What does CREST accreditation mean?

CREST accredits the company, not just the individual tester. It means our methodology, reporting, data handling and staff competence have been independently audited against the CREST Penetration Testing Accreditation Standard. Many UK government and public sector contracts require it, and cyber insurance underwriters use it to assess whether a security engagement was carried out to an acceptable standard.

Do you work with small organisations, schools and charities?

Yes. We deliberately size engagements to the organisation rather than selling bloated retainers. We work with SMEs, schools, multi-academy trusts and charities as well as larger businesses, and every engagement is delivered personally by a CREST-qualified expert rather than a junior analyst.

What is the difference between Cyber Essentials and IASME Cyber Assurance?

Cyber Essentials covers five core technical controls and is a self-assessment backed by the UK Government, often required for public sector contracts. IASME Cyber Assurance is a broader information security standard aligned to the Government's Ten Steps to Cyber Security and covering UK GDPR requirements, and is a proportionate alternative to ISO 27001 for smaller organisations.

We are based in Albrighton, Shropshire, and work across the UK. Testing is delivered remotely as standard, and we also work with clients in Ireland, Gibraltar, Malta and Spain, in English. Onsite work across the West Midlands and Shropshire carries no travel charge; elsewhere travel is quoted transparently as a separate line.

Cyber security
without the
BS|

Solusec is a CREST accredited penetration testing provider. We help start-ups, businesses, schools, colleges, universities, and charities protect themselves from cyber threats — with plain-speaking advice, expert-led testing, and no sales team in the way. You work directly with the expert.

See Our Services → Talk to an Expert

What We Do

How We Protect
Your Business

Straightforward, expert-led security services sized right for your organisation. No bloated retainers, just the work that matters.

01 / Testing

🔓

Penetration Testing

Find your weaknesses before attackers do

Expert-led, manual testing of your systems, applications, and infrastructure. Fully CREST accredited. Clear findings with real proof of impact and practical remediation guidance — not a 200-page PDF full of jargon.

02 / Monitoring

👁️

Managed Detection & Response (MDR)

Eyes on your environment, around the clock

Continuous threat monitoring and incident response from a single trusted partner. Threats spotted early, incidents handled calmly — you hear about the important things without being drowned in alerts.

24/7 Threat Detection & Response
SIEM & Log Analytics
Incident Triage & Containment
Digital Forensics & Malware Analysis
IR Playbooks & Tabletop Exercises

03 / Compliance

📋

Security Strategy & Compliance

Build your security posture on solid ground

Whether you need Cyber Essentials to win a contract, ISO 27001 to satisfy an audit, or simply want to know where your biggest risks are — we build a practical roadmap that fits your organisation.

Cyber Essentials & Cyber Essentials Plus
IASME Cyber Assurance
ISO 27001 & SOC 2
Security Architecture Review
Threat Modelling & Risk Assessment
Security Programme Build

04 / Visibility

📡

Vulnerability Management

Stay ahead of the threats you cannot see yet

Continuous visibility of weaknesses across your estate, prioritised by real-world risk. Find, track, and close issues before they become incidents — with SLAs your board can report against.

Continuous Scanning
Risk-Based Prioritisation
Remediation Tracking & SLAs
External Attack Surface Monitoring
Patch & Configuration Advice

Why Trust Us

Qualified. Proven. Trusted.

Years of hands-on experience across offensive testing and defensive operations, backed by the certifications that matter to UK businesses, government frameworks, and cyber insurance underwriters.

Company Accreditations

These are held by Solusec as a business, independently assessed and audited — distinct from the individual certifications our testers hold below. For procurement teams, insurers and public sector buyers, these are the ones that get checked.

CREST Accredited Penetration Testing Provider CREST accredits the company, not just the individual. It means our methodology, reporting, data handling and staff competence have been independently audited against CREST's Penetration Testing Accreditation Standard. Verify on the CREST marketplace → Cyber Essentials The UK Government-backed scheme covering five core technical controls. Certified through IASME, the NCSC's sole delivery partner. Required for many public sector contracts. Verify on the IASME register → IASME Cyber Assurance IASME's flagship information security standard, aligned to the Government's Ten Steps to Cyber Security and covering UK GDPR requirements. A proportionate alternative to ISO 27001. Verify on the IASME register → IASME Quality Principles An assessment of management quality and operational consistency, broadly equivalent to ISO 9001 and certified alongside IASME Cyber Assurance. Verify on the IASME register →

Why these certifications matter for your business: CREST, OffSec, and IASME certifications are referenced in NCSC guidance, required by UK government procurement frameworks, and used by cyber insurance underwriters to assess the quality and validity of security engagements. IASME Cyber Assurance is the NCSC-recommended framework for SMEs. When Solusec works with your organisation, you can demonstrate to your insurer, your clients, and your board that the work was carried out to the required standard.

Certifications Our Team Holds

Held by the individuals doing the work rather than by the business — these tell you who is actually on the other end of the engagement.

OSCP & OSWE

OffSec Certified Professionals & Web Experts

Certified to compromise systems using real-world attack techniques — the same body that certifies testing for UK government and banking security teams. Experts in web applications.

CRT

CREST Registered Penetration Tester

An individual CREST qualification held by our testers, sitting alongside our company-level CREST accreditation above. CRT is a contractual requirement for many UK government engagements.

PraCSP

Practitioner, UK Cyber Security Council

Recognised practitioner status from the UK's national professional body for the cyber security sector — the equivalent of chartered status in other regulated professions.

CSOM

Certified Security Operations Manager

Certified to plan, lead, and manage security operations functions — including detection, incident response, and SOC management.

CISSP

Certified Information Systems Security Professional

One of the most globally recognised senior security certifications — covering security architecture, risk management, governance, and compliance. Required across enterprise and government security programmes.

CISM

Certified Information Security Manager

Focused on information security management, governance, and risk. Recognised across regulated industries as a mark of security leadership and strategic oversight capability.

Who We Are

A Small Team.
A Big Difference.

Solusec was founded by Daly Whyte, a UK cyber security specialist who has worked both sides of the fence. He has spent years breaking into systems on penetration tests, and years more building and leading the security programmes that defend them. Knowing how an attacker thinks is one thing; knowing what needs prioritising and the steps to fix is another.

Daly has several CVEs to his name and is recognised for his responsible approach to vulnerability disclosure. He is an active member of the Synack Red Team, an invitation-only group vetted on skill and trust, where he was inducted into the Acropolis in 2022 and has since earned Envoy, Hero, Olympian and Circle of Trust recognition.

When you work with us, you won't deal with a sales team or a junior analyst. Every engagement is delivered personally by a CREST-qualified expert. That means faster turnaround, clearer communication, and advice that lands with your IT team and your board alike — technical enough to action, plain enough to sign off.

Alerts, Cyber Essentials, continuous testing, one-off pen tests. Whatever you need, we're your team.

Daly Whyte

Director @ Solusec Ltd

Penetration Testing Threat-Led Pentesting SOC Leadership Vulnerability Research Incident Response Cyber Essentials Cyber Assurance Digital Forensics

At a Glance

Background: 25+ years around computers. Development, then IT support, then security — craft sharpened on CTFs, bug bounty and hands-on testing.
Based: Albrighton, Shropshire · WV7
Accomplishments: Synack Red Team — Acropolis 2022, Envoy, Hero, Olympian, Circle of Trust. Recognised by SAP, Red Bull, Western Union, Carta and American Express.
Disclosure: CVE-2024-48824, CVE-2024-48823, CVE-2024-48822, CVE-2024-48821, CVE-2024-46627, CVE-2024-45241
Qualifications: PraCSP (Practitioner, UK Cyber Security Council), OSWE, OSCP, CREST CRT, CISSP, Centri CSOM, Centri BTL2, Security+, SecurityX and more — verify on Credly →

Get in Touch

Let's Have a
Conversation

No hard sell, no commitment. Tell us what you're dealing with and we'll talk through how we can help.

Telephone

+44 (0)1902 288763

Email

info@solusec.co.uk

Location

Albrighton, Shropshire — onsite across the West Midlands, remote across the UK, Ireland, Gibraltar, Malta and Spain

Response Time

Typically within one business day. Urgent? Just say so.

Cyber securitywithout theBS|

How We ProtectYour Business