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Good news!

Co-founder of our strategic cyber risk management partner, Wembley Partners and co-founder of the newly incorporated ORNA Inc. Martyn Gill has been named a finalist at next month’s Ex-British Forces Business Awards in the Entrepreneur of the Year category.

With over 15 years as a cyber intelligence professional, leading teams in delivering technical solutions to mission critical projects across defence, government and other Critical National Infrastructure sectors for BAE Systems AI, Deloitte and GCHQ.

Martyn co-founded Wembley Partners in 2019 specialising in intelligence-led cyber security solutions for Small and Medium businesses, which has seen the development of the world first dedicated cyber incident management SaaS platform and cyber-tech company, ORNA Inc. Martyn served for 12 years as a Electronic Warfare operator, deploying on multiple operations to Afghanistan and supported the development of UK UAV operations at NSA Georgia.

Great to see ex-service personnel and CyNam members being recognised for the fantastic work they have done and are doing.

Good luck Martyn!

CyNam are delighted to announce a brand new sponsor – Bamboo Technology will be joining us as Digital Transformation Partner.

Lorrin White of Bamboo Technology quotes:

– “Bamboos mission, as a connectivity, IT and software solutions provider is to shape and develop business futures by realising the full potential of ICT. Cynam is helping to make Cheltenham the cyber hub of the UK and the partnership with Bamboo helps to promote and educate relevant and resilient businesses transformation in a digital landscape that continues to evolve. The teams share an ethos of networking, innovating and collaborating to instil best practice into customer and county and we look forward to sharing talent, culture and community to continually improve our positions and future prospects.”

Richard Yorke, Managing Director of CyNam says:

“We’re delighted to announce Bamboo Technology Group Ltd as CyNam’s Digital Transformation partner. Successful digital transformation (DTX) is underpinned by good #cybersecurity and we are keen to develop the ecosystem to include more organisations with #DTX at the heart of their business wanting to tap into the wealth of cyber expertise the CyNam community offer. As a locally based company leading the way with #thoughtleadership on both fronts, our partnership with Bamboo will enable us to engage the DTX community and drive growth for the cyber sector.”

It’s with great pleasure that we announce Rebellion Defence as our Defence Sector Sponsor.

Rebellion Defence joins CyNam to provide their expertise and commentary as an industry partner, specifically targeting the defence sector and the cyber security issues that face that sector. Rebellion Defence have recently become an active member of the CyNam community and we are looking forward to providing thought leadership articles and content, as well as contribution to forthcoming CyNam events.

Oliver Lewis, Rebellion Defence Founder commented:

“Rebellion is excited to partner with CyNam and support the growth of the UK’s highly collaborative cybersecurity ecosystem. CyNam’s ability to act as a neutral convener bringing together industry, government and academia provides a great platform to exchange ideas, grow the talent of tomorrow and champion the delivery of responsible cyber technologies that defend our democratic values”

Richard Yorke, Managing Director of CyNam:

“We’re very pleased to announce support from Rebellion Defence as CyNam’s Defence Sector sponsor. Rebellion share our vision of a collaborative cyber security ecosystem and as a fast-growing, values-driven company offering cutting edge cyber-tech solutions, we very much look forward to them sharing valuable insights with the community on cyber-tech through the lens of defence and national security”

Rebellion Defence take an unconventional approach to defence technology by self-funding product development—customers only pay for the value they receive. Their Software-as-a-Service (SaaS) model ensures customers gain measurable results on day one and gain incredible new product features over time through iterative development and user-centered design.

Learn more about Rebellion Defence here.

Sopra Steria and CyNam announce a new strategic partnership for 2021/22

Sustainability is at the heart of everything Sopra Steria and CyNam value and do, with both organisations committed to values-driven business practices and making positive impact on the economy, society and the environment.

Sopra Steria’s support will help to further CyNam’s cyber skills and growth objectives, both funding a new role to invest in Gloucestershire’s skills development and providing a platform to promote the value of apprenticeship programmes to its cyber community.

As well as supporting CyNam’s mission to nurture local talent, Sopra Steria will play a central role in CyNam’s landmark October event, hold its own roundtable session for the community and jointly produce thought leadership content to benefit the cyber technology ecosystem in Gloucestershire and beyond.

Sue-Ellen Wright, Managing Director of Sopra Steria’s Aerospace, Defence and Security business, commented: “CyNam’s promotion of home-grown cyber talent is a really important endeavour that we wholeheartedly champion at Sopra Steria through our UK talent programmes. We look forward to supporting CyNam’s mission, which ultimately serves to benefit our communities and protect our national interest.”

Madeline Howard, Chair and Director of CyNam, commented: “We’re absolutely delighted Sopra Steria are continuing to support CyNam. They have been excellent partner for the last few years in supporting our strategic initiatives and have enabled us to do some great work for our community. We’re excited to be continuing our journey together and are looking forward to see what we can achieve.”

Written by Katie Roden

People are excellent at talking. We talk about all sorts of things all the time. When it comes to important decisions, we spend hours deliberating and working out pros and cons. Communication is vital, but we run out of time to take action if we spend too long talking. This is often the case for topics of the utmost importance. As an industry, we frequently discuss education and how we are inducting the next generation of potential candidates into STEM and Cyber. We all know a delta between the number of candidates available and the sheer volume of roles our industry advertises. So, naturally, we talk about it. It’s an important topic, so why wouldn’t we? But, what are we doing to tackle this challenge?

CGI created Cyber Escape to help employees, schools, clients and anyone else who wanted to give it a try understand potential cyber security risks. The aim was to create a fun and engaging way of learning.

There were four key focus areas for the escape room:

• Phishing

• Physical Security

• Social Media

• Attack Mitigation

Just as the Cheltenham Science Festival was in full swing, the CGI Escape Room landed at All Saints Academy. This was the inaugural excursion from its home of Chippenham. We were excited to get groups through it to put it to the test and see the value it could offer. Don’t worry, I’m not going to detail the challenges and what tasks are in the escape room. That would spoil the fun! But, the aim is to escape within 60 minutes

As one of the games masters (GM) facilitating, I was there multiple times a week throughout its visit. The role of the GM was to introduce the groups to challenge, set the scene, watch the groups and offer support if they hit major blockers and debrief the group at the end of the session. After each run was complete, GMs had to reset everything and, because of the joy that is COVID-19, clean EVERYTHING. All so this could be repeated for the next group.

The first week was an unprecedented heatwave in the UK, and with the escape room being in a metal shipping container, this led to some unforeseen challenges that added to the GM role. We needed to ensure that the escape room didn’t get too hot (strategic fans everywhere), we set up a shaded area for the introduction and debrief to allow groups to get some respite for the sun, we learned that locks and keys could sometimes get a lot harder to turn when the metal in the mechanism has slightly expanded due to the heat. But what is a live performance without a few teething problems, and luckily, Great British Summertime being what it is, we soon returned to the cooler, rainier climate that we’re all used to, and all those problems went away.

I have to say that it was hard not to get caught up in the game aspect. It was an incredibly enjoyable experience, and I found it great to see how the different groups adapted to the different learning environments. For example, it seemed that student groups approached the tasks very differently from the adult groups. Team dynamics changed with the tasks; some natural leaders are demonstrating their skills for delegation while other self-organising teams used utterly different communication styles. We had groups who were already heavily embedded in STEM subjects and some novices who were giving it a go. Groups of 5 (the max for COVID compliance), groups of 3 or 4, teachers, students, adults, clients, friends; I don’t think any two groups tackled the escape room in the same way. All of this was truly fascinating to watch.

After each run-through, we debriefed participants and emphasised the challenges focused on and how they connected to the key learning outcomes. This quickly and naturally transitioned into questions about Cyber and our roles within the industry. And oh boy, did we get questions! We also got so much feedback. All Saints Academy teachers told us that school students were contacting them asking how they could go on the escape room. There were discussions in the playground about which team got the higher score or which teams escaped and which didn’t. The teachers were booking some of the after school sessions because they didn’t want the kids to have all the fun! Some non-school bookings were made as a result of groups hearing about other groups doing it and wanting to have a go. People were talking about the CGI who had never previously heard of us.

I started this piece by highlighting we talk a lot – that’s not a bad thing. Now, we need to start doing more. Together! If the CGI Cyber Escape demonstrates anything, its shows that the way we engage matters! To get this many questions from an hour activity, imagine what we could do if we, as an industry, contributed similar ideas to the curriculum or engaged with the public less abstractly.

CyNam, CyberFirst, UKC3, the Golden Valley Development and Cheltenham Science Festival are fantastic platforms for coming together and solving problems. We could address the recruitment and talent crisis we see in our industry. We could address real-life challenges that people experience daily. We could do something completely new and different. But…
In order to do any of this, we have to change the way we think about these problems and work together to resolve them.

4 weeks, 63 school groups, 28 adult groups, 1 CGI Cyber Escape and a new way of thinking moving forwards?

CyNam is recruiting for the new role of Cyber Skills Growth Lead & Enterprise Co-Ordinator – Cyber and Digital.

Salary Range: £30,000-£40,000 per annum, depending on experience

Enterprise Co-ordinators play a key role in The Careers & Enterprise Company’s national programme and are critical to achieving its aim of motivating, inspiring and supporting young people in making informed choices about their future and help them achieve against those choices. Employed by CyNam and working alongside GFirst LEP’s Careers Hub team, you will engage and connect schools and colleges with businesses and initiatives to encourage young people to learn more about and develop skills and careers in cyber, digital and other growth sectors across Gloucestershire.

We are seeking someone who will:

Co-ordinate, project-manage and implement a range of careers and skills projects and initiatives across Gloucestershire. These will mainly focus on the cyber and digital sector and will also support other growth sectors in the County.

Contribute to the writing and updating of relevant local employment and skills strategies and action plans

Collaborate and share best-practice with a range of stakeholders across the county, including the NCSC’s Cyber First programme as well as other cyber clusters across the UK

Work with local employers, LEP business groups and colleagues to gather intelligence about employment and recruitment needs and trends, skills gaps and skills shortages in businesses of all sizes and sectors across Gloucestershire

You will work closely with the CyNam Directors and team members, members of the GFirst LEP Careers Hub team, local and national employment, skills and training providers and employers. Funding for the post is initially to 31st August 2022 and we are actively seeking to extend this.

CyNam will be the employer and this role is funded and co-ordinated through a partnership of CyNam, Capita, the Careers & Enterprise Company, and GFirst LEP.

This is a varied and interesting role in a dynamic environment requiring excellent communication and stakeholder management skills, team work and the ability to prioritise, manage, deliver and report on tasks and projects across a wide range of stakeholders. You will also need experience of the cyber and/or digital sectors and an understanding of the education sector. Knowledge of existing national cyber skills initiatives would be advantageous.

Please send your CV with a brief covering letter explaining your suitability for the role to info@Cynam.org

Secondments, particularly from the Cyber or Digital sectors, are very much welcomed.

The deadline for applications is midnight on 6th July. Interviews will take place on 15th July

A copy of the job description and person specification can be found here Cyber Skills Growth & Enterprise Coord JD

Please see the following for further information about some of our work in Gloucestershire: https://CyNam.org/ https://www.gloscareershub.com/ https://www.gfirstlep.com/about-us/skills-for-business/

UK Cyber Cluster Collaboration (UKC3) has been launched to support Cyber Clusters and encourage greater collaboration across regions and nations of the UK.

A new organisation called UK Cyber Cluster Collaboration (UKC3) has been launched to support economic growth in the UK cyber security industry. UKC3 will deliver initiatives and programmes designed to stimulate innovation and support the development of cyber skills, coordinating with government, industry bodies and UK Cyber Clusters. The organisation will provide a single interface for industry stakeholders to engage with the UK’s Cyber Cluster network.

The organisation will be fundamental in spurring economic growth and cyber sector prosperity across the regions and nations of the UK and aims to play an important part in both levelling-up and the post-Covid 19 recovery.

UKC3 will act as a single voice for the Cyber Cluster network, engaging with public sector, academia and industry to inform and support the national cyber strategy with a regional perspective.

Acting as a national organisation for Cyber Clusters across the country, UKC3 will officially recognise Cyber Clusters that operate in line with UKC3’s agreed Operating Framework. The framework will set out the principles and outcomes Clusters work towards through activities and initiatives that deliver Cyber sector growth in their region. The UKC3 will encourage collaboration and knowledge exchange between Clusters in order to amplify the outcomes being delivered locally to create impact at a national level.

Through funding and knowledge exchange, UKC3 will facilitate innovation, ecosystem development and cyber skills growth

Commenting on this announcement, UKC3’s Chair, Richard Yorke said “On behalf of the board, I’m delighted to be announcing the UKC3 launch today.
The UK’s thriving cyber sector is recognised as world leading and through greater collaboration, innovation and skills development we have a real opportunity to deliver growth that benefits businesses and individual citizens across the UK.

Cyber Clusters are playing a vital role in the development of the sector in their region and the UKC3 has been established to fund and support their work as well as encouraging greater collaboration across the UK ecosystem. My colleagues and I will work with public sector, academia and industry bodies to represent Clusters in national Cyber policy making and provide stakeholders with a single entity to engage the Cluster community.

This is an exciting and pivotal time for the Cyber industry and I encourage organisations to engage with us to drive growth in the sector.”

The organisation’s board is made up of Cyber Cluster leads from across the UK including: Richard Yorke (Cyber Cheltenham – CyNam) – as Chair of UKC3, Phil Jackman (Cyber North/North East Cyber Cluster) – Treasurer and Secretariat, Melanie Oldham (Yorkshire Cyber Security Cluster) as Vice Chair and Stakeholder Management/Communications, Ciara Mitchell (ScotlandIS Cyber) leading on Ecosystem Development, Linda Smith (Midlands Cyber), leading on Innovation and John Davies (Cyber Wales/South Wales Cyber Cluster) leading on Skills Growth. In addition, an Advisory Group has been established with further Cluster representatives.

A new funding opportunity will be announced soon, aimed at supporting the work of Cyber Clusters and the important role they play in contributing to the growth of the Cyber sector within their locality.

• • CyNam announces their second event of the year, which will take place on June 10.
  • The virtual event will explore IoT and smart cities and what it means for the cyber industry.
  • Research suggests smart cities will be key to future economic growth following the pandemic.

CyNam 21.2 – Smart Cyber: Securing the IoT and the cities of the future

The global smart cities market is expected to double by 2025 and could help governments to navigate their way out of pandemic according to Research and Markets. CyNam 21.2 – Smart Cyber: Securing the IoT and the cities of the future takes place virtually on June 10 and will see discussions, Q&As and unique insight from leading cyber experts, exploring the Internet of Things (IoT) and how cyber innovation can help enable smart cities of the future. The event is for anyone interested in growing their cyber knowledge, including professionals or students with an interest in the cyber sector and digital transformation.

Smart cities is a ‘hot’ topic at CyNam 21.2

Delivered in partnership with the Cheltenham Science Festival, the event will be streamed live from Hub8, a co-working space in Cheltenham dedicated to the flourishing cyber-tech sector, with a range of physical and virtual presentations. Details for the first discussions have been announced, including headline sessions from Information Security Group’s Professor Lizzie Coles-Kemp and Ladies of Cheltenham Hacking Society’s Sophia McCall. Topics explore what welcoming and trusting smart cities look like and whether future cars will be safe. Further details about the agenda will be announced throughout the month, including sessions from sponsors Field Effect and IBM, and CGI, the headline sponsor.

In response to Covid, CyNam quickly adapted and took their events online where the showcase has reached new audiences. CyNam 21.1 saw people tuning in from across the globe to discover the latest developments in Cheltenham’s cyber scene. Previous organisations presenting at CyNam’s events have included Microsoft, Central Government, Ripjar and Sage to name just a few.

Challenges and opportunities of smart cities in a IoT world

Richard Yorke, Director at CyNam, said:

“With the enabling 5G and IoT technology evolving at pace, smart cities are rapidly becoming a reality and will impact all aspects of life. Well-designed security is paramount and key to building the trust needed for smart cities to work for citizens and businesses alike. Our summer event promises to be full of interesting discussion around these challenges and how the UK’s cyber sector can safeguard smart cities from future breaches as well as showcasing emerging technology in this space. If you have an interest in cyber, this is not one to be missed.”

Register to CyNam 21.2

Registration for CyNam 21.2 is now open, with the two-hour conference taking place from 6:00 pm to 8:00 pm BST. The organisation brings together Cheltenham’s cyber cluster, enabling opportunities for networking, innovation and collaboration from start-ups to multinational brands. After their March event, students who took part in the showcase were later offered job opportunities in top cyber security firms, demonstrating how CyNam helps people to enter the cyber-tech sector regardless of age, gender or background.

Find out more and register on Eventbrite.

We are delighted to announce that our Gold Industry Sponsor for this year is CGI.

Here at CyNam we are excited about the partnership and are committed to delivering great content over the year in partnership with CGI.
CGI already have a fantastic footing in the community with their involvement in the Cyber Schools initiative, a strong apprenticeship scheme and a deeply embedded CSR strategy, which makes them ideal partners for CyNam to help make a positive difference within the ecosystem.

It gives us great pleasure to share our first piece of content from our new 2021 Industry Sponsor CGI.

CyNam Chairman Chris Dunning-Walton and CyNam Director Paul Bentham are joined by CGI President of UK Operations, Tara McGeehan and Head Advisory – Director of Consulting Services, John “JW” Wariner – in a brilliantly upbeat conversation about “Collaboration vs Competition” and so much more!

About CGI

Founded in 1976, CGI is among the largest IT and business consulting services firms in the world. They are insights-driven and outcomes-based to help accelerate returns on your investments. Across 21 industries in 400 locations worldwide, they provide comprehensive, scalable and sustainable IT and business consulting services that are informed globally and delivered locally.

Find out more here