Thoughts & Reflections on CyberUK 2023

It’s one week on from CyberUK 2023 and over that time I’ve been looking back through my notes and reflecting on the issues debated both inside the conference centre and outside in the fringes, with friends old and new.

Having worked in this sector for the best part of 20 years I’m somewhat embarrassed to admit, it was my first time in Belfast. It certainly won’t be my last. We could not have been made to feel more welcome and it was great to experience first-hand the spirit of collaboration and knowledge exchange running through the NI Cyber ecosystem.

A new spirit of openness

Clearly, a lot has changed in the world in the last 12-15 months and so it wasn’t entirely surprising that geo-politics and specifically the threat from Russia and China, featured heavily over the two days of CyberUK. What struck me, however, was how open the NCSC and Government are being about these threats and how the cyber sector must respond.

Oliver Dowden called out the risk to UK Critical National Infrastructure (CNI) from state-aligned groups – particularly those sympathetic to Russia and announced a new NCSC alert regarding the threat.

Lindy Cameron was very open about the threat to our democratic values posed by China and its stated aim of achieving global technological supremacy. The key point in relation to this, was how the UK and our allies must stay ahead to maintain strategic advantage in Science & Technology particularly around emerging technologies such as AI, Quantum, Semiconductors and the Future of Telecoms.

What role does the cyber industry play in this?

This question was central to discussions happening across the two days and it was clear that the cyber industry has a vital role to play in securing the foundations of these emerging technologies and the infrastructure they run on. We are at an inflection point whereby we must act now to secure the foundations of our future technology.

This was brought to life in the closing plenary by a disturbing and thought-provoking “flash forward” to CyberUK 2033 and the issues we would be grappling with in a decade’s time if we don’t take these warnings seriously.

Securing our future is a team-sport

This glimpse of the future was not pretty and the question that naturally followed was how do we respond to ensure a different, brighter future? The answer, echoed across the conference hall, was a familiar one – greater collaboration.

Collaboration is something that is very close to my heart and is the mainstay of CyNam and the UKC3’s work as we bring together and develop a thriving cyber ecosystem in Cheltenham and across the wider UK. With this in mind, we worked with partners and supporters from across the UK Cyber Ecosystem to deliver the inaugural meet-up of the UK’s Cyber Ecosystem.

TCyberUK FRINGE EVENT

The meet-up brought together players from the UK ecosystem to shine a light on the capacity building and capability being delivered across the country and provided an environment for great conversations to happen and new connections to form. It was a hit with the 120+ attendees and word quickly spread around the conference centre the following day.

Where next?

We now want to build on this and take the format to other parts of the UK, connecting and activating the national ecosystem. However, we can’t just collaborate within the familiar bubble of the Cyber Ecosystem. We must connect and exchange knowledge with those clusters that are developing the technologies of the future.

With this in mind, we would love to hear your thoughts on the places and ecosystems we need to connect with and the key people to help us make that happen.

Richard Yorke – Was the Managing Director of CyNam now Cyber Tech Entrepreneur, Investor and Advisor

April 27, 2023, CyberUK