Scotland: A world-leader in Cyber Security Innovation

by Professor Bill Buchanan,
23 May 2018

 

We are moving from an Industrial Age into an Information Age, and increasingly the focus for our world is data. With new regulations such as GDPR and NIS, we thus need to react quicker to data breaches, and also create more secure and resilient data infrastructures, and which are increasingly citizen-focused. The analysis of data is thus a core part of this, whether it is applying filtering methods to reduce the number of alerts that human analysts see, or in the application of machine learning to detect new threats.

The world of Cyber Security is thus all about sharing knowledge, and the SICSA Cyber Nexus supported Conference on Big Data in Cyber Security will be one of the largest Cyber Security conferences to be held in Scotland. It all kicks off on 31 May 2018 at Edinburgh Napier University and then will span the planet over the next 24 hours. The event – named the Cyber Revolution and organised by Adrian Smales and Basil Manoussos – starts in Edinburgh, and then moves onto Canada, Australia, and then across the planet, and returning back to Edinburgh on 1 June 2018. Along the way there will be hundreds of leading Cyber Security presentators, which share best practice and knowledge.

Included in the Edinburgh event are local innovators such as Dr Jamie Graves (Zonefox), Harry McLaren (ECS), David Stubley (7elements) and Federico Charosky (Quorum Cyber), along with leading companies in the field such as Carbon Black, Secureworks, and LogRhythm. The event thus aims to develop cross-collaboration between SMEs in Scotland and those in Canada, and promote international links.

Overall this is a unique event and we hope will build strong bonds across the world, and to develop collaborations. The world of Cyber Security needs more collaboration and the sharing of knowledge and expertise, especially as there are many key stakeholders involved, including industry, the public sector, academia, and law enforcement. Just now, the City of Edinburgh has one of the most advanced infrastructures for research and innovation related to Cyber Security, and this event highlights its importance to the local economy, and for its presence on a world-stage.

Alongside two industry-focused themes, the Edinburgh event includes a SICSA Cyber Nexus sponsored research track, and which is being run by Dr Naghmeh Moradpoor (winner of the most inspiring women in Cyber Security at a recent award ceremony). All three streams of the conference will be broadcast live to the world, and showcase that Scotland is a true innovator with Cyber Security, and embraces collaboration across traditional borders and boundaries.

Few countries can rival the innovation infrastructure that Scotland provides, and, at every turn, there are those who are helping support new ideas and visions. Overall, we need to do everything that we can to support the growth of our innovative companies, and in the transformation of our public services, and thus to fully take advantage of this Information Age.

If you’re interested we are currently setting up a Blockchain Identity Lab – known as the Blockpass Identity Lab – on our Merchiston Campus and have funding for five fully funded PhD studentships in Blockchain focused work, and are keen to work with people and companies with a vision on how we could transform our world with more trusted methods. So, go and get engaged, and collaborate with others. Our future will not be built by the large and faceless companies that are at the core of the Internet, but by our amazing little companies who have a vision for a new future. If you want to see some of them, come along to the conference, and meet them in person.