ERA publishes cybersecurity guide for equipment rental companies

The European Rental Association (ERA) has published a guide to help equipment rental companies develop and improve their cybersecurity plans. The guidance includes a model ‘first 48 hours’ emergency response plan.

The guide – which is free to download - identifies the core elements of a successful strategy, including the special factors that may impact rental companies, and outlines practices being adopted today by rental industry leaders.

ERA’s cybersecurity guide is free to download.

ERA members contributing to the guide included Boels, CGT Edilizia, HSS Hire, Kiloutou, Loxam, Mateco, Renta and Riwal.

Michel Petitjean, the Secretary General of ERA, said: “European equipment rental companies are becoming more and more intelligent, embracing digitalisation and increasingly using smart equipment, which means the industry is facing an unprecedented challenge from cyberattacks, while rental customers are demanding more in terms of cybersecurity protections.

“With detailed information about the investments required to get cybersecurity right and with a roadmap to go from a base level to industry leaders across key capability elements, our cybersecurity guide is a crucial tool to enable rental companies of all sizes to reduce their IT vulnerabilities and make their businesses more secure.”

The guide identifies four ‘capability elements’ – process, people, technology and infrastructure – and gives advice on developing a business-wide strategy at different levels of maturity, from ‘base level’ to ‘leader’.

There is also a checklist for conducting a risk and vulnerability assessment and a model ‘First 48 hours’ response plan for crisis management following a major cyberattack.