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About us

Built for the businesses that are everyone's afterthought.

The cybersecurity industry largely wrote off smaller businesses. We disagreed with that decision.

FirewallForGen was set up in Hull in 2019 by Callum Brierley, who had spent the previous eight years working in IT security for a regional bank. Most of that work involved processes and tools designed for organisations with dedicated security teams, compliance budgets and enterprise contracts.

What he kept noticing, outside of work, was that the small businesses around him — his accountant, a friend who ran a small letting agency, a relative with a handful of retail outlets — were operating with almost none of those controls in place, and with no obvious route to getting sensible help without being sold something expensive and largely irrelevant.

The company is deliberately small. We do not employ junior consultants to deliver engagements on our behalf. The people who take your initial call are the same people who do the work.

firewallforgen.com — about
Founded: 2019
Location: Hull, UK
Scope: SMEs only (<100 staff)
Approach: vendor-neutral
Jargon policy: none
Enterprise playbook: not used

What guides how we work

Principles that came from doing this work, not from a brand document.

Scale the advice, not just the price.

Advice that works for a 500-person company often actively does not suit a 12-person business. Different systems, different processes, different threat surfaces. We start from where you are, not from an enterprise template.

Explain it until it's actually understood.

If a business owner cannot explain what we've told them to a member of staff, we have not done the job properly. Every recommendation comes with an explanation that does not require a technical background to follow.

No vendor relationships that shape our recommendations.

We do not receive referral fees or reseller margins. This keeps the advice honest. If we recommend a product, it's because it suits your situation — not because someone else benefits when you buy it.

Prioritise by actual risk, not theoretical risk.

The security industry excels at generating comprehensive lists of concerns. We focus on what is most likely to cause a real problem for a business like yours, in the current environment, given what's in place.

The people who do the work

Ben Brierley
Founder & Lead Consultant

Eight years in IT security at a regional financial institution before founding FirewallForGen in 2019. Previously led vulnerability assessment programmes covering branch network infrastructure and online banking systems.

Covers SME audits, phishing defence, incident response planning, and Cyber Essentials support.

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Stephen Osei-Mensah
Security Consultant

Background in IT governance and compliance across the professional services sector, with prior roles at a law firm and an accountancy practice. Joined FirewallForGen in 2021.

Covers staff awareness training, data protection alignment, policy documentation, and Cyber Essentials certification support.

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A conversation costs nothing and takes twenty minutes.

We'll tell you what we think the gaps are before you commit to anything.

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