UK Cyber Highway Will Improve Security
The proposed UK Cyber Highway will give organizations the power to take control online of the Cyber Essentials certification process.
Former UK Home Secretary and Chairman of Cyber Essentials Direct, David Blunkett, has launched The Cyber Highway which offers a new, unique and user-friendly online portal for large enterprises seeking to sure up the cyber defense of their supply chain, and for companies of all sizes that want to improve their cyber resilience.
The Cyber Highway will, for the first time, give organizations the power to take control online of the Cyber Essentials certification process and monitor the progress that their suppliers are making towards the accreditation.
Speaking at a media briefing in London, Lord Blunkett explained it’s important to create an environment in which companies of any size know they can do business safely. “It’s critical people understand it’s about the whole chain, right down to the very small supplier, who has a vital part to play in the online security we are seeking to gain.”
It’s about persuading large and mediums sized companies that, whilst they might put in place very sophisticated security regimes for themselves, they are as vulnerable as anyone else if their supply chain are not doing the same, he added. “The UK Government has made significant progress. Government departments now require suppliers bidding for particular contracts to be Cyber Essentials certified and next month sees the launch of the National Cyber Security Centre. These are all steps in the right direction but we can and must go further, especially to assist many more companies to become certified.”
Also speaking at the event, Cyber Essentials Direct CEO John Lyons said the Cyber Essentials scheme is a really good, sound beginning to helping companies secure their enterprise against up to 80% of common online threats.
“This is designed to provide businesses with the technical controls and measures that they must put in place to kill off most of the low-hanging fruit in cyber-attack.”
Post-Brexit, it has never been more important for organizations to hold an internationally accepted security certification, as competition increases and an extra level of cyber resilience is required.
“As The Cyber Highway is built around internationally recognized UK Government and GCHQ standards, enterprise companies have the confidence that the robustness of the cybersecurity in their supply chain is something they can trust. Furthermore, protective measures like this will help secure the critical national infrastructures.”
“The global nature of the threat requires global solutions. By using The Cyber Highway to gain Cyber Essentials certification, we create a common cybersecurity standard which protects businesses wherever they trade,” added Lyons.
