2022 promises many things to businesses across the Eastern region – both challenges and opportunities. From our perspective the challenges will be eased, and the opportunities enhanced through all of us making some key resolutions to prepare ourselves for the interconnected world in which we all now live and work.

It appears the government agrees with us and on Wednesday 15th December 2021 they published their National Cyber Strategy which sets out how the UK will solidify its position as a global cyber power. The strategy builds on the significant progress made on cyber over the last five years which has seen the UK cyber security sector grow rapidly, with over 1,400 businesses generating revenues of £8.9 billion last year, supporting 46,700 skilled jobs, and attracting significant overseas investment.

While cyber security remains at the heart of this strategy, it now draws together the full range of the UK’s capabilities inside and outside government, with a particular emphasis on taking the lead in technologies relevant to cyber. It calls for a truly joined up, national strategic approach that is shaped by and helps guide decision-making in organisations across the country and provides the basis for stronger collaboration with our partners in the UK and around the world.

Key points include creating

• a more secure and resilient nation, better prepared for evolving threats and risks and using our cyber capabilities to protect citizens against crime, fraud, and state threats.
• an innovative, prosperous digital economy, with opportunity more evenly spread across the country and our diverse population.
• a Science and Tech Superpower, securely harnessing transformative technologies in support of a greener, healthier society; and,
• a more influential and valued partner on the global stage, shaping the future frontiers of an open and stable international order while maintaining our freedom of action in cyberspace.

The strategy also sets out the Government’s plan to keep citizens safe in cyberspace and stamp out cyber-crime by:

• Bolstering law enforcement with significant funding so that they can ramp up their targeting of criminals.
• Increasing investment in the National Cyber Force which represents the UK’s offensive capability to counter, disrupt, degrade, and contest those who would do harm to the UK and its allies.
• Expanding GCHQ’s National Cyber Security Centre’s research capabilities, including the new applied research hub in Manchester.
• Implementing the Product Security and Telecommunications Infrastructure Bill to enforce minimum security standards in all new consumer smart products; and
• Investing in public sector cyber security to ensure that key public services remain resilient to evolving threats and can continue to deliver for citizens who need them. This includes the development of both Cyber Resilience Centres and Cyber Clusters.

Priti Patel, the Home Secretary, said. 

Cybercrime ruins lives and facilitates further crimes such as fraud, stalking, and domestic abuse. Billions of pounds are lost each year to cybercriminals who steal or hold personal data to ransom and who disrupt key public services or vital sectors of the national economy. 

This strategy will significantly improve the Government’s response to the ever-changing threat from cybercrime and strengthen law enforcement’s response in partnership with NCSC and the National Cyber Force. We all have a part to play in protecting ourselves from cybercrime. It is important that as a society, we take this threat seriously.

The strategy recognises the vital role of the private sector in ensuring the UK’s cyber future through the establishment of the new National Cyber Advisory Board (NCAB) which will bring together senior leaders from the private and third sectors to challenge, support and inform the Government’s approach to cyber. 

It also highlights the role of the police led regional cyber resilience centres working in collaboration with a range of partners supporting local businesses to become more cyber aware and better prepared for the challenges ahead. All these plans are supported by the £2.6 billion investment in cyber announced in this year’s Spending Review.

The strategy is built around five core pillars which focus on: investing in our people and skills; increasing cyber resilience; taking the lead in the technologies vital to cyber power; advancing UK global leadership in cyber; and detecting, disrupting, and deterring our adversaries.

So, in summary, the centres across the UK are here to stay and we will continue to take a leading role in providing high quality information about threats and how to avoid them. Here in the Eastern Cyber Resilience Centre, we look forward to accepting this challenge and will continue to do all we can to make sure that all our members remain well protected from cyber-attacks.

And we all hope that you have a Happy and Prosperous New year.

Paul Lopez

Director