Security pros give thumbs up to government’s £19bn investment plan

George Osborne vowed to make a sizeable investment in cyber security during the current parliament’s run when he spoke to the GCHQ late last month.

Planned expenditure includes a National Cyber Centre in GCHQ, which will be a central hub to increase government efforts towards cyber security and communication with industry, the Chancellor said.

There was also a promise to establish two innovation hubs in Cheltenham and London to encourage drive and growth in the industry.

Further, there is a plan to assist in developing cyber security experts in the UK, which includes a £20m contest to launch a new Institute for Coding. The plan is to teach a new breed of cyber pros the high level computer science and digital skills needed to win jobs in the UK.

Cloud company Exponential-e CEO Lee Wade said that the combination of the National Cyber Centre and dedicated platforms to improve cyber skills, in addition to improving relationships with ISPs, will put the UK in a better position with regards to defence.

He added:

“Capitalising on this support will involve businesses taking proactive steps towards their own cybersecurity future-proofing. Delivering on-service level agreements and protecting customer data as well as corporate assets will mean carefully selecting and investing in partnerships to bolster security expertise.”

SMEs should be taking note and reassessing what they are doing to improve cyber defence within their own company. Many could make improvements to their IT security recruitment campaign in a bid to shore up their cyber protection.