Ed Vaizey: 'Good cyber security underpins entire economy'
Minister for Digital Economy urges businesses to ensure they're protected against cyber crime
The government has urged businesses to ensure that they're protected against cyber attacks, citing figures which say 90 per cent of organisations suffered a security breach in the last year.
Minister for the Digital Economy, Ed Vaizey, urged businesses across the country to protect themselves against computer hacking and cyber crime by taking up the Government's Cyber Essentials scheme - an independent assessment that suppliers need to pass in order to bid for certain government contracts.
"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, speaking at the Financial Times Cyber Security Europe Summit.
The Minister for Digital Economy added that it's important for the UK to viewed as somewhere that consumers and businesses can make digital transactions without an overarching fear that their private details could be stolen.
"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," he said.
Cyber Essentials is the government scheme designed to educate and protect businesses against the most common forms of malicious activity on the internet.
Vaizey told the conference that 1,000 businesses have signed up to the government's cyber essentials scheme with Intel Security the latest to receive accreditation.
"The Cyber Essentials programme represents another positive step forward in the Government's proposals to raise standards of cyber security and protect British businesses from internet-based attacks," said James Stirk Regional Director for Government at Intel Security.
"By providing organisations with the criteria and opportunity to meet basic cyber security hygiene standards, this initiative will increase confidence for businesses as well as their customers and partners," he continued.
"That's why at Intel Security UK we are proud to be the 1,000th company to achieve Cyber Essentials certification status and we welcome this positive initiative to raise standards of cyber security across the UK," Stirk added.
Vaizey also used the conference to announce a new £500,000 to help universities and colleges develop "innovative" teaching and learning to provide the cyber security skills required to "protect the UK now and in the future".
The fund will be administered by the Higher Education Academy and universities and colleges can apply for a grant of up to £80,000 - which must be matched by the academic institution and "generate real-world impact across the discipline" - in order to aid the fight against cyber crime.
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