Portcullis is both a very professional and a very individual security specialist. In short, we are different. Though the IT Security industry has always been secretive and suspicious of others we have always believed in sharing information about how we work and what we do in an effort to raise the general level of awareness about the issues that matter. We have always objected to the cloak and dagger mentality that presided historically. An attitude which preferred for people to believe that security testing and forensics were black arts that could not be explained to or understood by outsiders.

In recent years the public's awareness and understanding of information security issues has increased significantly and we have done whatever we can to play our part in this sea change. From being seen as party poopers who just stop everyone having fun and find a thousand reasons why new technology can't be employed by the workforce, our industry professionals are now seen, more and more, as enablers who find ways to help people operate more efficiently as well as safely. The loss of reputation and competitiveness that can be caused by an information security breach is too great for organisations to take unnecessary risks with the data they hold.

As part of our commitment to sharing information and the exchange of ideas, in what is now a much more open and mature industry, Portcullis organise a range of seminars throughout each year to impart what we are learning and give our clients an opportunity to tell each other about the problems and challenges they face in the hope that the experiences of others may help us all to find creative solutions to the burning issues of the day.

We also have established something of a tradition with the hospitality that we provide at our networking event which runs alongside the Infosec exhibition, which we call The Portcullis Arms. This three day event has up until know been held at the pub across from the main hall at Olympia, but as the show will be moving to Earls Court for 2009, we two will be packing up and decamping to a new home at The Price of Wales pub just outside the Earls Court exhibition gates.

A number of our testing engineers and other technical staff speak at major conferences and seminars around the world throughout the year. These are often covered in our News section along with our marketing manager's views on a lot of the issues surrounding our industry. This is all seasoned with some light hearted banter and hopefully good humour to stop us from becoming too serious about our niche.

Our events focus is on our own seminars and security consultations, and of course, our unique Portcullis Arms where in April every year we provide a refuge from the mayhem that is the InfoSecurity Europe exhibition.

Our news focus is more on the real-world and our opinions. No bland press releases here. Opinion, humour and the occasional glimmer of intelligence are the hallmarks of our regular blog.

We also welcome your ideas and feedback. If you have suggestions for event or blog topics, why not e-mail us You will get an individual response.