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Ed Vaizey, Minister for the Digital Economy, has revealed details about a new £500,000 government fund to help universities and colleges develop the cyber security skills needed to protect UK businesses.
“Good cyber security underpins the entire digital economy – we need it to keep our businesses, citizens and public services safe. The UK is a world leader in the use of digital technologies but we also need to be a world leader in cyber security,” said Vaizey.
“Trust and confidence in UK online security is crucial for consumers, businesses and investors. We want to make the UK the safest place in the world to do business online and Cyber Essentials is a great and simple way firms can protect themselves.”
Speaking at the Financial Times Cyber Security Europe Summit, Vaizey also urged UK businesses to protect themselves by taking up the Government’s Cyber Essentials scheme.
More than 1,000 businesses have now adopted Cyber Essentials – the UK Government’s leading scheme, which protects businesses against the most common threats on the Internet.
Intel Security, part of multinational technology firm and chip manufacturer Intel, are among the firms who have recently achieved Cyber Essentials certification.
Since launching the National Cyber Security Programme in 2011, the Government has invested £860m to protect and promote the UK.
Based on analysis by GCHQ which showed how cyber criminals were exploiting basics weaknesses in company IT systems, Cyber Essentials sets out five technical controls which will protect firms against the majority of internet threats, like viruses, malware and hacking.
Other initiatives include a voucher scheme offering micro, small and medium sized businesses up to £5,000 for specialist advice to boost their cyber security and protect new business ideas and intellectual property.
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