UK government teams with Israeli startups to spread cyber message

Matt Hancock, Cabinet Officer, has reiterated the government’s belief that cyber security is a serious issue whilst on a recent trade mission to Israel – a country with a large number of cyber security startups.

The minister highlighted the government’s £1.9m fund for cyber developments.

He also spoke of government plans to develop a National Cyber Centre in a bid to bring together expert knowledge from the private and public sector. The aim of the Centre is to combat cyber crime and share expertise on pending threats.

He said:

“When it comes to protecting our critical national infrastructure, the importance of partnerships between government and industry is particularly important. It will be critical in joining the secret and public-facing worlds together.”

Hancock also spoke about the government’s plans to establish a cyber ecosystem, which will draw from startups from all over the world. He hinted at potential joint ventures with startups in Israel, in spite of the country’s divisive perception within global politics.

The government further plans to work with Israel in the academic sector, with experts from both countries collaborating on physical/cyber security, which will see them assessing threats to both physical and digital infrastructure.

The government should be doing everything that it can to improve cyber security within the UK, and it is clearly answering the call by turning to Israel. Responsibility also lies with SMEs, however, if they are to protect any data that they may hold. Advertising cyber security jobs to ensure that they have the right staff on board is one very important factor in achieving that.