iVendi has appointed its first ever security engineer as part of its strategy to “deter the hackers”.

Wesley Parsons (pictured) is a graduate in computer science from Manchester Metropolitan University and was formerly performance and security engineer at Avecto.

He explained: “My role is all about building and driving iVendi's overall security strategy, working closely with the business’s development team to introduce secure development practices.

“A big part of the job is performing penetration tests on iVendi's products and infrastructure to ensure that the security requirements of the business and our clients across the motor industry are met.”

James Tew, iVendi chief executive, said the IT jargon for what Parsons will be helping with is called ‘ethical hacking’.

He said: “He plays the role of someone trying to break into our systems in order to test them as thoroughly as possible.

“We are now working with more than 7,000 dealers, several major car portals, and a number of motor finance companies. It is important that we do all we can to protect our systems from malicious attack by detering hackers and his appointment is a key development in our strategy.”