Today marks Safer Internet Day, an important moment to reflect on how we can make our online habits safer for ourselves, our colleagues, and our customers. As digital technologies and AI-powered tools continue to evolve at pace, staying informed is essential. Understanding how to use technology responsibly and how to protect ourselves from emerging risks is now a core business skill. The theme of this year’s Safer Internet Day, “Smart tech, safe choices – exploring the safe and responsible use of AI,” couldn’t be more relevant. As a forward-thinking business, we actively deploy AI to make processes smarter, improve efficiency, and free up our people to focus on higher-value work. But innovation must go hand in hand with security. Key Stats: How We Use AI Responsibly to Improve Productivity Back in 2025, we shared how we introduced AI to streamline workflows within our Quality Assurance teams. Faced with growing demand for POS merchandising, we needed a way to scale operations without compromising quality. By automating repetitive QA checks using an AI solution that analyses images against reference standards, we reduced review time from 12 hours to just 3 per retailer. Most submissions now require no human intervention, allowing our teams to focus on coaching, decision-making, and delivering exceptional service. This is a practical example of AI delivering real business value – enhancing productivity while empowering people, not replacing them. Making AI Accessible – Without Compromising Security As AI becomes part of everyday working life, our IT and Information Security teams face a critical challenge: making these tools accessible at scale while ensuring the right safeguards are in place to keep our people, data, and systems secure. To explore how we approach cybersecurity in this new landscape, we caught up with our Information Security lead, Quinton Hayter (aka Q), to share his insights, experience, and practical advice. Q&A: Security, AI and Staying Safe Online Q: What inspired you to pursue a career in information security? A: I sort of fell into it about six or seven years ago. When David Pugh joined as CIO, he asked who headed up security – and the answer was effectively “no one.” It was split across teams, and he felt it needed a dedicated owner. He asked me to take it on, describing me as a bit of a bulldog – once I get my teeth into something, I don’t let go! I took that as a compliment. Since then, I’ve fully embraced the role and really enjoy helping to keep the company and its data safe. Q: What’s the biggest lesson you’ve learned about cybersecurity? A: Never trust anything. Check everything. Q: What security habit do you personally follow every day? A: Updates, updates, updates. Microsoft releases patches at least monthly, browsers update almost weekly, and devices need regular restarts – a restart, not just powering off. I also check emails carefully, especially links. If something looks even slightly suspicious, report it. Q: What emerging cyber threats should people be aware of in 2026? A: AI-driven attacks will dominate. Deepfakes and social engineering are increasing rapidly, and identity fraud is becoming a major risk. Just because someone looks and sounds like a colleague on a video call doesn’t always mean it’s really them. We’re also seeing crime-as-a-service, where AI-powered tools are sold on the dark web, allowing less-skilled attackers to launch sophisticated attacks. Q: How has the cybersecurity landscape changed in recent years? A: Dramatically. Back in 2020, most attacks were email-based phishing attempts. While those still exist, cybersecurity has evolved into a board-level business issue. Remote work, digital transformation, and AI have driven faster, more targeted, and more damaging attacks. Manufacturing and operational businesses are now prime targets due to the high cost of downtime. Q: How does our approach to security benefit employees and customers? A: Without giving too much away, we monitor extensively. Emails are scanned, internet traffic is monitored, firewalls block untrusted access, MFA is mandatory, and we use advanced endpoint protection, vulnerability management, a security operations centre, and dark web monitoring. We also complete regular security assessments for suppliers and customers, demonstrating how seriously we take information security. Q: Can a strong security culture really prevent incidents? A: Absolutely. Ongoing training, internal communications, and awareness campaigns keep security front of mind. A great example was when a merchandiser reported a suspicious request that appeared to come from a senior leader asking them to buy prepaid gift cards. They trusted their instincts, reported it, and we confirmed it was a scam. That single action prevented potential financial loss and allowed us to warn the wider business. Smart Tech Starts With Safe Choices AI is now part of how we work, innovate, and grow – but its benefits depend on using it responsibly. By combining secure technology, informed people, and a strong security culture, we can embrace smart tech while making safe choices. This Safer Internet Day, that’s a message worth sharing. At the heart of our approach are people like Q, and a wider business culture that treats information security as everyone’s responsibility. By combining expert leadership, robust controls, and continuous education, we ensure that innovation never comes at the expense of trust. For our clients and partners, this means confidence that their data, brands, and operations are protected by a business that takes security as seriously as performance – today and as technology continues to evolve. For more information, you can contact us here: Contact Us | Find Out More | Dee Set
