IT Security Centre to Emphasise Local Government

The National Cyber Security Centre has vowed to improve the relationship between councils and produce improved local government guidance.

The NCSC digital services deputy director Alison Whitney conceded that so far, the government’s focus on IT security has emphasised central government.

Whitney said at the annual Socitm conference for digital leaders in local government that the guidance is often produced with Whitehall as the focus, and is inaccessible to other areas of the government.

She said, however, that the centre, which opened in the beginning of October, is an attempt to remedy this.

Whitney talked about the importance of the NCSC recognising the needs of local government, and that efforts were being made to uncover the pinch points for councils.

She identified that the first roadblock was knowing where to begin, acknowledging that the NCSC possessed limited resources and that developing one-to-one relationships was impossible.

After a number of discussions and consultations, Whitney said that the centre chose to focus on local government associations, including the Local Government Association and Socitm, the Society for Local Authority Chief Executives.

The centre’s workforce has also organised numerous regional briefings within the last 12 months with Local Government and the Department for Communities.

Businesses too, need to focus more of their efforts on cyber security. There are individuals available who are more than capable of performing cyber security jobs and offering a level of protection against cyber crime and its latest threats. It is up to those businesses to recognise the need for such an important role inside of their four walls.