Security rigour in a changing public sector world

Digital economy minister Ed Vaizey recently laid out the government’s thinking on cyber threats, while outlining the government’s investment in its cyber security programme. Arguably, although the UK is a world leader in the use of digital technologies, it also needs to be a world leader in cyber security. And yet the scale of the cyber threat is still significant. The recent Information Security Breaches Survey suggested that 74% of small businesses and 90% of large ones had a cyber breach in the past year.

Information security remains a critical concern for the UK public sector and is fuelled by increased awareness of security challenges as the government moves towards digital-by-default. Securing critical information and assets, including the government’s ICT infrastructure, are vital to safeguarding against cyber espionage and attack as well as a range of other security threats such as criminal and negligent behaviour.

Fundamental change in the public sector, with greater financial responsibilities placed on local authorities and NHS trusts, increasing digitisation of services, and a strong focus on health and social care will drive a more rigorous assessment of cyber threats and defences.

The question is: have sufficient public sector organisations taken that message on board in a changing landscape where employees demand mobility, threats are more complex, and resources ever more scarce, with a new Spending Review underway.

This Government Computing Dining Club event on September 9th, in association with Blackberry, at Vintners' Hall, the Wine Trade's "spiritual home", will take a pragmatic approach to the latest unfolding thinking on security in 2015. Join us for an evening of networking, expert talks and stimulating conversation.