New cyber academy to tackle security challenges

A academy has been announced by the University of Southampton. The plan is to meet the demand for cyber security challenges being faced by today’s SMEs.

The Academy is a joint venture between Government agencies, private companies, and the University of Southampton, and was established to act as a hub for education and research into cyber security.

There has not been a formal launch date announced as yet, but the University says that it is expected to be early next year. The Academy has already agreed to terms with its first partners, namely Roke Manor Research, Northrop Grumman, and the Defence Science and Technology Laboratory.

Director of the Academy at  Southampton, Professor Vladimiro Sassone, said that the increasingly frightening cyber attack statistics on a range of different companies, such as TalkTalk’s recent hack, make the scheme an appropriate measure and in line with the UK National Cyber Security Strategy.

Professor Sassone added:

“With society growing ever more cyber-dependent, cyber security poses tremendous challenges and tremendous opportunities for the cyber industry. It also calls for systematic innovation that will have to pass through research and recruitment of fresh cyber talent. In other words, through a closer interaction between industry and academia.”

The Academy will hopefully bear long-term fruit in dealing with the challenge that cyber security presents. In the short-term, however, SMEs need to do all they can to ensure the safety of their operations and data, such as making cyber security jobs open to trained professionals.