Unlocking Success: The Impact of Joining TPN
Source: Idunn Sofie Riise, Co-Founder & Managing Director, Zille Media Ltd.
Joining the Trusted Partner Network (TPN) and taking part in the Gold Shield programme has been one of the best business decisions we’ve made in the lifetime of our company, Zille Media.
As a start-up delivering technology to some of the most prestigious clients in the film and TV industry, we had a very tall bar to meet. TPN has been there for us in this process, providing support, guidance and access to resources. They gave us a ready-made framework and process for how to reach this bar in terms of cybersecurity, suggesting areas of potential vulnerability and providing an industry-recognised Gold Shield when we addressed those.
We first heard of the TPN when a client informed us that a Gold Shield was an absolute requirement for them to take advantage of our localisation and accessibility platform. After getting in touch with the TPN team, we quickly realised that the programme would also benefit us beyond the point of meeting a client requirement.
The Gold Shield programme is a serious undertaking that took up a large proportion of our resources as a start-up, but the benefits are equally substantial. Think of it like going to the gym; it’s a little bit painful at times, especially on a rainy morning, but it makes you stronger.
On a daily basis, we see examples of how critical security is for our customers and partners. That’s why security has always been a priority at Zille. Knowing who we wanted to cater to, our technology is at its core built to protect. However, there is always room for improvement, and with cybersecurity, there is no such thing as “done.” By going out for the Gold Shield, our technical security measures levelled up. Moreover, our policies and procedures came together beautifully and allowed our start-up to start operating with a new managerial standard.
Finding our TPN Assessor, Jamie Beth Maragas of Crafted Compliance, through the list of qualified assessors was the cherry on top of the whole process. TPN couldn’t have made it easier: fill out a few fields on their website and done; the match was made. Jamie and her team were a joy to work with from start to finish, and having the blend of their knowledge and expertise together with their empathy and humour was wonderful. Cybersecurity can be a heavy and serious topic, and we had a lot riding on the success of our assessment, so it was a wonderful surprise to find ourselves laughing and smiling in every meeting.
Of course, it’s impossible to write about our TPN experience without mentioning the TPN team. The kindness and efficiency we have been met with have not only supported us through the assessment itself, but as an added bonus, we have also been welcomed as newcomers with invites to events and networking opportunities.
More than anything, we have found the TPN to be quite the equaliser in the industry. Organisations like TPN are doing the necessary work to give the entire film and TV industry a much-needed safety net. Working with them will not only help strengthen our internal security processes; it’s also tremendously rewarding to know we are working toward a greater shared goal that benefits everyone.
When we started out, we didn’t have a single connection (just a strong opinion), and so it’s an incredible benefit to now be able to point to our Gold Shield and have the industry instantly recognise and accept our technology as credible and robust—with or without a personal recommendation.
The TPN assessment was a big investment for us. The return has exceeded our expectations.