A Look Back on the Year 2025: Progress, Pressure and Prospective

Cameron Lewis l 28th January 2026

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Wow, it’s hard to believe that 3CT is already coming to the end of its 4^th year. As with last year, it feels like a good time to pause and review where we are, what we’ve achieved, and what we’ve learned along the way. This year has been a mix of solid progress, genuine challenges, and a few moments that put everything else into perspective.

What Went Well

From a delivery perspective, this has been our busiest year yet. We carried out more Cyber Essentials Plus and ISO27001 audits than in any previous year, which reflects both growing demand and the trust our customers place in us.

Financially, the business performed strongly. We exceeded our turnover targets and grew by around 10%, driven by steady work rather than sudden spikes. We also expanded into new markets and began working with larger organisations, something we’ve been building towards for a while.

Major Projects and New Services

This year also saw us broaden the offerings we make to our customers. We introduced ongoing vulnerability management assessments and DSPT audit support, enabling us to provide more continuous, practical support rather than one-off engagements.

One of the more intense pieces of work this year was supporting a major client through a significant security incident. Helping them manage the incident and guide their recovery was challenging, but it reinforced the value of calm, experienced support when it matters most.

The Challenges We Faced

Not everything was straightforward. For the first time since our first year, we didn’t grow the team. In fact, we went the other way. Early in the year, we parted ways with our CRO, Chris, which brought its own challenges and required adjustment across the business.

We also felt capacity strain for the first time. There were moments throughout the year when the workload felt overwhelming. That said, having a strong team made all the difference. We shared the pressure, supported each other, and got through it. If anything, it highlighted that we’re busy for the right reasons and need to plan for growth.

On a more personal level, this year brought some very difficult moments. In July, our Head of Marketing, Faye, lost her mum, Linda. Linda had a huge influence on many people’s careers, including Tom’s and mine, and without her, we would never have met Faye. I also lost a close friend who played a key role in my early career.

These experiences have a way of reshaping priorities. For us, making sure Faye and everyone in the team felt supported mattered more than anything else. It put every other challenge into context. If there’s one takeaway from this year, it’s a simple one: life’s too short - make the most of it.

Looking Ahead to 2026

Next year is about building sensibly on what we’ve learned. We plan to grow the team, bringing in new people so we can support a wider customer base without stretching ourselves too thin.

We also intend to expand our services further, particularly around incident management support, so we’re even better placed to help clients when they need us most.

Overall, this year reminded us that progress isn’t just about numbers. It’s about resilience, people, and perspective. We’re proud of what we’ve achieved and grateful to everyone, clients and all at 3CT alike, who’ve been part of the journey.

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