“The UK Government takes these risks seriously. That is why the 2010 National Security Strategy rated cyber attacks as a ‘Tier 1’ threat”*

The Rt Hon Francis Maude MP, Minister for the Cabinet Office, UK Government

(* contained in the introduction to the UK Cyber Strategy, November 2011)

In late November the UK Government published a report on ‘The UK Cyber Security Strategy – Protecting and promoting the UK in a digital world’.

This report seeks to address some of the myriad of issues that face society in the technological age. It acknowledges that whilst technological developments are a massive force for good and has improved billions of lives there are serious questions that must be answered in terms of risk, data and systems that it is incumbent upon each of us to be cognisant of and alert to.

This is particularly true of each and every public servant who has access to sensitive information, whether that be the personal data of citizens or confidential government documents.

Effective enforcement and proactive leadership in explaining the risks are essential components for the Scottish Government as the speed of technological advances continues to accelerate.

Here in Scotland the government is keen to ensure that all these concerns and responsibilities are fully understood across the public sector and that each and every public body is taking the necessary steps to meet their obligations.

The National Cyber Crime Strategy will aim to proactively tackle cyber criminals with the government having made £650 million in resources available to boast organisational cyber security.  Research has indicated that despite knowing that cyber security and data protection present a real threat to individuals and organisations, there is still a strong lack of knowledge of how to best meet these challenges. 

In Scotland major breaches of data protection have very recently been found against the NHS and the Scottish Children’s Reporter Administration.  With a big governmental push towards shared services, the need for safe and secure networks of information sharing between public sector organisations is needed more than ever.

This Holyrood magazine conference event will allow you to hear from government and industry representatives both within Scotland and the UK in order to consider what steps Scotland needs to take in order to protect its cyber infrastructure. Featuring breakout sessions that allow delegates the change to discuss these issues in smaller groups as well as to focus on specific security issues, such as challenges in Cloud Computing and Shared Services, this conference will provide practical opportunities to understand how your cyber security strategy should be protecting against potential threats.