinational security, supplying vitally important goods suited to a wide range of missions and tasks to militaries around the world. But just as national governments require ready access to military equipment to ensure their own security, the procurement process itself requires watertight security protocols to safeguard stakeholders and prevent weaponry from falling into the wrong hands.

Security is a concern not just for governments but for the contractors and manufacturers who supply the world’s defence organisations as well. Below, we’ll take a look at some of the most common security concerns in the aerospace and defence sector and what Ex-Eltronics is doing to minimise risk.

An Overview of Security Risks in the Aerospace and Defence Sector

Cybersecurity

Cybersecurity is gaining ground as the most sensitive and talked-about aspect of security. Modern workplaces and companies increasingly rely on computerised or digital equipment for protection and to enhance operational efficiency. A cybersecurity risk is anything that could allow unauthorised individuals to access computer systems, data, or assets remotely, using malware, phishing attacks, or other means of electronic attack. 

Here are the most effective ways to counter these risks:

  • Implement a company-wide cybersecurity system; 
  • Educate staff members on digital security practices and principles; and 
  • Ensure partnered companies and contractors have similar systems in place.

Insider Attacks

As the name implies, an insider attack is any violation of security protocols carried out by any current or former employee or associate of an organisation. This could include an individual using a key to access areas that they’re not authorised to enter, downloading or sharing sensitive data (intentionally or unintentionally), or outright theft of information or equipment. Other forms of insider threats include espionage, theft, and acts of violence or property destruction. 

Countermeasures for insider attacks vary from providing employees with area-restricted keys to thorough vetting for former staff members and new hires, as well as ensuring the companies you work with have similar policies in place for their employees.

Technological Vulnerabilities

A technological risk arises when there exist potentially exploitable vulnerabilities in hardware or software. The most common example is when a program isn’t regularly updated, leaving it exposed to cyberattacks. Other examples include service outages or using unsecured cloud-based services, or equipment or software subject to invasive data laws.

Steps to Take to Ensure Supplier Performance

It’s wise to take steps to ensure a prospective supplier has employed a variety of security measures to protect their own assets and personnel and, by extension, yours. Basic steps to follow include:

  • Auditing: Perform a review of a supplier’s security arrangements. 
  • Stress testing: This involves simulating low-probability, high-impact disruptions to a supplier’s operations and estimating how long it will take them to meet demand and fully recover from a security failure.
  • Incident and crisis management: Any prospective supplier should be able to demonstrate an up-to-date, flexible incident and crisis management process to ensure they’re able to withstand and recover from unexpected security risks. 
  • Horizon scanning: This involves keeping abreast of new and evolving security threats as well as the solutions being developed or refined to meet them. 

Cyber Essentials Plus Certification: the Ex-Eltronics Solution

As part of our commitment to ensuring security and peace of mind for all our partners and valued clients, Ex-Eltronics is a participant in Cyber Essentials. A government-backed, industry-supported cybersecurity scheme, Cyber Essentials offers two levels of certification. The basic self-assessment option provides companies with a checklist of potential cybersecurity risks and instructions on how to assess their vulnerability to them. Cyber Essentials Plus goes one step further by including a hands-on technical audit covering on-site internal and off-site external vulnerability scans and tests of the relevant systems.

As recipients of a Cyber Essentials Plus accreditation, Ex-Eltronics has the following security requirements in place:

  • Active firewalls
  • Secure configuration
  • User access controls
  • Malware protection
  • Patch management

This ensures that our security is up to the latest national and industrial standards. It is often required for work on sensitive government contracts or projects, such as those involving the development, maintenance, deployment, and transportation of defence equipment.

You can learn more about the security measures in place at Ex-Eltronics, along with our industrial and quality assurance accreditations, by visiting our Quality Certifications page. If you’re interested in finding out what we can do to protect your assets and operations or have special security requirements, get in touch today to set up a consultation or contact us at [email protected] / +44 (0) 1420 590390.

What We Learned at EMC & Compliance International 2023: Insights into Our Clients’ Needs

As part of Ex-Eltronics’ ongoing commitment to staying on the leading edge of electronic design, we headed to EMC and Compliance International, held at Newbury Racecourse, in May 2023. 

EMC and Compliance International is the UK’s leading independent trade show focused on all aspects of electromagnetic compatibility (EMC) and compliance. Exhibitors at this prestigious expo represent the electronics, electrical, industrial, aerospace, medical, and defence sectors and beyond.

This year’s show gave the Exel team access to expertise on new EMC directives, components, test techniques and equipment, and the latest EMC modelling. Also featured were two days of training and technical workshops delivered by world-renowned EMC experts. 

The show has transformed since the days it was held at Ascot, and with the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic, we have noticed a change in how it engages with engineers and suppliers. Let’s take a look at what we learned from this year’s show and how it could shape the electronics landscape to come.

What’s New at EMC & Compliance International 2023?

The 2023 EMC and Compliance International was held over three floors of the main grandstand, with the main exhibition on the ground floor, and talks and seminars taking place over the 2nd and 3rd floors. Thanks to this quieter, calmer atmosphere, engineers and representatives from a wide selection of companies and agencies could engage with their counterparts at their convenience.

For instance, discussions were held with graduate engineers just starting on their journey into commercial design. This was an opportunity to encourage the next generation of engineers to understand the importance of implementing EMC principles in their forthcoming portfolios. In turn, they were able to get to know some of the field’s leading suppliers and solutions, all under one roof.

Further dialogue stemmed from the technical workshops, such as “EMC Design for the Power & Electronics Applications,” held during the two-day event. Enquiries and input came from a range of experts, from EMC consultants to highly experienced engineers, working on everything from military to electric vehicle projects.

The Importance of EMC & Compliance International

Recent years have seen a significant shift in the emphasis on electromagnetic compliance and design principles. Engineers seek to ensure the equipment they build and use remains serviceable even in the most demanding or unexpected of scenarios. 

The very nature of EMC design requires the inclusion of systems, subsystems, and components, which may add cost, weight, or both. In many cases, this is an important design consideration due to factors such as increasingly strict and detailed EMC standards and regulations. It also features in the protection of products against poorly-shielded designs in surrounding environments.

For that reason, it’s easier – and vitally important – to include EMC principles at the beginning of the design process before the design has matured or at the very end when pre-compliance is being checked. Ideally, designers should accommodate EMC considerations as early as possible rather than waiting to retrofit established designs with the necessary protective components. The worst-case scenario is having to implement an EMC solution after the device has failed an EMC test.

The 2023 EMC and Compliance International was a chance to bring the EMC and Compliance communities together to share knowledge, network, and do business face-to-face. In a post-Covid climate and with hybrid working environments the norm, it meant that engineers who are ‘stuck’ at home also get a chance to visit and speak with suppliers on neutral ground. The importance of establishing those communication lines will be key to securing future business opportunities.

How Did Ex-Eltronics Contribute?

Representatives from Ex-Eltronics were in attendance at Newbury to promote two of our technical partners, KEC Limited and EMI Solutions. Representing decades of combined experience, EMI Solutions Inc’s FlexFilter products and KEC’s range of EMC backshells and associated accessories are among the most trusted products of their kind currently on the market. Built to accommodate a wide range of military specifications, these two companies are equipped to address our customers’ wide-ranging EMC needs. Read more on this in our latest article, “The War on EMI: Filtering v Shielding.”

Ex-Eltronics believes that by having a presence at the show, we were able to connect with new engineers and designers of potential EMC solutions and advise any buyers or project engineers on where they could go to source such solutions once these have been implemented.

Want to keep up to date with the latest news and industry insights from Ex-Eltronics? Then visit our News Section today and check out our partner pages for EMI Solutions and KEC Limited to see what we had to show at EMC and Compliance International 2023. You can also get in touch to discuss your electronics needs or to set up a consultation today via our website or contact us at [email protected] / +44 (0) 1420 590390.