The Online Safety Bill has been met with a flurry of controversy at every stage of its development, and is due to enter Parliament yet again for further debate.
Though it has safety in the name, the bill, which is intended to protect those most vulnerable on the internet -especially children – has been met with harsh criticism for removing privacy assurances and inhibiting freedom of expression, as it critics deem.
As the government continues to grapple with the mammoth task of regulating the internet – a feat made more monumental with the rise of cyber threats, social media, and data protection concerns – companies and human rights groups have amassed a plethora of expanding concerns.
For some, the bill goes too far. For others, not far enough. In a strange way, these two lines of thought seem to be coming from the same parties.
Where we are now
DIGIT has tracked the undulating developments of the controversial bill, which is currently facing more debate in Parliament.
Previous critiques appear to have gone nowhere despite several changes to the bill. The main conundrum remains, as Parliament continues to debate how they can keep people safe on the internet while protecting privacy and freedom of speech.
A major stipulation of the bill has to do with end-to-end encryption, which may be undermined by the Bill to allow Ofcom to issue “technology notices’ which would require private messaging services to put in place ‘accredited tech’ that will detect certain types of message – essentially enabling tools that could screen UK citizen’s private messages on personal phones.
End-to-end encrypted messages can currently only be read by senders and recipients, and messages on platforms such as WhatsApp and Signal and fully encrypted to allow for maximum privacy.
WhatsApp and Signal have signed an open letter calling for the MPs to dismiss this section of the bill, with the Open letter reading: “As currently drafted, the Bill could break end-to-end encryption,opening the door to routine, general and indiscriminate surveillance of personal messages of friends, family members, employees, executives, journalists, human rights activists and even politicians themselves, which would fundamentally undermine everyone’s ability to communicate securely.”
The open letter showed concerns for the powers given to Ofcom, essentially opening up a ‘backdoor’ to private messages, putting people at risk. Removing end-t0-end encryption would also allow cybercriminals greater access to private messages.
The signatores of the letter – which include leading figures at Element, OPTF/Session, Signal, Threema, Viber, WhatsApp, and Wire – say that the bill would allow Ofcom to pre-emptively scan messages, though the Bill’s writers say it is not intended to be read this way.
WhatsApp and Signal were willing to go so far as to remove themselves from the UK market completely rather than comply with the regulations if they removed encryption.
Ross Anderson, Professor of Security Engineering at the University of Cambridge and the University of Edinburgh, critiqued the situation: “A particularly objectionable aspect of the Bill is the proposal by Ofcom and GCHQ that end-to-end encrypted services such as WhatsApp should scan sent messages before they are encrypted, and received messages after they are decrypted.
“By mandating surveillance software that will scan messages on every phone, it will create a back-door for hackers, scammers, and foreign governments, right in our own pockets. History teaches that you cannot create vulnerabilities that only the “good guys” can use.
“By undermining encryption, the so-called ‘Online Safety Bill’ actually puts families and children at risk – of having their personal information intercepted and exploited.”
Other critics agree, including the general secretary for the National Union of Journalists, Michelle Stanistreet, saying: “Government risks undermining the security of confidential communications between journalists and sources under proposals in the bill.
“As companies signal their refusal to comply with weakened privacy standards platforms will be forced to adopt, information used to inform public interest journalism remains under grave threat. Government must act now, introducing amendments that ensure protections are afforded to journalists and their encrypted messages.”
In a concurring statement, Dr. Monica Horten, policy manager for freedom of expression at the Open Rights Group, urged policy makers to amend the bill: “At the crucial committee stage in the House of Lords, peers must work to amend the Online Safety Bill.
“In its current form, it threatens every person’s right to freedom of expression and privacy. In particular, the Bill could allow the scanning of everyone’s private messages, potentially undermining the encryption that keeps us safe.
“The House of Lords must support amendments that will prevent illiberal legislation passing unchecked.”
Where does the Public Fall on the Bill?
According to a YouGov poll by Index on Censorship, 82% of Britons said it was important they are protected from access by those employed by the messaging platform, increasing to 85% who want their private messages protected from individuals not employed by the platform.
Even so, it is difficult to properly gauge the public mindset and parents themselves are often at a loss on how to regulate their children’s internet safety, turning to the government now for guidance.
The campaign Legal to Say, Legal to Type. is pressing for amendments to the bill which would protect encryption and private messaging, as well as ensuring the freedom of expression.
Now, it is up to the committee to make further decisions regarding the landmark bill.
New research released by AutoRek revealed that the overwhelming majority (98%) of investment businesses state that CASS compliance is still a significant focus for their senior management team.
This news lands despite the regulation having first come into force over 20 years ago and remaining largely unchanged since.
CASS, Client Assets Sourcebooks, is the rules established by the Financial Conduct Authority for firms to follow whenever they hold client money or safe custody assets.
With other regulations on the horizon for investment firms, the majority of those surveyed (97%) will be increasing their spend on compliance over the next two years to ensure they meet obligations.
The report, Investment management industry outlook 2023: strategic priorities, technology and regulation, outlines the findings of a recent survey of UK-based investment managers, conducted by AutoRek.
While firms will be investing more into meeting compliance objectives, they are also continuing to invest in automation, with all (100%) of respondents either maintaining or increasing their automation expenditure in the years ahead.
Of those surveyed, almost three-fifths (57%) are seeking to increase their automation budget. This is welcome given that greater automation allows firms to enhance their data controls, improve governance, and enhance overall efficiency.
Furthermore, continued investment in automation is promising given firms remain too reliant on manual processes, particularly when it comes to the reconciliations process.
The research reveals that 9 in 10 (91%) respondents agree that their firms are too reliant on manual tasks and spreadsheets when performing reconciliation processes.
And 95% of respondents said their management teams could make better use of reconciled data, which would be simpler if manual processes were a less integral part of this activity.
That said, firms are aware of the benefits that regularly reviewing their back-office operations can bring, and the efficiencies it can create, with 80% of firms reviewing their back-office operations at least once every six months and none conducting them less frequently than every two years.
When thinking about meeting their strategic objectives in the next two years, half (47%) of investment management firms cite attracting or retaining talent, or increasing operational headcount (46%), as their top priorities to ensure they meet these.
Murray Campbell, Senior CASS Consultant at AutoRek, comments: “Although CASS regulations have been in force for some time, the fact that senior management still deems them a priority is a sign of their complex nature, and the burden this places on firms.
“However, as recent communications from the FCA have reiterated its focus on CASS regulations, it is a welcome finding that most regulated organisations still regard it as a compliance priority.
“There is a significantly growing regulatory focus on the power of data and technology in financial services, and there are many benefits to be realised in this respect. It is also clear that for investment management there remains a strong people-oriented focus required to complement the benefits of technology to help firms achieve their objectives.
“What is equally important from our perspective, however, is that firms are continuing to invest in the back office. Understandably, many investment firms prioritise the front end of the product before anything else. But the back office is really the engine that drives any organisation.”
The survey was made up of over 250 mid-level professionals working in investment firms in the UK.
A new alert from the NCSC highlights the risk to CNI from state-aligned groups -particularly threats from those sympathetic to Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.
The NCSC – a part of GCHQ – warned in the alert that some groups have stated an intent to launch ‘destructive and disruptive attacks’ and that CNI organisations should ensure they have taken steps outlined in the NCSC’s heightened threat guidance to strengthen their defences.
Over the last 18 months, threats have emerged from groups which are sympathetic to the Russian invasion of Ukraine.
These groups appear to not be motivated by financial gain nor subject to control by the state, according to the NCSC. This only makes their actions less predictable and their targeting broader than traditional cyber crime actors.
While in the short term, any activity from the groups is likely to take the form of Distribute Denial of Service (DDoS) attacks, website defacements or the spread of misinformation, some groups have stated a desire to achieve a more destructive impact against western infrastructure, the alert said.
The alert was issued on the first day of the NCSC’s CYBERUK conference in Belfast, where experts have gathered to consider topics under the theme of ‘securing an open and resilient digital future.’
Dr Marsha Quallo-Wright, NCSC Deputy Director for Critical National Infrastructure, said: “It has become clear that certain state-aligned groups have the intent to cause damage to CNI organisations, and it is important that the sector is aware of this.
“In the wake of this emerging threat, our message to CNI sectors is to take sensible, proportionate steps now to protect themselves.
“The NCSC has produced advice for organisations on steps to take when the cyber threat is heightened, and I would strongly encourage all CNI organisations to follow this now.”
The NCSC’s heightened threat guidance was published shortly before Russia’s invasion of Ukraine last year, and organisations are encouraged to continue to follow it.
Cyber resilience in the context of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine will feature in a session on day two of CYBERUK entitled The Three Rs of Cyber Security: Russia, Ransomware and Resilience.
Achi Lewis, Area VP EMEA for Absolute Software, a zero trust and endpoint security firm, commented: “It is crucial that organisations remain prepared at all times to face cyber-attacks, ensuring they have resilient cyber policies in place with the necessary preventative and reactive measures.
“Cyber-attacks are a case of when, not if, and without a resilient cyber posture, organisations susceptible to malicious threats – particularly when they escalate to attack types such as ransomware.”
Detailed plans for the forthcoming transformation of Glasgow’s iconic Met Tower have been unveiled by Bruntwood SciTech, a UK property provider dedicated to the growth of the science and technology sector.
Bruntwood SciTech’s proposals include both its refurbishment vision for the former City of Glasgow College building as well as detailed plans for a new, adjoining tower which collectively will create a new technology and digital hub in the heart of Glasgow’s city centre and Glasgow City Innovation District.
The £60m investment will see Bruntwood SciTech – a joint venture between Bruntwood and Legal & General – bring the current Grade B-listed building back into use and open in Summer 2025, following a 10-year period of vacancy, and construct the new, adjacent building set to open in 2026.
Combined, the towers will offer more than 200,000 sq ft of serviced and leased office space to supercharge the growth of the city’s tech sector. Enabling works on the site are already underway, with work on the Met Tower expected to commence this winter, subject to planning.
Businesses locating to the new cluster will gain access to Bruntwood Scitech’s UK-wide network of innovation districts, enabling them with the opportunity to collaborate with a 500-strong specialist community of tech and science businesses.
They will also gain access to specialist support through Bruntwood’s Innovation Services team, which provides access to STEM talent, new markets, funding and finance support, and professional services advice.
Moreover, new hub will join the rapidly scaling science and tech sector in Glasgow, which is now in the top three leading tech cities in the UK outside of London, and will be surrounded by up-and-coming tech startups and talent launching out of the cities major universities and colleges.
Further, the new building is expected to achieve net zero carbon in construction and with both buildings achieving net zero operation in their shared spaces.
The development activity at the Met Tower is also expected to retain as much of the building’s existing fabric as possible, significantly reducing the embedded carbon impact of the re-development.
The proposals include materials to reduce the environmental impact of the building, vertical fins for active solar shading, and expectations to achieve BREEAM Excellent status, a NABERS 5 Star rating and an EPC A rating once operational.
Both buildings have been designed in line with smart technology and wellbeing principles and will feature extensive biophilia.
The detailed scheme outlines how the existing 110,000 sq ft 14-storey Met Tower will be redeveloped to offer 2-40 person serviced offices and larger leased office space, accompanied with multiple meeting rooms including a 16 person boardroom, flexible breakout spaces, a wellness and treatment room, cafe, and multi-faith room.
In efforts to retain as much of the original tower’s fabric as possible, Met Tower’s recognisable ‘upside down boat’ roof structure will be retained and transformed into a 60 person lounge and double height event space with floor to ceiling windows, innovation hub, and an expansive view that will reach as far as Ben Lomond – on a clear day.
The leased space available on the first floor will have its own private entrance onto a new plaza space, whilst the 13th floor has its own unique, private staircase directly into the lounge and event space above.
The 95,000 sq ft new 10 storey tower will offer medium-large office spaces, along with breakout space opening out into the new plaza, a cafe, speed gates for additional security, a secondary retail space, and a roof terrace, with direct access into all facilities in Met Tower.
Both buildings will be interconnected by a double height atrium which will provide wellbeing and leisure facilities, including a wellness workout studio and wellbeing breakout lounge, showers, changing facilities and a sports kit drying room, and a large internal secure cycle store with repair and maintenance stations.
The landscaped space between the buildings and in front of Met Tower will become unique public open spaces for the city to improve connectivity to and from the neighbouring Queen Street station on North Hanover Street.
Pete Crowther, Property Director of Bruntwood SciTech, said: “Met Tower is the perfect location to build a new tech and digital cluster in Glasgow; not only is it located mere 50m from Queen Street Station, it’s in the heart of the Glasgow City Innovation District surrounded by two exceptional universities and the College, where future talent and some of the most exciting university spin-outs in Scotland and all of the UK can be found.
“We’ve already been establishing relationships so that as soon as Met Tower opens its doors businesses have direct access into places for collaboration opportunities and to access highly skilled STEM talent.
“We’re delighted to reach this milestone and unveil our vision for Met Tower and the new building, where there will be world-class spaces available for all sizes of tech and digital business, whether you’re a startup or a global household name, all with the same access to a host of standout facilities and amenities.
“We know that Glasgow is on its way to becoming a world-leading hub for tech and hope Met Tower can support in galvanising this momentum.”
Glasgow joins Bruntwood SciTech’s network of innovation districts that includes 11 locations in Birmingham, Cambridge, Greater Manchester, Leeds, and Liverpool. As the Met Tower project develops, Bruntwood SciTech will be looking to recruit a locally based team in Glasgow.
Bruntwood SciTech’s commitment to Glasgow mirrors that of its shareholder Legal & General who has also identified the city as a key opportunity to invest and support Levelling Up. It has already forward funded 324 build to rent apartments within Glasgow’s new Buchanan Wharf waterside regeneration area and a new 187,000 sq ft hub for the UK civil service at Atlantic Square, Argyll St.
A local team has been appointed to work with Bruntwood SciTech on the redevelopment of Met Tower and the new tower, consisting of Cooper Cromar, Woolgar Hunter, Atelier Ten, Savills, Ryden, and Thomas & Adamson, and supported by a wider team of consultants.
The Trade Unions Congress, the largest trade union in the UK, has released a warning that the government is failing to protect workers from being ‘exploited by new AI technologies.
The warning comes as politicians, tech leaders, regulators, and unions meet for the TUC AI conference in London.
According to the TUC, AI is ‘transforming’ the way people work and the way in which they are managed.
While the government has recently released a whitepaper with guidance on how to handle the rapidly evolving technology, the trade union has said this simply does not go far enough to protect workers.
AI-powered technologies have been found to be making “high-risk, life changing” decisions about workers lives, according to TUC research. These decisions include line-managing, hiring, and firing of staff.
Further, AI is being used to analyse facial expressions, tone of voice, and accents to assess candidates’ suitability for roles.
Left unchecked, the TUC warns that AI could lead to greater discrimination at work across the economy.
The TUC has warned that many workers are being kept in the dark about how AI is being used to make decisions that directly affect them.
Polling data from the trade union published last year revealed that a clear majority want stronger regulation of new technology at work.
72% of workers fear that without careful regulation, using technology to make decisions about workers could increase unfair treatment.
As well, 82% now support a legal requirement to consult before introducing monitoring, and 77% support no monitoring outside of working hours, suggesting a strong support for the right to disconnect.
To support these findings, the TUC says employers must disclose to workers how AI is being used in the workplace to make decisions about them.
And it said that every worker should be entitled to a human review of decisions made by AI systems so they can challenge decisions that are unfair and discriminatory.
Overall, the TUC says that ministers are refusing to put in place the necessary “guardrails” to safeguard workers’ rights.
The union body said that last month’s AI white paper was a dismal failure with the government providing only vague guidance to regulators on how to ensure AI is used ethically at work, and no additional capacity or resource to cope with rising demand.
Further, the TUC also criticised the new Data Protection and Digital Information Bill, saying the legislation is already setting a “worrying direction of travel” for data rights.
The TUC has said the bill will “dilute” certain rights currently guaranteed under GDPR, including those that provide workers with protections against automated decision making, and would give workers and unions a say over the introduction of new technologies through an impact assessment process.
Speaking ahead of the conference, TUC Assistant General Secretary Kate Bell said: “AI is going to transform the way millions work in this country and is already being used across the economy to line-manage, and hire and fire staff.
“Without fair rules, this could lead to widespread discrimination and unfair treatment at work.
“But the government is refusing to put in place the necessary guardrails to stop people from being exploited.
“Instead of clear and enforceable protections, ministers have issued a series of vague and flimsy commitments that are not worth the paper they are written on. And they have failed to provide regulators with the resources they need to do their jobs properly.
“It’s essential that employment law keeps pace with the AI revolution. But last month’s dismal AI white paper spectacularly failed to do that.”
Commenting on the government’s data bill, Kate added: “The government is setting a worrying direction of travel.
“On the one hand ministers are refusing to properly regulate AI. And on the other hand, they are watering down important protections through the data bill.
“This will leave workers more vulnerable to unscrupulous employers.”
Robin Allen KC, Leading AI and employment rights lawyer, said: “More money, more expertise, more cross-regulatory working, more urgent interventions, more control of AI: without these it will not be just a race to the bottom for workers’ rights, the whole idea of any rights at work will become illusory.”
CivTech Programme Director Mark Elliot wrote the announcement today, although the programme did not specify any new headquarters.
The government-backed programme opened their Studio at Codebase, the tech star-up hub, in 2016 before they opened their CivTech 1 Exploration Stage. The programme beings together different sectors to tackle problems affecting both national and local priorities using technology.
“We were – just like just about every tech start-up – ‘laying the tracks even as the train comes into town’, or ‘building the airplane as it’s taxiing on the runway’, or ‘skating on thin ice with the sound of cracking at our heels’ – whatever metaphor you choose, we were there,” Elliot’s statement read.
Initially, the start-up programme decided on launching in CodeBase to position themselves as “the centre of the tech start-up scene.” CodeBase offered this as well as credibility for the new venture combining the private, public, and third sector.
Elliot remarked that their Studio at CodeBase was a major aspect of CivTech’s growth and success.
As CivTech transformed from a small start-up to a credible accelerator programme, their Studio changed as well, from a small office with hand-me-down furniture to a redesign reflecting the intensifying Accelerator movement.
CivTech’s programmes have lead to new initiatives and collaborations between private companies, the public sector, and charities. Recently, a CivTech 7 challenge was adopted by the Scottish Government to use Virtual Reality (VR) headsets to help victims through the criminal court process.
Elliot says that CivTech simply wants to continue reflecting current changes and developments in the Scottish tech sphere, including changes specific to CivTech’s operational abilities.
“In May 2022 CivTech had confirmation of a £59.5 million allocation from the Scottish Government – £13.5 million to operate and £46 million to fund innovative companies responding to the Challenges we would develop during the lifetime of the current parliament,” the statement read.
“And just months earlier CivTech was featured in the National Strategy for Economic Transformation – the government’s ambitious plan to radically overhaul the economic delivery over the next ten years. We had gone from an early-stage start-up concept to something that is most definitely focused across the entire nation.”
Further, Elliot remarked that while at the start of CivTech the majority of the tech sector revolved around Edinburgh, that has also changed. Scotland has an expanding tech sector, and CivTech wants to reflect this by expanding as well.
The pandemic also shifted the way CivTech, and many companies, function. While they are leaving the Studio at Codebase, CivTech is not yet formally moving to a new headquarters. Instead, the accelerator plans to adopt a hybrid, flexible working model.
“This frees us up to take CivTech to wherever in Scotland it makes sense,” Elliot said.
He added: “And in this we’re in lockstep with Codebase itself as it spreads its presence across the nation through the Techscaler project – another major government investment in the tech sector – and I’m sure we’ll be a regular presence wherever it lands.”
Elliot extended his thanks to CodeBase for their support throughout CivTech’s journey, but ultimately concluded that “it’s most definitely time for the next level.”
The national-scale assessment of the geological potential for critical raw materials (CRMs) in the UK represents one of the first steps in the UK Government’s critical minerals strategy, which aims to accelerate UK resiliency in the CRM supply chains by bolstering domestic capability.
CRMs are those minerals that are economically important, such as those needed to make batteries and semiconductors, and are at the greatest risk of supply chain disruptions.
Prospective minerals identified in the map include lithium, graphite, nickle, and cobalt, which are all involved across various levels of electronic manufacturing, from semiconductors and batteries used in electric vehicles, mobile phones, wind turbines, and even car keys.
According to the CMIC, securing lithium for battery manufacturing could be crucial in increasing the UK’s electric vehicle capabilities, further advancing green technologies.
The semiconductor supply chain is one of the most vital – and vulnerable – chains in the world, and the globe saw massive interruption sin the semiconductor supply chain, impacting everything from phones to car keys.
Many countries are now taking it upon themselves to be more resilient and independent from the global chain, which is largely dependent on Taiwan, the largest manufacturer of semiconductors in the world.
This fight for independence is hampered, however, by the availability of the precious metals that go into semiconductor and battery manufacturing.
While the process itself is complex and requires significant infrastructure investments, ascertaining a domestic supply of raw materials would be critical in setting the UK apart if another global supply chain incident were to occur.
The UK currently as 18 metals and minerals on its CRM list, with another six materials classes has having elevated criticality. These metals are almost exclusively obtained from mining and refining operations in other countries although tungsten has been mined in the UK in recent years.
Critical Raw Materials in the UK
BGS has identified large parts of the country as prospective for CRMs, with key areas including:
an area around Loch Maree near Gairloch, Scotland
parts of the central Highlands and Aberdeenshire, Scotland
areas in mid-County Tyrone, Northern Ireland
parts of Cumbria, England
parts of the North Pennine orefield, England
north-west Wales
Pembrokeshire, Wales
south-west England
Using a mineral systems approach which relies on the concept that minerals of a certain type are formed by a combination of particular geological processes, BGS cross-referenced these criteria with current UK datasets to map out the areas which were most likely to have CRM deposits.
In Mining Inevitable?
Not according to the researchers, the paper stresses.
While BGS was able to identify areas as prospective, this does not necessarily mean they will be targeted for exploration and mining.
“Our report identifies the parts of the UK where the geological criteria have been met and therefore have the potential for deposits to occur. There are no guarantees,” emphasised Eimear Deady, a BGS Mineral Resource Geologist.
“The report focuses on the geological evidence and does not consider potential constraints on development, for example where there are areas of outstanding beauty, villages and towns, or other environmental considerations.
“Much more research is required and, if prospectors find evidence of commercially viable CRM deposits, they will have to go through the well-established planning process. Only one in a thousand potential mineral exploration projects ever becomes an operating mine.”
“Mining in the UK has a long history and many of the prospective areas have been mined before,” Dr. Kathryn Goodenough, co-author and BGS Principal Geologist said.
“For example, the Llŷn Peninsula of North Wales was mined for many years for manganese, which was originally important for steel making. In the future, the manganese deposits could be important for battery production.”
Indeed, mining in the UK stretches back to prehistoric times, and currently, gold, barite, fluorite, gypsum, potash, and polyhalite are being exploited.
Further exploration for many raw materials is occurring across the whole of the UK. And according to the Goodenough, the UK is not the only one looking at domestic potentials to lessen their dependence on the global supply chain.
“Other countries like Canada, the USA, Norway, Sweden and Finland are also mapping their own geological potential as they too understand the risk of continuing to rely entirely on global supply chains for minerals that are absolutely vital to our way of life.”
Edinburgh’s status as a European capital for the data and AI sectors is on the rise, but stiff competition from overseas hubs like Stockholm, Amsterdam, and Dublin requires a refreshed national response, according to new research from Accenture.
Driving this ambition to become a data capital for Europe was the Edinburgh and South-East City Region Deal, which has pulled significant government funding to bolster innovation and infrastructure.
To achieve their technology goals, in 2018, the UK and Scottish governments announced collaboration with six local authorities and the city region’s universities, colleges, and businesses and third sector, including a £661m Data-Driven Innovation (DDI) Programme to harness the area’s strengths in digital technology and enhance its data capabilities.
The data from Accenture shows that progress is well underway, with Edinburgh consistently rating highly on its data and AI capability, landing within the top five to ten cities in Europe, according to a range of criteria. The report looked at depth at the five pillars Accenture says are ‘essential’ in being a ‘data capital: business demand for data expertise, the economic environment, the talent pool, innovation, and clarity of purpose.
However, in the absence of a single, consistent set of international benchmarks, a definitive pathway toward becoming the ‘leading’ city is hard to define.
In Scotland, the research showed definite progress and potential. The digital technology sector is vast, with over 11,000 registered businesses falling under this category, making up 6.3% of the Scottish business base.
Furthermore, over 87,000 people are employed in the digital tech sector, making up 4.3% of the total private workforce in Scotland.
As well, this sector contributed 5.9bn to the Scottish economy in 2022, and saw a Gross Value Added (GVA) growth of 108% in ten years.
While Edinburgh has set the aspiration to become a ‘data capital,’ the research finds a need for clearer objectives that rally industry support and deliver the city’s true potential.
Edinburgh ranks 5th in the Most AI-ready cities in the UK, according to Accenture. It has seven universities offering AI courses, 13 undergraduate AI courses, 34 postgraduate programmes in the subject on offer, and 960 students annually studying AI at university level.
Still, when looking to the wider European landscape, Edinburgh has a lot of work to do.
Edinburgh is outside of the 20th rank in Tech investment, whereas Stockholm came in 4th, and Amsterdam landing 6th place.
The graduate retention rate is only 53%, and the average salary for a data scientist in Edinburgh is only £47,400, compared to £51,700 in Dublin, £62,600 in Amsterdam, and £84,000 in Stockholm.
With the tech talent shortage affecting the tech sector as a whole, Edinburgh may struggle to retain the talent it breeds at its universities if it cannot compete internationally.
Mark Byrne, Head of Applied Intelligence for Accenture in Scotland, said: “In an increasingly competitive talent market, the development of the right skills and their availability is, and will continue to be, a major factor for Edinburgh to fulfil its ambition.
“Our research highlighted a clear case for the business community to collaborate more closely with education providers. Taking a more active role in the development of data and AI skills, through participation in curriculum and courses development as well as providing business insight, coaching and work experience, will help to create a cohort of work ready university and college graduates who stay in Edinburgh and Scotland.”
In response, Accenture’s study concludes that there is a need to elevate the ambition to deliver leading status by capitalising on Edinburgh’s connectivity with Scotland’s specialist hubs for life sciences, manufacturing, cybersecurity, and public sector innovation, which are all data driven.
Truly establishing a reciprocal, interconnected arrangement with the centres of excellence in Glasgow, Dundee, Aberdeen and St Andrews would create a unique environment to share and amplify knowledge and expertise – and create a ‘stand-out’ position for Edinburgh and Scotland on the international stage.
David Caskie, Joint Managing Director for Accenture in Scotland said: “One of Edinburgh’s strengths is that its data capabilities exist within a strong national strategy for promoting digital and tech, and alongside other centres striving for excellence where data is critical. To maintain and increase the levels of inward investment that support Edinburgh’s data aspirations, the city’s connectivity with these other specialist hubs should be emphasised.
“A way must be found to bring the separate hubs and their communities closer together in a meaningful way. Thereafter, Edinburgh should redouble the aspiration to become the data capital for Europe, with a clear set of benchmarks that can be loudly promoted to organisations worldwide.”
David Caskie continues: “For those living in Scotland and working in Edinburgh, to be a data capital for Europe is an aspiration within reach – a goal worth pursuing. The turmoil caused by the unforeseen global events of the past three years has undoubtedly hampered progress but the opportunity for Edinburgh and Scotland to take such a lead remains compelling.”
The European Data Protection Board has announced the creation of a task force to address potential regulation of ChatGPT and other Artificial Intelligence (AI) chatbots.
The statement read: “The EDPB members discussed the recent enforcement action undertaken by the Italian data protection authority against OpenAI about the Chat GPT service.
“The EDPB decided to launch a dedicated task force to foster cooperation and to exchange information on possible enforcement actions conducted by data protection authorities.”
The news comes after the Italian government issued and outright ban of the chatbot, which was developed by OpenAI. Italy was concerned over implications the tech had for data protection under GDPR, but did say the ban would be lifted if certain restrictions were adhered to.
Stipulations include having Open AI verify users’ ages before using the chatbot, making privacy notices available, and provide a legal basis for why the company can process personal data to train it’s AI algorithms, and allowing users to correct misinformation and remove personal data.
While the ban may be lifted by the end of April, other countries are following the caution, with France, Germany, and Spain all opening enquiries into the safety of the AI chatbot’s use and its implications on data protection.
The UK also published a plan to both champion AI technology as well as provide guidance of how to safely develop and deploy the tech. The plan included five key principles for AI, including safety, fairness, transparency, accountability and contestability, with a specific emphasis on AI ethics.
It appears that developers are also cautious about the rise of AI, with thousands of scientists and company owners – including major players like Steve Wozniak, Andrew Yang, and Elon Musk – calling for a delay in AI development as regulators struggle to keep up with the advancing technology.
Materials from Scottish-grown seaweed could help to improve the life-span and charge time of lithium-ion batteries used for the likes of electric vehicles, with a new prototype already being tested by researchers.
The team from Marine Biopolymers and The University of Glasgow’s School of Chemistry recently received funding from the Industrial Biotechnology Innovation Centre (IBioIC) to explore the use of tailored alginates – a naturally-occurring material found in brown seaweed – to help develop batteries using silicon as an alternative to the currently used graphite.
Graphite or carbon electrodes are a core component of standard lithium-ion batteries, but can only store a limited amount of charge and have a restricted overall life-span. Silicon has been suggested as a viable alternative material for the battery anode, and it can increase the charging capacity by up to ten times. However, when used on its own, silicon expands and contracts each time the battery is cycled, eventually cracking and becoming damaged. This prototype combines silicon with the seaweed-derived alginate to improve the electrode’s elasticity and ability to store energy.
So far, a prototype the size of a typical watch battery has been created and tested by the researchers with very encouraging results. They are now keen to develop a larger scale battery to test the technology at scale, proving that the seaweed alginates can be used to significantly boost charging capacity for a range of industrial and consumer products – such as electric vehicles.
Professor Duncan Gregory, chair in Inorganic Materials at the University of Glasgow’s School of Chemistry, said: “Battery technology is going to play a hugely important role in our transition away from fossil fuels. Electric vehicles, renewable energy production, national grids and other critical elements of a net zero future will depend on having batteries that can store large amounts of energy in the smallest volumes possible and with extended lifetimes.
“As well as this, we need to find more sustainable production methods and ways to use naturally occurring materials as part of battery manufacturing. This project has been in the works for some time now and it is great to see initial positive results, combining the expertise from two key fields.”
The project represents the first time battery scientists have explored the use of this type of tailored alginate for mass commercial applications and researchers to have optimised the design and construction of the battery cell to ensure the best possible performance.
Estimates suggest the new design will have a life cycle which is two to three times longer than state of the art graphite electrodes.
Kirsty Neilson, product development manager at Marine Biopolymers Limited, said: “This an exciting first venture into energy storage and we are hoping to be in a position to take a commercial solution to the market in the next three to five years. The new technology could underpin an entirely new supply chain and manufacturing market here in Scotland and we have already had encouraging conversations with potential partners. It would be great to see seaweed species indigenous to Scottish coastal waters being used to power everyday electronics and technology in the future.”
Scotland has a long history of harvesting wild seaweeds for various uses including animal feed, agricultural fertilisers, and alginates. A 2022 report by IBioIC and the Scottish Association for Marine Science estimated that the sector could grow to generate revenues of £71.2 million per year by 2040, using a combination of both wild and cultivated seaweed.
Liz Fletcher, director of business engagement at IBioIC, added: “Electric vehicles powered in part by a seaweed-based product sounds like something from science fiction, but research and technology continue to push the boundaries and show us what’s possible. Seaweed is a valuable raw material with many potential use cases and by supporting companies like Marine Biopolymers with funding, expertise and access to facilities, we can support the development of exciting new bio-based supply chains in Scotland.”
According to the government, the new bill will contribute £4.7 billion to the UK economy over ten years.
The new laws are said to do this by bringing more business friendly legislation to data regulation and requirements and provide “greater flexibility” for organisations.
Further the law will introduce more stringent fines for nuisance calls and texts, increasing them from £500,000 to either £1.75m or up to 4% of global turnover, whichever is greater.
A hallmark of the new bill is how consent to data collection will be managed. The government is parting with EU General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) protocols to reduce the number of ‘consent pop-ups’ users see online.
Instead, UK government will collaborate with the Information Commissioner’s Office and industry to create a way for people to automatically set their data tracking and cookie preferences.
To regulate this move, the ICO will have a new statutory board with a chair and chief executive in order to strengthen the UK’s data protection laws and stay adequate with European authorities.
Also included in the bill is a proposition to establish a framework for the use of secure digital verification services to make it easier for people to verify their digital identity.
The government remarked that the legal changes will improve the UK’s position to make international data deals “as a reward of Brexit.”
Data Minister Julia Lopez is expected to tell the House today: “This Bill will maintain the high standards of data protection that British people rightly expect.
“But it will also help the people who are using our data to make our lives healthier, safer, and more prosperous. That’s because we’ve co-designed it with those people, to ensure that our regulation reflects the way real people live their lives and run their businesses.”
The Juice spacecraft started its eight year venture to the moons of the largest planet in our solar system,
Carried by an Ariane 5 rocket, the launch, run by the European Space Agency, Juice is set to make detailed observations of Jupiter and its three of its moons. Ganyede, Callisto, and Europa each have large oceans, and the mission plans on exploring and characterising the many potential habitats the gas giant and it’s moons hold.
The launch was originally scheduled to occur on Thursday, but was delayed due to lightning. Costing around £1.4bn, launch and spacecraft design took years of research and development in order to sustain a venture into such deep space.
Juice will be the first space craft to orbit a moon that is not our own, and has several new technological develops to help it enter the extreme environment of deep space, as well as Jupiter itself.
These include new solar panels to collect energy when facing low power and a lack of light, a powerful antennae to send data back to earth, shields to protect sensitive elements from high radiation, and an innovative isolation blanket to fight off harsh temperatures.
The mission will also perform the first ever lunar-Earth gravity assist to save propellant, and change orbit from another plant to one of its moons, shifting from Jupiter to Ganymede.
Juice will separate from Ariane 5 28 minutes after launch, and then ESA will start tracking Juice using ground station.
Between 99 minutes and 17 days after the lunch, Juice’s solar arrays, antennas, probes, and magnetometer boom will be deployed, and Juice will be set to continue its journey of eight years to reach Jupiter.
The collaboration brings together BAE System‘s knowledge of building digital systems for militaries and governments with Microsoft‘s approach to developing applications using its Azure Cloud platform.
As part of this collaboration, BAE Systems and Microsoft have used the Azure Cloud approach to accelerate software design, development, and testing of a system that can deploy new software on to an Uncrewed Air Vehicle during flight.
BAE Systems says that this approach to using the cloud could in future speed up the deployment of software to operational military platforms.
For example, modern fighter jets can require up to 24 million lines of code to function effectively, so using the cloud to deploy updates could make the process quicker and help retain a competitive advantage over adversaries.
The two companies have also explored how to reduce the time it takes for an innovative idea to move into production. Digital design and manufacturing have been at the heart of BAE Systems for decades, but given the growth in data volumes and complexity, using cloud technology can help perform data analysis and simulation.
BAE is planning on taking advantage of Azure Cloud’s digital engineering capabilities to get the most out of their data by digitally connecting the design, manufacture, and operation of products throughout their life.
Underpinning the agreement is a commitment from both organisations to develop technology using open architecture digital tools, enabling customers to more easily work with third parties.
This would be in an effort to increase BAE System’s ability to work with third parties without compromising their security by only allowing access to very specific areas of work.
Since starting the collaboration, BAE Systems and Microsoft have worked on three initiatives, using cloud software in the defence sector.
These projects included enhancing real-time tactical naval intelligence through access to more dynamic data sources; development of secure software to deliver real-time updates to air platforms; and the creation of a digital thread to support the maintenance of maritime platforms from concept to disposal.
Commenting on the new agreement, Julian Cracknell, Chief Technology and Information Officer at BAE Systems said: “The data available to the defence sector and armed forces is often highly complex and comes from hundreds of thousands of sources, whether that’s satellite and radar feeds, intelligence gathered by ships at sea or even social media.
“Our innovative agreement with Microsoft will give us easier access to tools that help us make sense of this information for our customers – allowing armed forces to stay ahead of rapidly evolving threats, whilst maintaining the highest levels of security.”
Clare Barclay, CEO of Microsoft UK added: “This strategic agreement will enable defence organisations to use data more effectively. This will help them promote stability and security for residents, nations and multinational alliances.
“By working together, delivering agile, secure and reliable software, BAE Systems and Microsoft are already delivering tangible results to our customers. These results mean they can modernise environments, protect information domains and optimise operations.”
The Prudential Regulation Authority (PRA) has fined the fomer Chief Information Officer (CIO) of TSB Bank, Carlos Abarca, over £80,000 for issues related to the 2018 IT migration programme.
According to the PRA, Abarca did not take the ‘reasonable steps’ in ensuring TSB adequately and appropriately managed and supervised its outsourcing arrangement for the IT move.
The new £81,620 fine follows on closely from the enforcement action taken in December 2022 against TSB for operational resilience failings, which resulted in a joint financial penalty of £48,650,000 imposed by the PRA and Financial Conduct Authority (FCA).
In 2018, the migration left ‘a significant proportion’ of TSB customers unable to access their banking services, with disruptions across TSB’s branch, telephone, online, and mobile banking.
The interruption occurred during the migration of customer data from Lloyd’s IT system, now operated by Sabadell, the banks’ newer owner.
While initially the data migration was successful, technical difficulties affecting services soon arose.
As CIO of TSB, Abarca had responsibility for TSB complying with the PRA’s outsourcing rules, and was responsible for TSB’s outsourcing relationship with its main third-party supplier for the IT migration.
The PRA said that Abarca has assured the TSB Board that the third party was prepared for the migration, but had failed to ensure that TSB itself had obtained sufficient assurance from the third party prior to this.
In the investigation, Abarca was found in breach of PRA’s Senior Manager Conduct Rule 2 since he failed to ‘take reasonable steps’ to ensure that TSB complied with PRA Outsourcing Rules
Particularly, Abarca did not: ensure the third party’s ability and capacity were adequately reassessed on an ongoing basis, ensure that TSB obtained sufficient assurance of the third party’s readiness, and give sufficient consideration as to whether further investigation was required before assuring the TSB Board.
Sam Woods, Deputy Governor for Prudential Regulation and Chief Executive Officer of the PRA, said: “Senior managers have an essential role to play in ensuring that firms manage and supervise outsourcing effectively. In this case, the PRA has fined Mr Abarca because his management of a key outsourcing relationship fell below the standard we expect.’
A team of Edinburgh Napier University students have triumphed at a UK-wide video game design competition with an original depiction of life in ‘fascist-occupied’ Italy.
The team made up of students from ENU’s BScs in Digital Media & Interaction Design and Sound Design won Best Concept at Imperial War Museums’ (IWM) War Games Jam, while claiming the highest overall score.
Drawing visual inspiration from Guillermo del Toro’s movie adaptation of Pinocchio, their game concept ‘Aging Like Buildings’ takes the player through a story narrated by a grandfather reliving his harsh experience during the 1940s in Italy.
Using morally nuanced tales told to his grandchild, a player called Cielo explores ruins and works with partisans to reclaim territory taken by occupying fascist forces.
Developers Jacopo Santarossa, Jakub Mazurek, Keir Bailey, Mitchell MacPherson and Ellie Black chose their concept in an attempt to demonstrate the horrors of war in an empathetic way.
Jakub said: “We were drawn to the idea of creating a game based on under-explored conflict stories – which led us to the Italian partisans.
“The title ‘Aging Like Buildings’ refers to how during times of conflict, people deteriorate the way structures do after being bombed. The scars left behind by a traumatic event are a visible burden, similar to the outside of an old building.
“Even if buildings and people are injured by conflict, they always remain close by to support whoever needs assistance the most.”
Each team member seized the opportunity to take part in the IWM Games Jam as a way of harnessing their skills, with an eye on working in video game development, 3D modelling, sound design, and virtual reality.
Judges praised their approach to storytelling around conflict, as well as the complexities which set it apart from other entrants.
Over the course of a week, competing teams were tasked with basing their entry around an IWM item – a violin carved from trees growing on former Western Front battlefields inspired the makers of Ageing Like Buildings.
Fiona Stewart, Lecturer at Edinburgh Napier University’s School of Computing, Engineering and the Built Environment, said: “Game Jams are a great opportunity for our students to gain experience working in teams and learning new skills.
“We’re very proud that the team have produced such a strong piece of work and know they will go on to even greater things in the future.”
Fellow lecturer Iain Donald, who helped judge the competition, said: “I was thrilled to see teams from across the country creating novel and engaging ways of exploring the IWM objects and how these were used to challenge our expectations of war and conflict.
“I think all the judges were impressed by how so many entries embraced their creativity, evoked empathy and encouraged diverse stories that you wouldn’t necessarily expect of when you think of war games. It was incredibly difficult to judge!”
Another team of ENU students, from the BSc in Games Development, placed 10th in the Best Playable category with their demo entitled Prisoners Dilemma.
The UK has joined international partners in sharing new advice to help technology manufacturers make secure-by-design and by-default the global standard for technology manufacturing.
In a new joint guide by the National Cyber Security Centre (NCSC) – a part of GCHQ – and agencies from the US, Australia, Canada, Germany, the Netherlands, and New Zealand, software manufacturers are encouraged to embed secure-by-design and by-default principles into their products to help keep customers safe.
The NCSC has stipulated that treating security as an ‘additional technical feature’ or an option where users need to make configuration changes to stay secure can leave consumers open to malicious cyber intrusions and safety risks.
NCSC CEO Lindy Cameron said: “As our lives become increasingly digital, it is vital technology products are being designed and developed in a way that holds security as a core requirement.”
Indeed, the risks appear to have increased. Cyber-attacks are a huge liability for UK consumers and organisations – in 2022 they increased by 77% in the UK. Organisations which outsource their technology and cybersecurity measures, however, can be left in the lurch if cybersecurity is left as a second thought.
As cybersecurity is still hampered by a major talent shortage, the new guide is attempting to shift cyber responsibilities to technology manufacturers rather than consumers.
The ‘Shifting the Balance of Cybersecurity Risk: Principles and Approaches for Security-by-Design and Default’ guide represents a shared, international effort to lesson the burden of risk on customers by providing manufacturers with a roadmap of actionable steps they can take to prioritise security and reduce vulnerabilities.
Manufacturers are advices to follow the guide’s recommendations, which include strategies for engaging senior leaders with these security principles and more tactical steps such as eliminating default passwords and implementing single sign-on technology.
Further, the guide includes advice aimed at organisations to help them hold their technology suppliers accountable for cyber security outcomes and encourage collaboration with industry partners to incentivise secure-by-design and by-default practices.
“Our new joint guide aims to drive the conversation around security standards and help turn the dial so that the burden of cyber risk is no longer carried largely by the consumer,” Cameron continued.
“We call on technology manufacturers to familiarise themselves with the advice in this guide and implement secure-by design and by-default practices into their products to help ensure our society is secure and resilient online.”
The NCSC has issued this guide with the Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency (CISA), the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI), National Security Agency (NSA), the Australian Cyber Security Centre (ACSC), the Canadian Centre for Cyber Security (CCCS), Germany’s Federal Office for Information Security (BSI), the Netherlands’ National Cyber Security Centre (NCSC-NL), New Zealand’s National Cyber Security Centre (NCSC-NZ) and New Zealand Computer Emergency Response Team (CERT-NZ).
That is according to the latest Global Cyber Crime Report produced by SEON, the global fraud-detection and prevention company, which investigated which nations were most and least likely to face a cyber-attack.
Looking at 93 countries, the report examined how much of a threat cybercrime is in different regions, with the latest findings highlighting that European nations dominate the top ten least-risk nations.
Top 10 Lowest-Risk Countries for Cyber Threats
Essentially, the report extrapolated date on where cybersecurity measures were the strongest, and where people were most protected through strong legislation and technology.
Belgium, Finland, and Spain came in with the top scores for cybersecurity, with scores of 90.69, 90.16, and 88.61 respectively.
Scores were created by taking the National Cyber Security Index (NCSI), Global Cybersecurity Index (GCI) 2020 and Cybersecurity Exposure Index (CEI) 2020 scores and averaging them to create a mean average score.
The UK came in ninth place with a score of 85.59. This is despite recent research that said the UK experienced a 77% rise in cybercrimes over 2022, far out-pacing the global average of a 38% increase.
In the top ten lowest-risk list, only European countries appeared, and the UK was the only non-EU country to make the top ten.
Top 10 Highest Risk Countries
To put the other top ten in perspective, Afghanistan scored as the highest risk nation for a cyber-attack, with a score of 5.63.
The top ten list here had more of a global range, but no European countries appeared at this end of the spectrum.
African countries on the list included Namibia at number three (19.72), Libya ranked fourth (19.96) and Ethiopia ranked eight (24.54).
The report said that, despite rural areas playing host to an array of diverse small businesses – from family-run shops to start-ups – their productivity rate is in decline.
A major hurdle found in the report was the stark reality of rural digital connectivity: despite government promises and initiatives, rural areas still struggle to receive adequate connectivity in order to run productive businesses.
Key Findings
Almost a third (32%) of rural small businesses continue to report issues with their broadband, with Only 17% of their urban counterparts reporting.
Further, the research revealed that twice as many rural businesses reported that unreliable broadband has affected their ability to contact customers (14% vs 6%), reduced the competitiveness of their business (11% vs 5%) and lead to a loss of business or sales (10% vs 5%).
While the statistics are still low for both rural and urban areas regarding these perceived issues, the inequality is apparent.
Overall, only 58% of rural small businesses state that their broadband speeds are sufficient for their current and future business needs.
This leaves a remaining 42% struggling to get efficient broadband for their business.
Recommendations
The FSB has provided several recommendations for improving digital connectivity for rural small businesses.
First, the UK Government should update the Universal Service Obligation minimum requirements for upload and download speeds so businesses are ensured the right to decent broadband speeds. As well, they insist on a ‘fairer’ cap of £35 per month.
The report included strategic reconfigurations of current government initiatives to better serve areas in most need.
This includes the government ringfencing a proportion of the Project Gigabit budget to better support the most hard to reach areas with faster broadband speeds.
Further, the FSB insists that the Department for Science, Innovation and Technology ensures that the Shared Rural Network meets its 2025 target of 95 per cent 4G coverage across the UK.
The UK government has released a new 10 point plan to improve rural connectivity, which include the two projects mentioned. They also plan to change regulations to increase the speed of broadband rollout. Part of the plan also includes asking broadband providers to offer coverage to areas where it would normally be ‘uneconomic’ to invest in.
The FSB also calls on Ofcom to make current Voluntary Codes of Practice for broadband providers compulsory, and extend current compensation schemes to include business contracts.
Following this, they also call on broadband providers themselves to make it easier and more affordable to leave contracts before the minimum contract term has expired.
“Rural areas hold enormous potential for businesses to thrive and contribute to their local communities and the larger economy. To do this, these businesses require sustained support to weather the challenges and investment in essential infrastructure,” Michael Weedon, Place-based Economy and Local Government Policy Champion at FSB said.
“By nurturing and empowering rural small firms, we can unlock their full potential to drive growth and prosperity for generations ahead.”
New research conducted in part by the University of Glasgow suggests that stress data collected by wearable tech and shared between close friends could enable new forms of mutual care for mental health.
Computing scientists from Scotland and China are behind the finding, which is set to be presented at the ACM Conference on Human Factors in Computing Systems in Germany later this month.
The team set out to explore whether sharing automatically-tracked information about stress among a small group of trusted people could help them understand each other’s changing moods and offer appropriate support.
Stress is spreading, as the cost of living crisis increases economic security, work pressures increase, and the doom and gloom of climate change surmount. One in every 14 adults feel stressed at least once a day, according to CIPHR.
And this stress only increases as 37% of adults experience stress say they feel lonely as a result, according to the Mental Health Foundation and YouGov.
So could sharing live data on stress levels to a close network help people feel less alone as they battle increased levels of anxiety?
Previous studies have shown that sharing details about fertility and blood glucose levels garnered positive results for this social approach, known as ‘caring-through-data.’
To explore this approach for stress data, the team – made up of researches at The University of Glasgow, Fundan University and the Hong Kong University of Science and Technology – developed a smartphone app that monitors heart rate variability data.
Called IntimaSea, the app uses wearable technology, typically a smartwatch – to track user’s heartrates to determine stress levels and displays it in a graphical interface showing waves lapping on an island shore. Users can then control if they want to share their stress data with their network with a simple click.
Each user is able to customise their profile with a different marine animal as their avatar. When users’ stress increases – measured by a fall in their heart rate variability – their avatar sinks further below the waves, allowing other users to see that they might need some support.
In response, users can offer help in the form of supportive text messages, emojis, photos, drawings, links to external content or calling up directly. They can also assess the impact of their support by tracking the depth of other users’ avatars on their mobile device’s screen.
Researchers conducted two trials of IntimaSea – an initial two-week feasibility trial among the researchers themselves followed by a four-week test with volunteers recruited from the public.
A total of 19 people split across nine groups of two to three people each participated in the trials, with the groups including romantic partners, close friends, and family members.
The collected data as well as participant interviews after the study suggested that the app had a positive impact on users’ awareness of stress – not just the stress levels of others, but also their own.
Dr Xianghua (Sharon) Ding, of the University of Glasgow’s School of Computing Science, led the research of IntimaSea. Dr Ding said: “Not everyone finds it easy to talk about their stress levels and their mental health, even with the people who are closest to them.
“IntimaSea was designed to take away some of that challenge by letting small groups keep tabs on each other and reach out with small displays of support. The study suggests that was a success – it helped remove some of the challenge of expressing feelings for those users who sometimes struggled to do so, and offered new opportunities for people to communicate, either on the app or by starting conversations in real life.
With its simple graphical display, users were able to ascertain a better sense of the group’s stress levels, and to make timely interventions to help when they saw dips in mood. They were more likely to make immediate contact when they could see that the dips were occurring in real-time.
Overall, users felt that IntimaSea offered them valuable new insights into the wellbeing of others, and a sense of collective responsibility to maintain the group’s collective mental health.
Dr. Ding continued: “Now that we’ve demonstrated the potential of shared stress tracking for mental health support, we’re keen to build on these early findings. As a standalone app, IntimaSea requires users to actively decide to install it on their devices before they can engage with it.
“If its functionaility could be built into the operating system of the device, or integrated into an already widely-used app like WeChat or WhatsApp, it would be much more likely to reach the kind of critical mass of users who would benefit from using it. We hope that in future studies we can expand the scope of this initial study and further demonstrate the potential of this kind of caring-through-data approach to mental health.
The £5 million funding will allow the Edinburgh-headquartered technology developer to expand its workforce and target new markets.
Established in 2014, Forrit is a developer of cloud-based Content Management Software (CMS). Its platform is used by businesses to enhance customer experience, guarantee high levels of online security, and enable more efficient management of cloud-based web estates for enterprise clients.
Forrit CEO, Peter Proud, said: “We’ve experienced enormous growth as a company since we launched almost a decade ago – building a brilliant team who have in turn created an extremely strong product.
“While to date we have self-funded our growth through client engagements, as we take Forrit to the next level, now felt like the right time for us to seek external institutional funding.
“This investment from the Scottish National Investment Bank will help us to expand our presence not only in Scotland but also to expand into new markets across the UK and beyond.”
The Bank’s backing will see the creation of 15 new skilled jobs that will support Forrit’s expansion. The company will also strengthen its relationship with Microsoft as a ‘Preferred Solution’ and trusted Microsoft Partner.
Proud continued: “We are incredibly proud of our Scottish roots, so working with another Scottish organisation was extremely important as both parties are focused on benefitting Scotland. We have ambitious plans and only want to add to the success of the Scottish tech ecosystem.
“We hope to continue to add to this both as a provider of an exemplary content management system, but also as an employer. Thanks to the Bank’s investment, we look forward to growing that even further as we scale up both the company and our product.”
The Scottish National Investment Bank was set up to invest patient capital in business projects and communities that align with its missions.
To date, £97.6m of backing has been provided to help harness innovation and provide support to industries.
The Forrit investment is with the hopes to further develop the Scottish tech ecosystem and enhance the sector’s global reputation.
Jimmy Williamson, executive director of innovation at the Scottish National Investment Bank said: “The Bank’s investment will support Forrit as they look to reach the next stage of their development.
“Our investment will enable Forrit to create new, high value technology development jobs, futureproofing skills in Scotland’s tech ecosystem and supporting plans to export their differentiated proposition to enterprise clients globally.
“Forrit’s CMS system technology has a strong alignment with our Innovation mission and we look forward to working with them to deliver their ambitious growth plans.”
Part of the Science and Technology Facilities Council (STFC), the Higgs Centre is co-located with the UK Astronomy Technology Centre (UK ATC) and Edinburgh University’s Institute for Astronomy at the Royal Observatory in Edinburgh.
With a focus on businesses in the big data and space sectors, the Higgs Centre is playing an important role in the growth and success of Scottish technology start-ups.
Benefits to Business
Tenants of the Higgs Centre gain affordable access to its research facilities, technical expertise, office space and specialist business support they need to take their technologies and businesses to the next level.
Ultimately this support, which is typically out of reach to small business, is in an effort to help them overcome their technology challenges, which reduces risk, cost, and time to globally competitive markets.
Robotics, Satellites, and Beyond
Current tenants Gibson Robotics specialise in development of drones for security applications such as supplementing police helicopters with an environmentally and budget friendly alternative or, in extreme circumstances, capturing hostile drones which can ruin holiday plans and cost airports millions in downtime.
Gibson Robotics founder and Managing Director, Joe Gibson said: “Higgs have been supporting our growth for almost a year and it has been incredibly valuable.
“Being part of the Higgs ecosystem alongside other high-tech start-ups is great as we share knowledge, experiences and our networks.”
Important Milestone
Speaking about the investment and jobs milestone, STFC’s Dr Julian Dines, Head of Innovation at the Higgs Centre, said: “It’s fantastic to have reached such an important milestone with £10 million in investment and over 100 jobs.
“We’re always incredibly proud of the Higgs Centre’s role in assisting young tech companies at the start of their journey.
“Though we are excited by what we have achieved, we continue to look to the future, supporting small businesses and start-ups by providing access to knowledge, technical skills and facilities. And we look forward to announcing further successes and even more investment over the coming months.”
STFC’s Ruairidh Henderson, Business Incubation Manager at the Higgs Centre, said: “We’re all about getting hi-tech start-ups, started here at our home on the hill. We try to remove as many obstacles, and offer as much guidance, as possible so the companies can focus on reaching their goals.
“Credit to the businesses – good ideas, well executed get investment – and we wish them all very well as they continue to scale into the future.”
There is still a chronic lack of talent in the DevOps sector, with 38% of tech companies stating that they face difficulties finding skilled developers in 2023, and naming DevOps as the number one area for shortages.
As a result, businesses should ensure they are prioritising and nurturing the right skills when building DevOps teams, to avoid missing out on top talent.
Below are five qualities picked out by a panel of DevOps experts that businesses should look for when hiring DevOps engineers, along with tips they can apply to internal procedures to get the most out of existing employees.
1. Willingness to Learn
As the DevOps sector is constantly evolving, businesses need to look for staff who embrace the challenges that accompany transforming technology, with the ability and willingness to learn on the job.
Emil Krawczak, DevOps Engineer at STX Next, commented: “To achieve success as a DevOps engineer, you need to have a will to learn, develop, and be very persistent. This sector of IT is developing so quickly that you cannot easily stay on track with everything new. It is not enough to learn at work, you need to show engagement after hours, as well.”
2. Analytical and Strategic Approach
While system administration or development skills are important, they are of little use if developers cannot see the bigger picture. Therefore, organisations should view project strategy and careful analysis as indispensable skills for DevOps engineers.
Piotr Pawłowski, DevOps Specialist at The One Question, said: “The key to success in DevOps is to have an analytical and strategic approach. You have to analyse the project first and decide what tools and approaches will fit best. You can know tools and cloud solutions, but without knowledge of when to use them, you will not be a successful player in the DevOps space.”
3. Combining Practice and Theory
What employees learn from books and research should be supplemented by practical experience if they’re to become a well-rounded DevOps professional.
The ability to put theory into practice is where true progress is made, the experts agreed.
Mariusz Tomczyk, Senior DevOps Engineer at STX Next, stresses the importance of versatility and points to Python as a stepping stone in DevOps engineering: “In DevOps, Python is a huge bonus in the automation process. Everyone interested in this path of development should understand a broad range of tools and specialise in at least one area of Dev or Ops. It is not especially surprising to say that personal success is mainly determined by the link between exercise and practice.”
4. Joining Development and Operations in Experience
While the talent shortage continues to affect the tech industries, employees should look outside their normal pool to find people suited to DevOps.
Employers should look for closely-related skills that could help a candidate make the jump to DevOps. For example, experience in SysOps or a programming language will come in handy when switching their focus.
Krawczak said: “DevOps unites the world of admins (SysOps) with the world of programmers/developers (Dev). The easiest way to enter the sector is to have experience in both disciplines. As an admin, you can build upon your experience in scripting, and as a developer, your experience in setting up local infrastructure for testing.”
Marcelo Grebois, Senior DevOps Engineer at Toptal, says businesses should promote simplicity when establishing their DevOps approach: ““Try to make things easy. Always think about automation, keep all infrastructure as code, and stay up to date.”
Roman Kamiński, Cloud System Architect at Atos, agreed: “Using automation tools such as Ansible and Terraform stops developers getting left behind, while helping them adjust to an ever-changing industry.”
While installers most commonly distributed these malicious apps in already dubious app stores, their authors were sometimes able to upload them to Google Play and other official stores.
Although Google Play is “policed vigorously,” according to the report, developers of the scam apps have come up with new complex ways to bypass security checks.
And this ability is sought after – a loader able to deliver a malicious app to Google Play ranges between $2000 to even $20,000 on the darkweb, an underground internet marketplace.
Cryptocurrency trackers, financial apps, QR-code scanners, and dating apps were the most common applications for hiding malicious or unwanted software
How Does It Work?
On the darkweb, cybercriminals typically sell developer’s Google Play accounts that can be hacked, as well as source code that can help the buyer upload their apps to Google Play.
In addition, cybercriminals also offer to launch Google ads to attract more people to the malicious apps – the cost ranges depending on the country, with the USA and Australia being the most expensive.
To communicate and negotiate, the report found that most cybercriminals use personal messages on forums and messenger applications like Telegram in order to keep their activities accessible but low-profile.
According to the report, most of the offers analysed involved the vending of Google Play loaders – programmes that inject malicious or unwanted code into an existing app. Once updated, a victim will download the app with its malicious code that will then get uploaded onto their device.
Typically the malicious code is to get key insider data or access to other applications – the updated app will prompt the victim to give it access to things like the camera or microphone, as well as other key data points. Once the permissions are granted, the app can be used as normal but the device is already infected.
For those looking to infect a device for a smaller price point, cybercriminals also offer a binding service. This is essentially the same as Google Play loaders, but the application itself is not suitable for an official Android store. These apps are instead typically distributed via phishing tests or dubious websites.
Binding services usually only cost about $50-$100, while a loader costs about $5,000.
For payment, cybercriminals typically accept three main kinds: a subscription or rent for the product, a one-time payment, or a percentage of the final profit using the malware.
Recommendations
Kaspersky also provided some recommendations on how to spot and avoid malware-infected applications.
They recommend never enabling the installation of unknown applications – if an app is urging this, it is most likely infected. If you suspect this, it is best to uninstall the app altogether.
Consider carefully when deciding to grant an app permissions that do not serve it’s main function, especially for high risk permissions like Accessibility Services.
Further, updating the operating system and apps as soon as possible is also recommended. Scanning a device right after an update can identify if any of the updates are malicious.
Using a reliable security solution or antivirus is also recommended.
“For organizations, it is necessary to protect their developer accounts with strong passwords and 2FA, as well as monitor the dark web to detect and mitigate credential leaks as early as possible,” the report added.
New research reveals nearly 4 in 5 ransomware attacks include multiple threats beyond data encryption.
Online users today, especially businesses, have to be extremely vigilant of cyberattacks. Cybercriminals today are extremely clever, misleading online users in an attempt to steal their personal information.
In 2022, 82% of all data breaches involved ‘the human element’ – examples include ‘vishing,’ emotional manipulation, ‘deepfakes,’ and phishing emails.
Dr Niklas Hellemann, CEO at SoSafe, a cybersecurity awareness provider, said: “As cybercriminals are finding new ways to attack online users, especially as technology improves, it is extremely important to be aware of the up-to-date attacks that will most likely evolve through 2023.
“Whilst it is important for everyday users to be aware of potential scams, it is also just as important for larger organisations, for which – in some cases existence-threatening – financial damage is at stake.
“Organisations need to empower their teams in digital self-defense. While cybercrime is constantly professionalizing, companies need to activate their employees as part of their cyberdefense.
“Therefore, it is important for employees and employers to keep up with upcoming cybercrime trends as part of improving cyberdefense.”
Below are five cybersecurity predictions for 2023, as well as some advice on what to do if you believe you are being targeted by a cyber-attack.
#1 – Emotional manipulation
One of the most popular weapons of choice for cybercriminals is using emotional manipulation and is set to rise even further in 2023.
While technical setups change, cybercriminals can always exploit our human emotions to open a door into our systems. Emotions like greed, curiosity, urgency, helpfulness and fear naturally trigger us and elicit certain behaviors, tricking potential victims into either providing certain information, opening compromised files or making a payment on time.
SoSafe data showed that with an apparent willingness to help, cybercriminals tempted more than a third (37%) of recipients to click on malicious content in 2022 – with praise and flattery this rose to 41% clicking on the content.
If you feel any emotional pressure from receiving an email or text message from an organisation or person, always try to verify provided information or requested action before actioning anything.
#2 – ‘Vishing’
‘Vishing’ which stands of ‘voice phishing’ is already being used as a deepfake technology to successfully trick employees into believing they’re talking with members of their own organisations.
As part of a vishing attack, someone will receive a phone call or voice message from someone pretending to be from a reputable company or someone you know. This is to induce individuals to reveal personal information, like bank details and credit card numbers.
Unfortunately, as the quality of deepfake and vishing technology improves and becomes easier to produce, cybercriminals are very likely to be able to conduct successful, more believable attacks this year.
Originally prank calls were viewed as a bit of harmless fun, however, cybercriminals have now realised deep fakes can be used for social engineering attacks as an opportunity to maximise profits.
Genuine institutions or financial organisations will never ask for personal or financial details over the phone. Therefore, it is important to never provide these and rather verify the requested action via other channels – especially if you feel pressured by the request.
#3 – Targeting burnout amongst remote workers
Cybercriminals see burnout amongst remote workers and security teams as a vulnerable target opportunity. Employees are stressed due to an continuously changing, uncertain and difficult situation- particularly regarding our economy. This makes them vulnerable to emotional manipulation.
At the same time, security teams are confronted with an increasing complexity. To name one development, the ongoing shift towards hybrid and remote work creates new weaknesses in an organisations’ security that security specialists need to take care of. With a general increase in attacks, security teams are reaching capacity and suffering from burnout too- leading to more security threats.
As a result, the phishing strategy that increased the most in success last year, was exerting authority and pressure on its targets – this tactic’s success rate increased by more than 10%.
Therefore, going into 2023 businesses should try to ensure they provide employees with the right security tools and the skills to protect their data no matter where they work from.
#4 – One-time ransomware extortion attempts will be a thing of the past
Cybercriminals in 2023 will use clever psychological tactics in their extortion, and compound them with further attacks. This is known as Multiple Extortion.
They tend to follow up their initial theft, encryption, and ransom of sensitive data- with the threat of releasing these data if the ransom isn‘t paid.
This is done using methods such as DDoS attacks, crypto mining, or bot networks until their demands are met.
Compound ransomware attacks will attempt to extort higher value sums from organisations, increasing the risk of damage.
Supply chain attacks peaked in 2022 and are likely to continue in 2023.
This is because cybercriminals are improving at exploiting their victims’ partner and supplier networks.
This is normally down to security flaws in the supply chain- for example as a result of the software used by partners or suppliers.
An example of a supply chain attack in 2022 was the hack of the authentication services provider Okta, whose network was hacked by the Lapsus$ group. Okta’s customer information was accessed through Sitel, a company subcontracted to provide customer service functions for Okta. This allegedly impacted more than 15 thousand customers.
Therefore, organisations need to be aware that they don’t only need to take care of their own security strategies. Their security is also dependant on the one of all their suppliers. Therefore, organisations need to carefully evaluate security competencies when chosing a new partner.
When we hear from women in tech, it’s usually the battle-hardened few who have already reached the significant heights of visibility. They get featured in interviews and enjoy the spotlight on international women’s day, awards for entrepreneurial success, and speak confidently on panels.
Young women just entering the industry? A mere statistic.
This demographic is still struggling to break into the tech world, research has found, with a lack of early encouragement and training, a lack of role models, as well as a dearth of technical confidence holding them back.
Despite these oft-institutional drawbacks, women are still encouraged to ‘have it all’ — with ‘all’ being narrowly defined as juggling a career and children, in a power suit, and with a smile.
Millennial and now Gen-Z women often have different ideas, interests, as well as short and long-term goals.
The journey of Aimee Jarvie – who is now a project manager at IT and business consulting firm CGI – typifies many Gen-Z stories, whilst remaining staunchly individual.
Like many of her generation, her university experience was largely interrupted by the pandemic, and she started CGI’s graduate programme while working from home was still the law.
Maybe not quite your average project manager, Jarvie also has been a powerlifter since 2018, before she joined CGI in 2021.
At 23 years old, Jarvie appears to have the drive to excel at powerlifting and at business, but is also just a young woman simply wanting to live her life — multifaceted as it is.
In this interview with DIGIT, she reveals the journey has not been an easy one, reflective of the oft-pernicious conditions the pandemic left behind for the workplace, and the continued advocacy required by her generation to improve mental health and social conditions.
Imposter Syndrome
Jarvie acknowledges her time in powerlifting acclimated her to male-dominated spaces — by the time she entered the business world, she was unphased.
She admitted her luck when she confessed she hadn’t experienced many external issues at work due to her gender.
Her time in university, however, was more frustrating, especially in male-dominated classes during her Business and Management degree.
The assumptions of her skillset — an offhand brand of exclusion — resulted in her being asked if she would prefer doing the slides of a project, as opposed to something more involved.
Jarvie’s experiences in her university business course still reflect overall trends: marketing and human resource classes were typically more evenly gendered, whereas strategic, business-centric courses were male-dominated.
At CGI, however, the plethora of female role models inspired Jarvie, and she did not feel any particular instances of external sexism holding her back.
Despite Jarvie’s current role as a project manager for a major tech company, internal anxiety can still manifest.
Regardless of the more progressive make-up and support structures within CGI, Jarvis still tangles with self-perceived deficiencies — a wide-scale problem for many young women entering the tech industry, who carry disillusionments from aspects of the university experience and wider societal perceptions of women in tech and business.
“One of the things that I think you do get affected by as a woman, regardless of how positive your environment is, is how you view yourself, and you get impostor syndrome,” she said.
Technical confidence has held many women back from applying for roles in the tech industry, pushing many to marketing or HR, or out of the sector altogether.
“It wasn’t so much the actual external culture, it was that internal imposter syndrome,” Jarvie explained.
Imposter syndrome is doubtlessly permeating younger generations entering tech and business — non-sensical feelings of inadequacy despite being perfectly knowledgeable and capable, feeling like your talent or skill set just isn’t enough.
For Jarvie, however, she now feels much more comfortable in her role — able to ask questions when she needs to, and more confident in her own skill set.
A Gen-Z Journey Into Tech
What attracted Jarvie to CGI was not entirely outside of tradition; she heard about the Montreal-based company while taking a year abroad in Canada, and was recommended the company by a family member.
But tradition stops there. Akin to the documented trend among Gen-Z entering the workforce, Jarvie was ultimately attracted to her current company by its commitment to social responsibility, as well as the presence of women leaders.
Reflecting on what drew her to CGI’s graduate programme, Jarvie said: “The fact that [corporate social responsibility] was one of the core values of the company was really important to me — that’s something I could really get behind.”
The hiring process itself also drew in newly-graduated Jarvie, being offered a conversation with Vice President, Business Unit Leader for Northern Ireland and Scotland Lindsay McGranaghan, before she even submitted an application put her at ease.
Having women at the front of the company was certainly a positive sign for Jarvie.
On this, she said: ”That is an example of tangible corporate social responsibility — actually reaching out to the community. I thought that was really good.”
A lack of role models is an oft-cited barrier for women and other marginalised groups from entering certain sectors, tech being no exception.
Jarvie herself is acutely aware of this and is actively striving to make working spaces more inclusive for people that make it through the hiring process.
The Young Professionals Network
According to Jarvie, CGI has multiple groups dedicated to different demographics within the company; a Women’s Network, a BAME Network, a Neurodiverse Network.
While these were progressive steps, Jarvie saw a clear gap.
She joined the company in 2021, still during the height of the Covid-19 pandemic, and when remote working was still the rule, with flexible, hybrid models soon to permeate much of the tech industry.
With undulating lockdowns and a university life turned upside down, entering the workforce became a challenge like never before. Jarvie noticed that young colleagues such as herself were struggling.
“These young people have gone through such a tricky time, often finishing their degree, their masters, during Covid. They just need a network around them of support,” she said.
The Young Professionals Network (YPN) started as a response to a mini-project assignment to produce a business case for a Young Professionals Network, as part of the CGI Graduate Scheme’s Student Kickstart Initiative. The project went on to become established as a full network across the company’s branches in March 2022.
With three main tenants, the YPN was meant to fill the undeniable social gap created by the pandemic.
“The important thing about the Young Professionals Network is that it is a network founded by young professionals for young professionals,” Jarvie explained.
Her and her compatriots settled on three main pillars to define the network: social, career, and wellbeing.
Social was a given — “we wanted to have a reason for people to get together and be social and not just hide in their houses anymore,” Jarvie mused.
Careers was also an obvious choice. ‘Professional’ was in the name, and creating a hub for all of CGI’s resources and opportunities for better access was a major benchmark for this provision.
Jarvie reflected that because of the environment they were launching the network in, wellbeing had to be a main tenant.
With many members being Mental Health First Aiders, the network has provided coaching and services to colleagues, offering a safe space to have difficult conversations for those just starting their career.
Jarvie said: “I think those environments just create something within the company where people feel they can be vulnerable and open.
“I think that makes it a much happier place to work.”
Work-Life Balance
For Jarvie, flexible working has not just been a game-changer: it’s been essential to allow her to pursue both of her passions.
Powerlifting is a demanding sport, requiring intense, time-consuming gym sessions as well as strict dietary requirements.
It was that intensity which was so key to Jarvie beating her anorexia — switching to a sport which focuses on building muscle helped her overcome the deadly eating disorder.
She’s been powerlifting competitively since 2018, and in 2022 broke the Scottish record for the women’s 57kg junior weight class, lifting a total of 372.5 kilos in total across bench press, squat, and deadlift. In November 2022 she also had the privilege of representing Great Britain as a junior at the European Championships in Poland.
But she’s not stopped there – Jarvie is now entering Open Competitions and currently working with a 140kg squat, a 75kg bench press, and now lifting her previous best of a 160kg deadlift for multiple repetitions, aiming for a total weight of 400kg by the Scottish Open Championships in July.
“I don’t actually know if I would have been able to keep up my sporting career at the level I have, if I had to go to the office every day,” Jarvie said.
She added: “Now I can work my training around it — that’s been a game changer for me.”
But it’s not just the hybrid working model — having a flexible work schedule also allows Jarvie to care for her mental health.
Jarvie’s anxiety can sometimes make work overwhelming. On those days, she can simply call her manager and move her day around to make it less stressful.
“That’s been really important and this really helped me feel accepted for who I am and the struggles that I face,” Jarvie said.
Hopefully, stories like Jarvie’s will become more and more commonplace as Gen-Z continues to enter and transform the workplace.
While the pandemic forced many companies to adopt remote and hybrid working models, Jarvie’s case is evidence that there’s more that can be done to help workers cope with mental health, social isolation, and achieving the ever-elusive work-life balance.
She herself has benefited from a more open and understanding work environment — participating in CGI’s Women’s Network provided Jarvie with the resources and support to start her own journey after struggling with heavy and painful periods for years. The Women’s Network encouraged Jarvie to seek medical advice for endometriosis, as well as broach necessary adjustments with male managers.
These workplace networks have allowed Jarvie to continue pursuing her passions, and she’s looking forward to the future.
CGI has also established a Young Parents Network, “which is really encouraging” Jarvie said, as she looks forward to continuing to grow her life and passions in a flexible ecosystem.
Jarvie has shown she’s been keen to speak up – either against sexist assumptions in commercial gyms or university courses, and even in a supportive work environment as a young voice surrounded by seasoned professionals.
So while we can continually solute past trailblazers and recognise that we still have far to come on many fronts, reflecting on current battles, struggles, and triumphs is also worth a headline or two.
Jude McCorry, Chair of the CyberScotland Partnership, said: “All types of business are at growing risk of a cyber attack. But unlike larger organisations, SMEs may not have the internal resources to maintain operations during an incident – so an attack could potentially shut them down or certainly have damaging long-term effects on their reputation.”
Now available on CyberScotland Portal, the free handbook was created by ethical hackers at the Cyber and Fraud Centre – Scotland, one of the Partnership’s founding partners.
Its publication comes as the latest research from Vodafone reveals that more than half (54%) of UK SMEs experienced some form of cyber attack in 2022, up from 39% in 2020.
As cyber threats diversify and increase in sophistication, small organisations need more guidance to bolster their defences.
“While there are several other excellent resources already available – the National Cyber Security Centre’s 10 Steps to Cyber Security and Small Business Guide: Cyber Security, for instance – this is certainly the most comprehensive that specifically deals with creating a cyber strategy for small organisations, going beyond the basics of cyber security,” McCorry explained.
The guidebook outlines short, medium, and long-term priorities SMEs should consider when developing their own cyber security strategy, with tactics ranging from password protection and backups, to undergoing a security audit and obtaining certifications.
“Of course, creating a positive culture around security and upskilling the team is equally important – and the guidebook goes into detail about that too,” McCorry added. “A company’s security measures are only as strong as the knowledge of the overall team, so it is vital organisations ensure all employees are involved in keeping operations secure.”
Indeed, according to the 2023 Gartner report on cybersecurity, by 2025, a lack of talent or human failure, will be responsible for over half of all significant cyber events. Having a cyber-informed team is therefore vital as threats increase.
The need for this type of guidebook was first identified in conversations with business leaders at the first Executive Education programme in 2022 – a free course aimed at helping CEOs, directors, and non-executive directors in the public and private sectors become more involved in their organisation’s cyber security.
The UK government has announced ‘substantial’ investments in telecoms and digital connectivity initiatives, outlining priorities in spreading 5G coverage, rural connectivity, and 6G research.
Digital infrastructure is crucial to unlocking opportunities for growth and prosperity, according to the government.
The strategic investments focus on six key initiatives in an aim to put the UK at the forefront of global scientific and technological advancements.
Wireless Infrastructure Strategy
The Wireless Infrastructure Strategy sets out a policy framework committed to extend 4G coverage to 95% of the population, deliver 5G to all populated areas in the UK, and invest £40 million to drive uptake of 5G-enabled services for businesses and the public sector.
Further, it sets out a 6G strategy to harness and develop the UK’s strengths in future telecoms and to ensure that the UK can influence and benefit from the development of 6G in a way that meets the UK’s future connectivity needs.
Technology Secretary Michelle Doneland said: “Our Wireless Infrastructure Strategy sets out our plan to ensure everyone, no matter where they live, can reap the benefits of improved connectivity. We are doing this by ensuring all populated areas in the UK will be served by what I call ‘5G-plus’ technology by 2030. We are also committing £8m to provide satellite connectivity for our most remote communities so that no one is left behind.
Key measures of this strategy include standalone 5G coverage to all populated areas by 2030. To accomplish this, another focus is providing a clear framework to 5G networks by supporting strong competition and investment, driving down costs and stimulating demand.
The Competition Markets Authority (CMA) and Ofcom will help oversee and regulate the industry in order to drive fair competition while keeping consumer prices down.
In addition, £40 million will be set aside to establish eight to ten 5G Innovation Regions across the UK to enable local authorities to unlock the opportunities of 5G and encourage take-up.
Doneland commented: “This will help industries transform at a time when the ways we communicate, work and do business are on the precipice of significant evolution.”
Future Telecoms Mission
The government is providing up to £100m of funding for its 6G Strategy to ensure the UK is at the forefront of future telecoms technologies.
A key element of this mission will be a series of Future Telecoms Research Hubs, where early stage research will be coordinated through UK Research and Innovation (UKRI) and the Engineering and Physical Sciences Research Council (EPSRC) via the Technology Missions Fund (TMF).
Support for early-stage research will be complimented by funding for application focussed ‘challenges’ – delivered via Innovate UK – supporting companies to accelerate innovative solutions to market and encourage disruptive collaboration across the UK’s diverse Future Telecoms landscape. This aims to cement early UK market leadership, additionally attracting follow-on investment for companies to scale-up and grow in the UK.
Satellite Connectivity
The government has acknowledged that – while they continue to made progress in the roll out of 4G and 5G – there will be certain areas in the UK where gigabit connectivity will not be possible.
Therefore, the government has announced an £8m fund to provide capital grants to further promote new satellite connectivity to the most remote 35,000 premises in the UK and to help ensure these areas get improved broadband when required.
Rural 10 Point Plan
Included in the Wireless Infrastructure Strategy is a 10 point plan to support rural communities access and adopt the connectivity they need to drive economic growth.
The ten points include projects already well underway, including Project Gigabit and the Shared Rural Network, as well as wider points including the nationwide 5G ambition and the new 5G Innovation regional hubs.
Other points include working with industry to provide broadband to remote and rural areas where it would otherwise be uneconomic to invest in, asking Ofcom to improve mobile coverage reporting and improve access to spectrum for rural network providers.
Further, the government aims to remove barriers to rural broadband deployment by changing planning regulations to accommodate faster roll out. A Rural Connectivity Champion will also be appointed to support adoption of advanced wireless connectivity.
The Spectrum Statement sets out a new strategic vision and principles for spectrum policy, aiming to maximise its usage across the public and private sector.
Spectrum, the range of invisible electromagnetic waves, enables all wireless technology from mobile phones, Wi-Fi and Bluetooth devices to aircraft navigation and satellite applications, amongst many other uses.
The devices and services that depend on spectrum now underpin almost every aspect of our economic and social lives.
Priority actions include working with Ofcom to enhance shared use of spectrum, reviewing market mechanisms to support a positive investment environment, and establishing a new framework to improve access to public sector spectrum.
Flexi-Permits for Broadband Rollout
Finally, the government is working with the local authorities and telecoms industry to further trial the use of flexible permits (or ‘flexi-permit’) in a number of countries, especially more rural areas.
Currently operators must apply for a permit to work in each individual street – flex-permits would allow companies to work in multiple streets under a single permit, which if successful, could help speed up broadband rollout.
“This package of measures turbocharges our progress towards becoming a science and tech superpower with a substantial initial investment in the future of telecoms. We want to ensure that 6G is developed to meet the needs of people and businesses right across the UK and bolster our international competitiveness throughout the economy,” Doneland said.
Scottish agritech, SOLASTA Bio, who specialises in the next generation of green insecticides has secured a further round of investment, totalling £4 million to scale up the development of its nature-inspired pesticides.
Investment in this pre-Series A funding round was led by Yield Lab Europe, an agriteh impact VC fund, with other investors including: Rubio Impact Ventures, Scottish Enterprise, Cavallo Ventures, SIS Ventures, UKI2S, and several private agritech investors. Funding includes grant support from Innovate UK’s Transforming Food Production competition and Scottish Enterprise. This latest funding round brings the total raised by SOLASTA Bio to £5.5m.
The Glasgow-based firm develops environmentally-friendly Insect Control Agents (ICAs) that meet a global need for new and effective crop protection. These ICAs also preserve the ecosystem by protecting beneficial insects such as bees.
SOLASTA Bio claims to have developed the world’s first technology platform for creating neuropeptide-based insect control products that are nature-inspired rather than selected from a synthetic chemistry library. Neuropeptides are typically synthesised and released by neurons, nerve cells within animal organisms. They are made of up small chains of amino-acids to form simple proteins which typically bind to other specific protein receptors.
Shireen Davies PhD, FRSE, CEO, SOLASTA Bio commented: “We’ve spent the past 18 months developing our platform and validating peptide candidates with expert third parties and commercial partners. We’re really excited by the results and feel that we’re ready to take the next step towards commercialising our technology.
“With the issue of food security, and effective crop protection becoming an increasingly pressing issue for the agriculture industry and governments worldwide, there is an urgent need for sustainable environmentally-friendly alternatives to current synthetic pesticides. We’re confident that our technology provides the solution and has the potential to make a huge impact.”
These products target insect pests while preserving beneficial pollinators such as bees. Disturbance of target physiological processes by neuropeptide-based ICAs leads to a reduction in pest species, and SOLASTA Bio’s platform can be mobilised for any pest of interest.
With its latest funding secured, SOLASTA Bio is aiming to scale up its UK and US operations, expand its technical and commercial teams, creating 25 jobs, accelerate the development of its technology platform and target new markets.
Rubio Impact Ventures, Scottish Enterprise, Cavallo Ventures, SIS Ventures, UKI2S, and several private agritech investors. Funding includes grant support from Innovate UK’s Transforming Food Production competition and Scottish Enterprise.
Kerry Sharp, Director of Entrepreneurship and Investment at Scottish Enterprise, said: “SOLASTA is a terrific example of how breakthroughs in science and academia can be brought to bear on the world’s grand challenges and build the high-growth businesses of the future.
“We’ve supported the company since its very earliest stages and continue to be impressed by its product development; expanding, diverse team; and the strong cadre of investors it’s attracted.”
SOLASTA Bio is led by co-founding management team Shireen Davies, PhD, CEO, Professor Julian Dow, CSO, and former BASF senior executive Dr Paul Bernasconi, alongside Chair, Dr Rob Wylie, CFO, David Armour, and Chief Commercial Officer, Dr Daphne Preuss. The company currently employs a team of 25 R&D, commercial staff and consultants.
The global insecticides market is currently dominated by synthetic chemicals accounting for 94% of insect control solutions, with a projected 2028 value of $27 billion¹. While 75% of food crops are dependent on pollinator insects, other insects cause enormous social, health and economic damage accounting for at least $70 billion in US crop losses alone. However, the insecticides market is under increasing pressure from widespread insect resistance, lack of species specificity, increasing regulatory controls and consumer preferences for non-chemical residues
Tijl Hoefnagels, Venture Partner, Rubio Impact Ventures commented: “SOLASTA’s team translated deep insect physiology knowledge to pest control agents that bring no collateral damage to other animals or pollinators. This is a huge white spot in the current market offering. As Rubio deems the loss of biodiversity as urgent as climate change, SOLASTA is right in the sweet spot of what we want to invest in.”
Brett Morris, Managing Director, Cavallo Ventures added: “Cavallo Ventures is thrilled to partner with SOLASTA Bio and invest in their mission to develop eco-friendly bio-insecticides. Their unique, differentiated neuropeptide technology provides a targeted approach to pest control addressing growers’ critical unmet crop protection needs. We’re excited to support Dr Shireen Davies and her world-class team to help SOLASTA define and scale the next generation of biological insecticides in the coming years.
Barclays Eagle Labs – Nick Murray as Ecosystem Manager
Nick Murray joins Barclays Eagle Labs as Ecosystem Manager this month, supporting and advising Scotland-based startups and scaling businesses in Glasgow with Barclays’ impressive catalogue of business support, investor readiness programmes and UK-wide specialist advisors.
Nick is no stranger to the entrepreneurial ecosystem in Scotland, having worked across business support organisations, tech startups and, most recently with community group Startup Grind Scotland and international programmes organisation Foras, which led startup cohorts to Silicon Valley and Helsinki’s Slush conference last year. He was also recently identified as an ecosystem ‘Unsung Hero’, in the recent Scottish Founders Survey. Nick joins the team in Glasgow at the recently-opened Eagle Labs hub as part of Barclays’ new Tradeston Campus on the Clyde.
Keystone Women
A Scotland-based social enterprise supporting female entrepreneurs has today confirmed the appointment of two new trustees to its board.
Rowan Morrison, Co-Founder and Managing Director of strategic brand and communications agency; We Are Rationale and Ailsa Lochhead, an Edinburgh-based artist, coach, and Founder of Move To Feel will play a vital role in supporting Keystone Women towards achieving some ambitious goals for the year ahead.
Current data verified by The Gender Index, confirms that only 16.8% of all active UK companies are female-led. And high-growth companies led by women lag significantly behind their male counterparts with the percentage of those that successfully raise capital from investors even lower. Keystone is working to directly address this gender disparity.
Commenting on her appointment, Rowan said, “I’m delighted to be joining the board of trustees alongside Dani and Ailsa. I strongly align with their values and passionately believe in and support the well-being economy. I’m looking forward to working with them and ensuring Keystone is available to as many women as possible.”
Talking about her decision to join the board, Ailsa said: “What excited me most about Keystone is the integration of business tools, a holistic approach to how wellbeing can be seeded into your working life, and a community of women actively listening in honest support. As a creative, I get high on witnessing and supporting ideas being translated into action, so it’s really exciting and uplifting to work with individuals on the programme.”
Topolytics
Edinburgh-based Topolytics, a data and analytics platform that makes the world’s waste visible, verifiable and valuable, has announced Fleur Ruckley as its Head of Implementation.
Ruckley has wide experience helping large organisations to understand waste and materials flows and adopt circular economy models.
As Head of Implementation, Ruckley will support customers to maximise the value delivered through their subscription to WasteMap.
“We are delighted to welcome Fleur to our growing team. Fleur has highly relevant circular economy and customer engagement experience that will help users of WasteMap to maximise the value of the data and insights that it generates. Fleur has great skills and an excellent reputation so I’m delighted I can now call her a colleague,” said Michael Groves, CEO of Topolytics.
Ruckley joins from engineering professional services consulting firm, WSP, where she was Associate Director focused on circular economy, plastic waste, and legacy chemicals.
Prior to this, Ruckley was Project Director for Scotland’s 2020 Climate Group.
Following a recent rebrand and renewed focus on cyber crime, The Cyber and Fraud Centre is looking to make four additions to its board.
The Cyber and Fraud Centre Scotland, formally the Scottish Business Resilience Centre is a not-for-profit organisation that delivers education and preventative training to businesses along with raising awareness on how to combat cyber crime. Working in unison with the Scottish government, Scottish police and the business community.
Applicants are not required to have experience sitting on a board, and are encouraged to bring experience from backgrounds such as communications, financial management, human resources, and law.
“We hope our new Board members will work with our existing members and chair to help us grow in a way that allows us to tackle ever-evolving cyber threats,” said Jude McCorry, CEO of the Cyber and Fraud Centre. “These aren’t roles for anyone looking to sit quietly in a room.”
Brightsolid, the Scottish cloud services company, has bolstered its tech team with the appointments of its new CTO, Andy Sinclair, and new Head of Cyber Security, David Taylor.
A trusted AWS Partner, Dundee-headquartered Brightsolid designs, builds, and manages secure and scalable cloud environments for its customers.
As the Scots tech firm’s new CTO, Sinclair brings over a decade of technical experience across engineering, architecture, and transformation. Sinclair made the move over from iomart — the Glasgow-based cloud computing and IT managed services business — where he served as its Head of Product.
“I’m thrilled to join Brightsolid as it enters its next phase of growth,” Sinclair said on his appointment.
“I was drawn by the opportunity to deliver a compelling managed cloud solution to the market, but what really stood out to me was Brightsolid’s incredible internal culture, which places such high value on our people and our relationships with customers.”
At the Scottish AI Summit in Glasgow, Ivan McKee MSP and Minister for Business, Trade, Tourism and Enterprise announced the appointment of Catriona Campbell, Client Technology & Innovation Officer at EY UK & Ireland, as the new chair of the Scottish AI Alliance.
Ms. Campbell brings in extensive experience in AI in the private sector, having worked with a range of clients to deliver innovative solutions using emerging technologies. She will be taking over the role of Chair from Gillian Docherty OBE, Chief Commercial Officer at the University of Strathclyde who has completed her two-year term as the inaugural chair of the Scottish AI Alliance.
As the new Chair of the Scottish AI Alliance, Campbell will lead the group in its mission to drive AI innovation and adoption across Scotland. She will work with stakeholders from academia, government, industry, and civil society to promote responsible AI practices, build a diverse and skilled AI workforce, and showcase Scotland as a leader in trustworthy, ethical and inclusive AI.
Campbell said: “I am excited and honoured to take on the role of Chair at the Scottish AI Alliance. AI has the power to transform society, and Scotland has a wealth of talent, expertise, and potential to lead the way in AI innovation.”
Edinburgh-based event ticketing platform, Citizen Ticket, has appointed former Skyscanner executive Carolyn Jameson as its new Chair.
Jameson’s two decades of leadership experience within the global technology sector includes six years as Chief Legal Officer at Skyscanner, where she played a role in its international growth and oversaw its sale to Chinese travel company, Ctrip, for £1.4bn in 2016.
In 2019, Jameson joined LSE-listed Trustpilot where she currently serves as Chief Trust Officer having recently led it through a successful IPO. Carolyn also serves on the boards of the Scottish National Investment Bank and Scottish Equity Partners.
Carolyn Jameson, said of her appointment: “I’m excited to join the team at Citizen Ticket, a company with an innovative, technology-driven offering that is addressing key challenges facing event organisers while enhancing the experience for consumers.”
During a visit to India, Foreign Secretary James Cleverly met with his counterpart, External Affairs Minister Dr. Subrahmanyam Jaishankar to discuss progress on the UK-India 2030 Roadmap.
While there, he marked the opening of the Young Professionals Scheme, a new partnership between the UK and India which allows up to 3,000 Brits and 3,000 Indians a year the right to live and work in the other country for up to two years.
The Foreign Secretary also announced the creation of the UK’s first Tech Envoy to the Indo-Pacific region, who will boost ties with India as a priority. This envoy is the second of its kind to be announced by the UK (after the appointment of a Tech Envoy to the US in late 2020).
The new Tech Envoy role will seek to boost the UK’s status as a science and tech superpower. The envoy will work with partners in the region on areas of shared interest, including setting global technology standards and helping to solve challenges through innovative technology.
Women Do Cyber partnered with Glasgow Caledonian University, Cisco and SWiT to launch 40 new scholarships to mobilise and bring more women into cyber security career development opportunities from May 2023.
The scholarship opportunity will also offer women in cyber mentoring support from established women cyber practitioners and technology leaders through the Cisco and Scotland Women in Technology (SWiT) networks.
To date, the programme has successfully created more than 20 women graduates, kickstarting their cyber journey and preparing them to take on cyber jobs, apprenticeships, and further learning.
“The cyber skills gap continues to grow in Scotland and globally, and contributing to that skills gap is the lack of diversity in the cyber workforce,” Ketty Lawrence, SWiT Vice Chair said. “Supporting more women to move into cyber careers will both increase the size of our workforce and the variety of skillsets. That variety of skills is crucial for increasing innovation, productivity and ultimately ensuring Scotland is a safe, secure, and resilient nation.”
FDM Group, which has offices in Glasgow as well as London, has announced a global collaboration with Microsoft.
The technology and professional services firm has been selected as Microsoft’s Global Workforce Development Partner.
As part of the programme, the FTSE 250 professional services firm is formally recognised as a premier solutions provider that can connect its customers with consultants that have been trained on official Microsoft content.
Geoff Hirsch, Microsoft Learning Partner Channel Lead, commented: “FDM Group have played a crucial role in supporting job seekers with the skills required to understand, deploy and manage Microsoft solutions. FDM will continue to help connect businesses to Microsoft officially trained personnel to support their business goals.”
EV salary sacrifice company loveelectric.cars, and Hypervolt, Britain’s preeminent EV charging brand, have today announced their new partnership. The collaboration will save new EV drivers more on a new home charger than the UK Government’s phased-out OZEV (Office for Zero Emission Vehicles) £350 grant that came to an end in March 2022.
Hypervolt’s smart and beautifully-designed charger is now available for loveelectric.cars customers to roll into their EV order – saving the average customer over £500. The collaboration will ensure that getting a new electric car and charger is simple, accessible and affordable for drivers across the UK.
Steve Tigar, CEO of loveelectric.cars, said, “Our partnership with Hypervolt is a game changer for our customers and the EV market. We created loveelectric.cars to ensure electric cars are accessible and affordable for people across the UK. With Hypervolt, we’ve supercharged this offering by ensuring our drivers can access state-of-the-art, affordable chargers, too.”
David Woodford, Head of Partnerships at Hypervolt, said, “March 2023 is a big month for us as we celebrate the second anniversary since launch. However, having this occasion coincide with the announcement of our partnership with loveelectric.cars makes this milestone even more special.”
Saxavord and Plastron
The UK’s first vertical launch spaceport, located on the Scottish Isle of Unst, is entering in a partnership with Plastron UK to develop a new state of the art payload processing facility (PPF).
Plastron will construct two cleanrooms – a space containing a low concentration of airborne particles, necessary for the manufacturing and assembly of satellites.
The launch site, located at Lamba Ness, is designed for small rockets delivering payloads into low earth orbit.
SaxaVord, the launch facility, believes the development of this PPF will give it a commercial edge in the New Space marketplace.
“These cleanrooms will give SaxaVord and the UK the capability to host satellites of up to 1,000kg,” said Scott Hammond, deputy CEO of SaxaVord. “This means we can host a multitude of different satellite sizes and that we are not restricted in our offering to the industry.”
“Using knowledge gleaned from performing launch operations throughout the world, we have designed the most advanced payload processing facility available for the New Space sector,” said Chris Smith, Technical Director of Plastron.
Glasgow-based climate tech firm IES has partnered with Eaton, the global power management company, in a bid to identify energy savings and emissions reductions for building owners around the world, it’s been announced.
With its ‘digital twin’ technology, IES is set to help Eaton’s customers make their buildings energy efficient, and assess scope for EV charging infrastructure, energy storage, and renewable generation technologies.
This is a momentous partnership for IES,” said Don McLean, founder and CEO of IES.
“Working with a business the size of Eaton, with customers in over 170 countries, will allow us to reach far more building owners in need of data-driven, tangible roadmaps to meet net zero and navigate the energy transition.”
Delphine Clement, the commercial and industrial buildings segment leader at Eaton in EMEA, also commented on the partnership, saying: “IES’s expertise will enable us to offer even more to our customers, demonstrating how their buildings will perform before and during their energy transition journey.”
The University of Edinburgh has partnered with Cisco to launch a new software centre of excellence, focused on quantum and Artificial Intelligence (AI) technology.
Over the next five years, the centre will fund projects to deliver leading-edge software solutions, with an emphasis on quantum computing, AI, and cyber security.
Since 2017, the University and Cisco have worked together on a number of projects in areas such as speech technologies, legal implications of AI, network traffic analysis, and quantum programming languages.
The Centre is led by Dr Chris Heunen, Reader in Quantum Informatics at the School of Informatics, supported by Michael Rovatsos, Professor of Artificial Intelligence.
Dr Chris Heunen: “I am delighted to lead the new Quantum Computing & AI focussed Centre of Excellence with Cisco and I look forward to bringing together our expertise to push forward developments in these transformational technologies. Our aim is to combine our collective strengths to help shape the development of software technologies to benefit our economy and society as a whole.”
InnoScot Health is proud to be part of a forward-thinking group of collaborative organisations who are supporting Scottish innovators taking part in this year’s NHS Clinical Entrepreneur Programme (CEP).
The second successive year of the programme being open to Scottish healthcare professionals has seen 12 innovation-minded NHS staff selected from across Scotland to take part after a competitive assessment process.
They will now be given focused learning on how to develop the necessary insight and know-how to successfully develop their ideas for the benefit of patients, the public, and the wider NHS.
Staff from NHS Scotland partner InnoScot Health welcomed the CEP’s Scottish cohort at a launch event on Tuesday 28th February, alongside The Digital Health & Care Innovation Centre (DHI), NHS Education for Scotland (NES), Scottish Enterprise, and the Scottish Health and Industry Partnership Group (SHIP).
Head of Project Management at InnoScot Health, Gillian Henderson said: “We are delighted to be part of this coordinated programme that invites Scottish health service entrepreneurs to maximise their learning for significant innovation benefits that can be adopted back into the NHS.”
Planner Bee VA Services and Business Gateway’s Growth Programme
An Aberdeen-based Virtual Assistant (VA) service has exceeded its revenue goals within the first year of trading, after receiving support from Business Gateway.
Planner Bee VA Services, which supports sustainability businesses with digital marketing and social media management, was founded in September 2021 by Maya Vertigans, aged 22.
After graduating with a degree in sociology from the University of Edinburgh in June 2020, Maya initially founded a sustainable gift business, supported by Business Gateway’s Growth Programme. She pivoted the business amid the Covid-19 pandemic to combine her passion for ethical businesses and her marketing knowledge, to launch the VA service.
Maya Vertigans, founder of Planner Bee VA Services said, “I had always wanted to start up my own business, and after graduating during a global pandemic I decided to just do it. My ideas from the business developed as I realised the growth of the VA market. With everyone doing business virtually, I saw a unique opportunity.
“Thanks to the support from Business Gateway, I have achieved more than I could have imagined as a business owner. Its expertise in business strategy, pricing models and online security has given me the tools to operate my business confidently and I now have my sights set on becoming the ‘go-to’ VA within the sustainable and ethical business sector.”
Renewable Parts and Ørsted
Glasgow-based Renewable Parts, entered into agreement with Danish energy firm, Ørsted, to increase the volume of parts reused in its UK offshore wind farm operations.
The partnership further strengthens Renewable Parts’ investment to increase sustainability and reduce the carbon footprint of the wind industry supply chain.
Ørsted is an established global player in offshore wind power development, this new collaborative agreement will see Renewable Parts take charge in the refurbishment of their wind turbines.
“Achieving Net-Zero is a commitment for all organisations and wind power is one of the greenest energy sources to achieve that goal. However, it’s vital we ensure our supply chain is as green as the energy it supports,” said James Barry, Chief Executive of Renewable Parts
Aberdeen-based ETZ, raised £3.25 million between Scottish Enterprise and global energy firm bp to construct an energy incubator and scale up hub (EISH).
ETZ is a not-for-profit dedicated to establishing north east Scotland as a global leader in energy transition to net zero.
The incubator is meant to be the focal point of an innovation campus, one of five across the Energy Transition Zone in Aberdeen, which will become the largest in Scotland.
“The Energy Incubator and Scale Up Hub will help build on that proud reputation, allowing us to expand our vital energy supply chain, and be an integral part of the Innovation Campus and Energy Transition Zone,” said Sir Ian Wood, ETZ Ltd Chairman.
The VR Hive, the Scottish virtual reality (VR) company, has partnered with Redhill High School in a bid to develop and test an immersive environment designed to promote positive mental health for children aged 11-17.
The collaboration between the VR Hive and Redhill High School — an independent, co-ed school in West Wales — aims to address the growing need for effective mental health interventions for children and adolescents. Arisaig Isle, an immersive VR environment, combined with the support of Verbee, an AI coach companion, offers the potential for children to manage their anxiety in a safe space.
Together, Redhill and the VR Hive will work closely during the project’s testing phase, with the school providing feedback to help refine and better the user experience.
“Collaborating with leaders in the educational sector is critical to developing the best solution for the challenges being faced by children today, which is why we are excited to be working with a sector-leading school like Redhill,” said Anne Widdop, the founder of The VR Hive, on the partnership.
Digital Catapult, working in partnership with Ofcom, has announced the opening of its new Open RAN testing facilities as part of its SONIC Labs (SmartRAN Open Network Interoperability Centre) programme, funded by the Department for Science, Innovation and Technology (DSIT).
The programme is driving forward the rollout of a new wireless communication technology known as Open Radio Access Networks (Open RAN), which enables mobile networks to be built using a variety of different equipment suppliers.
The new facilities provide multiple Open RAN vendors with the opportunity to trial, test and accelerate the development of their products in a commercially neutral environment.
Julia Lopez, Digital Infrastructure Minister, said: “Our £250 million investment in facilities like SONIC Labs is boosting competition in the telecoms market and driving the development of new mobile technology.
“These new facilities are another example of how the UK is at the forefront of telecoms innovation, supporting our diversification strategy by boosting business and growing the economy.”
Shona Marsh, Head of Education Programmes at CodeBase, said: “The partnership with Reforge brings Silicon Valley playbooks, scaleup experience and best practices to Scotland, to help companies accelerate their growth.”
Aquaculture technology specialists, Ace Aquatec, have partnered with marine ecosystem restoration specialists Ocean Health to further develop FaunaGuard, which uses academically validated sound patterns with award-winning transducer technology to create temporary exclusion zones around project sites.
This ethical acoustic system is an important tool for safeguarding oceanic wildlife from the risks associated with offshore construction works. The two organisations now join efforts to make FaunaGuard globally available as the go-to mitigation solution for the offshore renewables sector.
Andrew Gillespie, Marine Protection Products Business Manager at Ace Aquatec, said: “We are seeing a marked increase in demand from environmental surveyors, contractors, and developers, who are specifying the need for more ethical solutions for safeguarding marine mammals from harm during construction projects. Our partnership with Ocean Health is accelerating change in the offshore sector to adopt a more species-specific approach to protection, rather than an outdated one-size-fits-all tactic.”
Walther-Meißner-Institute and memsstar Limited
memsstar Ltd., a leading provider of etch and deposition equipment to researchers and manufacturers of semiconductors and micro-electrical mechanical systems (MEMS), today announced it has shipped its ORBIS™ Alpha XERIC™ oxide etch system for MEMS research and manufacturing to Germany’s Walther-Meißner-Institut for Low-Temperature Research (WMI). memsstar’s surface micromachining tool will be implemented as a central unit for micromechanical structuring of MEMS components, from single chips up to 200mm wafers.
Dr. Stefan Filipp, Ph.D., director of WMI, commented, “We selected the memsstar ORBIS Alpha XERIC oxide etch system to obtain the best etch process capabilities for investigating novel approaches in designing high-quality quantum devices.”
“This project strongly showcases ORBIS’s capabilities and our approach to working with our customers to develop processes that address their specific requirements,” said memsstar CEO Tony McKie. “The truly leading-edge work being done at WMI requires our technology’s advanced control and capabilities to meet their varied application requirements.”
Gigged.AI and OpenAI
Gigged.AI, an AI-driven talent platform, is proud to announce its integration with OpenAI’s Chat API, a powerful natural language processing technology that allows for efficient communication between clients and freelance tech talent.
Gigged.AI CTO Craig Short added: “OpenAI’s Chat API is one of the most advanced natural language processing technologies on the market, and we’re excited to bring its capabilities to our platform. By using this technology, we’re confident that our clients will be able to work more efficiently, create better deliverables, and achieve their business goals faster. A huge well done to our product team for making this integration so seamless through the Microsoft Azure OpenAI Service.”
Expansion
Centre for Finance, Innovation and Technology (CFIT) Launched Innovation Hubs
Backed by £5.5 million of Treasury and City of London Corporation funding, CFIT aims to create “time-limited ‘coalitions’” of experts across finance, technology, academia, and policy-making to identify and eliminate barriers to fintech sector growth, support the creation of high-income tech-based employment across the UK, and enable fintech companies to scale globally.
The Centre was created in response to the Kalifa Review of UK Fintech — a review which highlighted ways in which the UK could retain its place as a global fintech player.
Sir Ron Kalifa, author of the Kalifa Review, said: “The Centre will be instrumental in fostering collaboration between industry, academia and policymakers, promoting innovation, and turbo-charging the adoption of new technologies for businesses and consumers.”
Scottish telecoms group Emtelle signed an agreement to build one of the world largest factories to manufacture fibre optic ducting and pre-connectorised solutions in Abu Dhabi.
The facility will be created following a £42 million investment from the Hawick-headquartered Emtelle under a build-to-suit agreement with Khalifa Economic Zones Abu Dhabi (KEZDA). This investment is a statement project from Emtelle as they look to expand their worldwide footprint in the Fiber Optic industry.
“(The agreement) is a huge statement of intent by Emtelle as we will have the manufacturing space needed to ramp up our capacity,” said Tony Rodgers, CEO of Emtelle Group. “This will significantly shorten supply chains and guarantee both existing and new customers security of supply. This will allow countries across the Middle East and Asia Pacific the ability to significantly enhance their fibre networks at rapid speed,” he said.
According to Emtelle, the facility will export 95% of its manufactured products globally to markets, leveraging the end-to-end infrastructure from KEZAD.
Global digital transformation consultancy business Kin + Carta is set to open their newest office in Edinburgh.
The Princes’s Street location is meant to be a hub for the UK-based side of the company. It is well situated to connect Kin + Carta’s Americas central office in Chicago with the rest of the world. The company will also be expanding into Bristol to develop a hub with a new team.
Many high ranking members in Kin + Carta already call Edinburgh home including David Tuck, group CEO of Europe who said Edinburgh will be key to their long term growth. “We have a number of our leaders who call the city home,” he said, “so building out our offering here made perfect sense.”
Along with an already-established group of employees in the city, Edinburgh is now considered the data capital of Europe which will offer Kin + Carta a deep talent pool to choose from.
CuanTec — the Scottish biotech company — has established a new manufacturing plant in Glenrothes, with the expansion set to create around 20 new jobs.
As a circular economy company, CuanTec — which has R&D labs in Oban — uses innovative tech to create new materials from natural resources, thereby reducing waste, pollution, and carbon emissions.
The biotech firm’s new separation plant has been leased at the premises of the Fife Food & Business Centre on the Southfield Industrial Estate. Here, CuanTec will take advantage of shellfish waste — which would otherwise be incinerated — to extract chitin. Chitin is a naturally occurring biopolymer found in the exoskeletons and shells of a range of organisms, and has a multitude of applications in industries including pharmaceuticals and cosmetics.
“We are delighted to be in Glenrothes and see Fife as our future long-term manufacturing base from which every stream of the process can be managed,” said CEO of CuanTec, Craig Sterling, regarding the news.
SnapDragon Monitoring — the Edinburgh-based, female-led online brand protection company — has announced plans to grow its international reach by 25% in 2023 following a successful business year.
With its proprietary software, Swoop, the Scottish firm enables brand owners to monitor the web for fake and copycat goods, thereby protecting the business’ reputation and revenues, as well as end-consumers from unwittingly purchasing counterfeits.
The A.I.-propelled tech also helps brands to search the web to find infringing content, and work to have them removed before further damage is done.
SnapDragon’s announcement of international reach expansion comes off the back of the company’s annual turnover increasing by 29% last year, as well as an exports increase of 49%.
“We are delighted with our success over the last year, which has seen our businesses grow not just in figures, but also in Dragons,” said Rachel Jones, CEO of SnapDragon Monitoring.
Brian Hills, the CEO of The Data Lab, has been included in the DataIQ 100 – a list of the most influential people in data and analytics.
The annual list, published following an awards ceremony on 2 March, includes a list of those making significant strides in data innovation.
Hills commented: “To be included among such stellar talent not only nationally, but internationally for the second year running is an honour, not just for myself but for The Data Lab. It reinforces our position as a leading innovation centre on a national stage and is a testament to the work that the entire team does in our vision to create the world’s most impactful data community.”
Aiming to champion, celebrate, and invest in women in technology within Scotland, SWIT, which was founded in 2008, is a not-for-profit organisation driving gender equality in the tech ecosystem.
Silka Patel, Founder of Scottish Women in Tech, said: “Given that just 26% of the UK tech workforce are women, there’s a clear opportunity to close the growing technology skills gap by encouraging more of us into the sector. We started the awards in 2017 to celebrate those who are putting the work in to do this – and it’s fantastic to be back.”
Their 2023 Awards will have ten categories to celebrate and honour women in the tech ecosystem who are making a difference for gender equity in Scotland and the globe.
Nominations are now open, and will close on August 18th.
Showcasing the ‘Magic of Tech’ the shortlisted candidates for the 2023 awards fall under categories ranging from tech for good to start-up of the year.
The shortlist of nominees for the 2023 ScotlandISDigital Tech Awards has been announced in anticipation of the 13th annual celebration.
ScotlandIS, the cluster management organisation for Scotland’s digital technology industry, will celebrate individuals and organisations across the length and breadth of the country in their awards, showcasing tech talent within the Scottish sector.
This year saw an unprecedented number of nominations for the Unsung Hero category, aiming to recognise those that give up their won time and resources to give back to the community but don’t usually get the credit they deserve.
Karen Meechan, ScotlandIS CEO, commented: “I am continually astounded by the quality of the entries we receive and some of the fantastic success stories we hear from across our industry.”
After competing with over 660 schoolgirls from 144 teams across Scotland, the winner of both the Growing Future Assets Competition’s junior and senior categories has been announced: Kingussie High School.
The students, who are aged between 14 and 18, came out top in the annual competition aiming to inspire Scottish schoolgirls to consider careers in investment management.
Participating teams had to research, analyse, and pitch companies they thought would be a lucrative long-term bet.
Kingussie’s senior (16-18) team — Gabi, Kirsty, Catrin, Zoe, and Sasha — delivered a pitch on TOMRA, the sorting and recycling company. The school’s junior (14-16) team — Lucy, Tia, and Jess — presented on SolarEdge, the renewable energy firm.
On the double win, Helen Bradley, Future Asset CEO, said: “This is an exceptional result for Kingussie High School. The fact that they have won both the junior and senior categories is outstanding.”
The winners of the Scottish Knowledge Exchange Awards — the annual celebration of business-academic partnerships — have been announced, spotlighting a selection of impactful collaborations benefiting the economy, society, and the environment.
The 2023 finalists — previously covered by DIGIT — were chosen by a panel of judges from across the business support ecosystem. Alongside championing collaborations that demonstrate innovation, impact, and transformation, the Awards also aim to recognise the people contributing to valuable knowledge exchange.
“Today’s awards showcase the impactful collaborations between businesses and the academic community and their role in translating Scotland’s world-class research into knowledge that makes Impact,” said Mr Ivan McKee, Minister for Business, Trade, Tourism and Enterprise, on the announcement of the winners.
Dunbar-based startup, Biscuit Tin, has been named a finalist ahead of the Scottish Final of the StartUp Awards.
The StartUp Awards has been launched to recognise the booming startup scene across the UK which has accelerated since the 2019 pandemic. Over 800,000 new businesses were founded in the UK since 2021, a 4.3% increase from the year before.
A record number of businesses applied to this year’s StartUp Awards, with 1,100 firms shortlisted across ten UK nations and regions. The contribution of these firms – all of which were started in the last three years – is significant, having created over 5,000 new jobs since they were established and generating annual sales of £584 million.
The plan builds upon the 2021 People at the Heart of Carewhite paper which detailed a series of policy commitments, including the aim to get 80% of CQC-registered care services to adopt a digital social care record by March 2024.
A digital social care record allows information to be shared securely and in real-time between care services and NHS colleagues.
The funding also follows the launch of the Better Care Fund framework, which aims to improve social care services over the next ten years with £16.8bn to be invested.
The Next steps to put People at the Heart of Care explains that so far nearly £50 million has been spent to support digitisation and ensure good data and cyber security practices across care services in England.
Since the original white paper was released in 2021, compliance with the Data Security & Protection Toolkit (DSPT) has increased from 39% to 58% of care services. There has also been an estimate 10% uptake in digital social care records.
Over the next two years the government has committed £100 million to:
Increase adoption of digital social care records so that client information can be shared across services.
Test and implement new technologies that improve the quality and outcomes of care.
Support care services to improve digital skills, digital readiness, and cyber security to help grow the sector’s confidence.
For 2023/24, funding will be available to support the adoption of digital social care records. This is in line with the previous health and social care secretary, Sajid Javid’s, mission to move 80% of all care workers away from paper-based records by 2024.
Using data is also a central part of the initiative – using health and social care data to deliver better, more personalised outcomes and insights in an effort to tailor and streamline care.
This would not just include how data is used, but how it is shared across the sector, making it easier for care providers and local authorities to access and use the data they need to support care provision.
Health minister Helen Whately said: “By 2025, we will have achieved real change for adult social care. We will have shifted the dial on recognition and support for the skills of care workers, driven digitalisation and innovation in social care provision, and changed how social care is planned for and commissioned. This will be backed by increased accountability through better data insights and local authority assessments.”
It’s been said that ‘diversity is a fact and inclusion is a choice’. The academic consensus is that diversity and inclusion support better business outcomes, which should be what a profit-focussed business needs to hear – but more firms are also prioritising diversity for the beneficial social outcomes, too.
A downturn begs the question: “Should inclusion, diversity, and equity (ID&E) still be a focus when the technology industry faces a crunch?”
Let’s look at the evidence. McKinsey’s research found a tech talent gap of approximately 1.5m to 4m people, lasting to 2027 for 27 EU countries. It claims that if it were able to double the number of women working in technology to around 45%, these countries could close the gap and benefit from a GDP increase of between €260bn to €600bn (£227bn to £525bn)
These analysts believe that finding and employing 4m additional women is possible by 2027. Going beyond female representation, Harvard Business Review (HBR) advocates, based on its research, that cultivating diversity enables companies to increase their effectiveness.
This business effectiveness boost holds for all under-represented populations. And, with a lot of tech talent coming onto the market through large-scale layoffs, the rest of the world may find the right skills and experience now available to work remotely, adding value locally.
Innovation is a critical growth success factor
Imagination leads to innovation. That’s what tech firms do – solve problems to enable their customers to do more and be more. Innovation is massively accelerated by a diverse team of creators, according to research like HBR’s.
As talent pools change, the business needs to maintain awareness of its diversity metrics, and continually look to create the strongest, most representative teams that can understand their customers and society, and bring their different perspectives to the problems at hand. Despite economic slowdowns, inflation, and supply chain instability, expectant customers are looking not only for good service, but innovation. They want ever-better deals and services. And because the world is diverse and evolving, customer needs change, and so the ability to empathise and personalise becomes critical to growing market share.
People are more likely to buy from or do business with socially responsible brands, so it’s irresponsible not to operate from a diversity mindset to secure every business advantage in the uncertain economic climate.
Start taking action to benefit
The first step in any improvement plan is to understand the current landscape. Understanding the extent of employee diversity will enable the organisation to see how it compares to both the wider society as well as to its understanding of its customers. My own company, PagerDuty, publishes its own diversity dashboard and a public report into Inclusion, Diversity, & Equity (ID&E), annually.
Second, leadership, and specifically the CEO must be a visible and continuous champion for these efforts, communicating their goals for the organisation. Many larger organisations have created Chief Diversity Officers, or added duties to their Chief People Officers.
But HBR noted that these are often not empowered or funded to make real change. Really serious CEOs might take inspiration from David Kenny, CEO at Nielsen, who added the CDO title to his leadership portfolio. He stated this was to, “Set hard targets for ourselves and make those transparent to our board and measure them like we measure other outcomes like financial results.”
PagerDuty’s CEO stated in our most recent ID&E report, that: “The simple existence of company programs that promote diversity does not close the gap unless leaders systematically fund, manage and measure program impact in accountable ways. The role of companies and leaders now extends beyond business to support the progression of a more equitable world.” Setting strong processes in place holds the promise of a much more engaged and innovative team, when practices are embedded and gains are seen.
Our programme focuses on five key workstreams to identify strategies and initiatives to foster inclusion. These are: early career talent, talent acquisition, internal education, engagement and enablement, talent marketing and operations.
Companies can be proud when their workstreams foster higher diversity in their workplace, but the operations side is where the whole workforce can take part and feel the power for themselves. I recommend supporting Employee Resource Groups (ERGs) for staff to collaborate, share experiences, get support, and educate others. Some of these can be based around identities such as gender, ethnicity, or other statuses, and can help surface insights for leadership to consider to improve the business and employee experience.
All technology companies love metrics. Well-crafted internal employee engagement surveys will help leaders measure, track and hold themselves accountable in promoting equitable outcomes. Without such quantitative data, programmes can’t make the most impact in a changing social landscape.
This is why the Scottish Government wants to increase the number and diversity of entrepreneurs choosing to establish businesses in Scotland, as stated in Scotland’s National Strategy for Economic Transformation, October 2022. It’s part of the Scottish Business Pledge. And it’s why half of businesses in Scotland intend to bring in training and policies to improve their inclusivity.
Taking the right steps in this area will take planning, dedication, and scrutiny, but will become some of the smartest and rewarding business decisions a company can make.
Bruntwood SciTech, the UK property provider specialising in the science and technology sector, has secured an additional £100m as part of its financing facilities from HSBC UK, Llyods Bank, NatWest, and Santander UK.
The funding will enable the Joint Venture between Bruntwood and Legal & General to continue with its expansion plans at pace to support the burgeoning demand from life science, tech and innovation businesses across the UK with infrastructure and specialist support.
As Bruntwood SciTech continues to accelerate its decarbonisation efforts as part of its net zero goals for new buildings by 2030 and its entire portfolio by 2050, the terms of the loan are intrinsically linked with these committed sustainability targets.
These include improving the EPC ratings of buildings, a year-on-year reduction in carbon intensity, a reduction in embodied carbon across new build developments, and an increase in renewable energy procurement.
The funding will now allow the company to continue with their expansion plans for No.£ Circle Square in Manchester, following along from their investment in Glasgow’s Met Tower to create a new tech hub in the Scottish city.
Bruntwood SciTech now has a £380m financial package to support its growth and sustainability ambitions; a £250m term loan and £80m revolving credit facility, both of which are sustainability linked as well as a £50m green loan for No. 3 Circle Square. Lloyds Bank acted as sustainability coordinator on the financing arrangements.
Kate Lawlor, chief executive officer at Bruntwood SciTech, said: “We are committed to a net zero future within the world-class infrastructure we build and provide for science and technology businesses and we continue to set ourselves ambitious targets to meet this goal.
“This new funding agreement enables us to accelerate our growth both sustainably and at pace, so that we can provide the specialist facilities businesses in the innovation sector need in line with demand and with minimal environmental impact.”
Andy Clarke, Director at NatWest said: “NatWest are delighted to be providing our continued support to Bruntwood SciTech with this latest Green funding.
“The funding will enable further growth in the science, technology and innovation sector and we look forward to supporting the delivery of the next phase of Circle Square as well as Bruntwood SciTech’s wider development pipeline across the UK.”
Matt Jones, Senior Director, Real Estate Finance at Santander UK said: “Bruntwood SciTech is committed to building sustainable buildings, reducing its carbon footprint, and developing areas to improve biodiversity, and Santander UK is proud to support its development plans with this latest funding.”
Backlogs of visa applications are waiting for criminal clearance after the cyber-incident impacted services for two months at ACRO.
The unit checks criminal records of UK citizens applying for Visas abroad, but now they have to rely on email services due to the ongoing effects of the incident.
ACRO identified the incident occurred from 17 January to 21 March and impacted services throughout, though they only just sent an email to affected users alerting them to the issues.
Currently, the website is down, blaming technical issues – this was the same case on 9 February during the ongoing incident, where they organisation blamed ‘heavy demand’ for service delays.
Impacted customers were notified via email that their data may have been exposed, potentially including “identification information and any criminal conviction data.”
“At this time, we have no conclusive evidence that personal data has been affected by the cybersecurity incident; however it is only right that we inform you of the situation. We are very sorry that because of your interaction with ACRO your data could have been affected, and we are working tirelessly to resolve this matter.
“As soon as ACRO was made aware of this incident, we took robust action to take the customer portal offline so that we could fully investigate,” the email, which was seen by El Reg and the Evening Standard, said.
While there was no evidence that payment data was accessed, data about a nominated endorser, professional or other third party tied to an application may have been accessed, including their name, relationship to an applicant, occupation, phone numbers, email address, and case reference number.
Those who received the email include direct applications and third partiers who were nominated endorsers or administrators.
ACRO has informed the ICO and is currently working with the National Cyber Security Centre (NCSC) to investigate the incident.
The organisation is also urging those using the service for Visa applications to remain patient as they work through a backlog, manually processing applications.
The What Do Tech Talent Want in 2023 report, by European technology talent hub hackajob, surveyed over 1,000 UK tech workers – from developers and engineers, to data scientists, analysts, designers, and product managers and more
Tech workers appear ultimately unhappy, with only 11% of UK tech talent content to stay in their current role, and 20% wanting to leave their jobs as soon as possible.
Further, the the findings reveal a concerning disparity between what most UK employers are positioning as benefits and perks to attract and retain talent, and what talent actually want.
Mark Chaffey, CEO and co-founder of hackajob, says: “Thanks to a global pandemic, a shaky economy and multiple layoffs, the report reveals a marked shift in technology industry attitudes towards job satisfaction. New priorities, new ways of working and changing relationships with work are leading to a brand new set of frustrations in the workplace. Employees want to be heard, recognised and valued.
“With former perks such as flexible working now being seen as the norm, many companies are seemingly struggling to figure out what the new era of benefits means for their business. The gap between what companies are offering, and what tech workers want is causing unrest at a time when there’s no shortage of alternative job openings out there.”
Company Culture
With flexible working now commonplace, companies have to find new ways to attract and retain talent.
After compensation, candidates were found to be most attracted to a role and organisation by the overall culture (15%) and mission (13%).
In addition, when asked what they loved most about their current company / what makes them say, almost half of all surveyed (44%) said company culture followed by flexible/remote working (13%).
New Ways of Working
While it is becoming more common, remote working is still the number one (61%) aspect tech workers enjoy most about their job, ranking above tech stack (34%), benefits (25%) and location (21%).
Despite UK tech jobs having some of the highest baseline salaries, the biggest work-related frustrations and challenges include salary (34%), lack of learning an development (32%), and not feeling valued (32%).
What Can Companies Do?
The tech workers surveyed had some tangible ideas companies can implement to make a difference in job retention.
83% of tech talent want to see a four-day work week introduced. The idea is growing in popularity according to a study by Hayes, but companies are still often reluctant to implement the new standard due to perceived impacts on staff pressure and productivity, despite workers being keen.
Further, working on their own terms is highly important to tech talent – remote working (61%), flexible working (57%) and location (21%) are amongst some of highest aspects to why they enjoy their current roles.
Chaffey says: “It’s easy to think that the tech layoffs that happened in late 2022 and early 2023 have stilled the waters in tech hiring, but this couldn’t be further from the truth. Whilst many companies such as Amazon, Google, Meta and Microsoft have made several adjustments to their staff, many more “non-tech” organisations are still gearing up to make more tech hires than ever before as every company turns to technology as a critical part of their overall business strategy.
“But what does this mean for tech talent? Quite simply, there are still plenty of organisations hiring, and now many more people searching for new roles. Whilst salary will always be key to any tech job seeker, it is crucial that companies look outside of just remuneration in order to retain the tech talent they already have.”
Chaffey urges companies to really nail their Employer Value Proposition – what their organisation offers that is different to anyone else.
He says: “The best benefits package really hone in on what is valuable to people. Crucially, perks shouldn’t all focus on the workplace itself. Tech talent want to spend their free time either exercising, spending time with their family and friends, working on a project or hobby and progressing their learning and development. The best benefits package will empower talent to have free time to do whatever they choose.”
Cyber Security in Focus is an annual research report that explores the perceptions of a high-quality sample of 60 CISOs and security leaders on critical themes such as: the skills shortage, barriers to strategy execution, the perception of cyber security functions, and future technology investment. The sampled respondents were sourced from Stott and May’s professional network across EMEA and North America.
This year’s report reveals that CISOs see budget as the biggest barrier to strategy execution in 2023.
Today’s security leaders face a range of barriers to strategy executing, and the state of the economy is starting to drive a new narrative for CISOs — many of whom are being asked to do more with less.
Challenges — including tackling the internal skills gap, achieving the right level of executive support from the business, building a security culture, and making sound technology investment decisions — have hampered digital transformation and cybersecurity efforts.
In the paper, Haris Pylarinos, Founder & CEO of Hack The Box, shared his thoughts on the top challenges CISOs face when building a high-performing security function. “It’s the ability to stay outward looking and ensure that internal skills stay up to date. You can hire the best security professionals out there with field experience, but the problem is that this knowledge can degrade over time because cyber security is evolving at such a rapid pace.”
The Findings
51% of security leaders highlighted budget as their primary inhibitor to delivering on strategy, taking over internal skills (34%) for the first time. These were followed by board-level buy-in (11%), and technology (3%) also being cited as issues by the global sample of CISOs.
The report confirmed the continuation of many other trends in cybersecurity: filling vacancies continues to be a pain point for security leaders.
66% are facing challenges in sourcing talent for their business, with 69% of security vacancies left unfilled after 8 weeks.
Further, CISOs report that salary expectations across the industry continue to increase, with 47% believing that salary levels have increased by more than 11% year-on-year. A further 31% see wage inflation sitting between six and 10%.
As a consequence of 44% leaders reporting their budget will stay the same or decrease, strategic investment has little room for experimentation. Only 53% of respondents believe security investment is keeping pace with digital business. The top three priority investment areas for CISOs in 2023 are cloud security (25%), IAM (20%) and security and vulnerability management (18%).
Despite these challenges, 55% of security leaders do believe that their company sees cyber security as a strategic priority, while 60% agree their business feels that the security function improves the overall value proposition to customers.
Chris Castaldo, CISO at Crossbeam, outlined his thoughts on the main barriers that CISOs come across when executing their cyber security roadmaps. “Not understanding the business. That’s the main barrier. Everyone that I talk to that’s trying to implement some new tool or a new process or policy and meets resistance typically hasn’t spent enough time trying to understand what those stakeholders really care about and tailoring that message to them.”
According to the National Autistic Society, it is estimated that around one in 100 people are autistic, with around 700,000 adults and children with autism in the UK. The spectrum of diagnosis is wide, with autistic people have varying needs and difficulties. Many of these requirements revolve around communication difficulties, especially for people with who are non-verbal or have limited communication abilities.
The National Autistic Taskforce was developed in 2018 to give autistic adults more control over their lives, and the app is in aim to provide better means of communication for people on the autism spectrum.
The app delivers upon the vision of Dr. Dinah Murray, who was passionate about supporting the rights of autistic people with communication difficulties, often supported in long-term residential care, and saw AutNav as a method to enable them to communicate their interests and interact with friends and wider family.
Commenting, Charlene Tait, Deputy CEO of Scottish Autism said: “We are delighted to be able to launch this innovative app, developed in line with the wishes of the late Dinah Murray, and which can act as a fitting and powerful legacy to her work championing the rights of autistic people.
“We are grateful that a generous bequeathment enabled us to develop AutNav, and bring Dinah’s vision into being.”
AutNav is an app that brings together an individual’s favourite content, and keeps it all in one place. It was developed so that autistic people, including those in supported settings, could have more autonomy, and more easily use technology to pursue their interests and keep in touch with friends and family.
The app works by creating shortcuts to the individual’s chosen content, so that they have easy access to music, videos, people they want to speak to, and websites they wish to visit.
“We know from the feedback we have received from the autistic people who have tested the app in its development that they find it beneficial and easy to use, and we are excited to see it rolled out and available to autistic people, not just in Scotland, but across the whole world,” Tait added.
AutNav is highly customisable, so individuals can modify it to suit their needs and preferences. It lets them organise their content in a way that makes sense to them, pick their favourite colour theme, and choose how much information they can see at once.
They can also hide individual features depending on how they would like to ineract with AutNav.
Further, the app is specifically designed to work with the accessibility features already available on an individual’s device. It supports both light and dark mode, and is compatible with a range of different text sizes.
Kabie Brook, of Autism Rights Group Highland (ARGH) and a director of the National Autistic Taskforce, commented: “I am absolutely delighted that Dinah Murray’s vision for AutNav has come to life, thanks to Scottish Autism and everyone who has worked hard to make the vision reality.
“AutNav will increase the autonomy of those autistic people and others who currently struggle to enjoy all the benefits of the internet that some of us take for granted.”
The move comes as xDesign looks to build on its reputation as a growing tech consultant in Scotland after a year of record growth and plans to open a Glasgow office in summer 2023.
Joining xDesign from digital transformation organisation Infinity Works, Dalrymple will be responsible for bolstering the company’s presence in Scotland. The role will involve forging partnerships with local industries, communities, and universities to “create a lasting legacy of opportunities for future generations within Scotland,” the company said.
In addition, he will be focused on bringing xDesign’s people-first proposition to its existing client base in Scotland and working to establish the company within new locations and sectors in the region – building on its experience in the financial services, leisure and hospitality, and education technology sectors.
The Edinburgh-headquartered company has grown ten-fold since the start of the Covid-19 pandemic, from 40 employees in 2020 to 400 today, after experiencing record growth in 2022.
Discussing his appointment, Dalrymple said: “I was attracted to xDesign by its people-first culture and its reputation for delivering quality digital products for high profile, household names. The passion and energy generated among its teams is infectious and you can’t help but get excited for what the rest of 2023 has in store.
“There is so much potential here in Scotland; it’s home to a thriving tech scene and a huge pool of talent too. As an organisation, we’re perfectly positioned to become a strategic partner to some of the most ambitious and innovative companies that operate here in Scotland.
“As a result, I’m looking forward to supporting the company, and its clients, to explore new growth possibilities, reach their goals quicker, whilst playing a part in propelling Scotland forward as a truly global tech destination.”
Neil Lockwood, Chief Client Officer at xDesign, said: “Darren epitomises everything it means to be an xDesigner – he’s passionate, talented, and ambitious, with a vision to steer xDesign, and Scotland’s tech scene on to greater things. He comes with significant experience of the regional tech scene and is incredibly well-connected having held senior leadership positions at Infinity Works and Net Talent previously.
“Working closely with our clients to understand their challenges, needs and untapped potential will be the cornerstone of Darren’s role. As Head of Scotland, he’ll also collaborate with clients to drive forward their digital capabilities, deliver great products and achieve common goals at pace.”
Ofcom recognises the reference to the CMA as a ‘significant step’ reflecting the importance of cloud computing to UK consumers and businesses.
Cloud computing has become a critical infrastructure service for many businesses across the economy – including telecoms companies, broadcasters, and public sector organisations – and has transformed the way they deliver the services the UK relies on everyday.
In October, Ofcom launched a study under the Enterprise Act 2002 into cloud infrastructure services in the UK to assess how well the market is working, examining the strength of competition and any features that might limit innovation and growth by creating entry barriers for smaller companies.
Findings
In the UK market, there are two leading providers of cloud infrastructure services: Amazon Web Services (AWS) and Microsoft, who have a combined market share of 60-70%.
Google is their closest competitor, with a share of 5-10%. Collectively, these firms are known as the ‘hyperscalers’ and the vast majority of cloud customers use their services in some form.
Ofcom says that while competitive market forces are delivering benefits to customers – especially where providers are competing to attract new customers – in the form of innovation and discounts, other feature are a cause for concern:
Egress fees – charges that customers pay to transfer data out of a cloud. Hyperscalers set these at significantly higher rates than other providers, which can discourage customers from using services from more than one cloud provider or to switch to an alternative provider.
Technical restrictions on interoperability – impositions to prevent some firms’ services working effectively with services from other providers. This means customers nee to put additional effort into reconfiguring their data and applications to work across different clouds.
Committed spend discounts – while these can benefit customers by reducing costs, the way these discounts are structures can incentivise customers to use a single hyperscaler for all or most of their cloud needs, even when better quality alternatives are available.
Only at the halfway point of its probe, Ofcom has already found indications that this is causing harm, with evidence of cloud customers facing significant price increases when they come to renew their contracts.
Additionally, some customers are concerned about their ability to switch and use multiple providers where this limits their ability to mix and match the best quality services across different providers.
High levels of profitability for the market leaders AWS, and substantial consistent growth in Microsoft’s profits, indicate there are limits to the overall level of competition.
Ofcom is therefore concerned that the constraints on customers’ ability to use more than one provider could make it harder for smaller cloud providers to win business and compete with the market leaders.
Revenues are already concentrated with a few players, and there is a risk that the features Ofcom identified could lead the market to concentrate further towards the market leaders.
Because of this, Ofcom has proposed to refer the cloud infrastructure market to the CMA to carry out a market investigation, which would allow the CMA to further examine the nature and extent of barriers. As well, the investigation would consider if there are possible interventions to improve how the market works for customers and UK consumers.
“We’ve done a deep dive into the digital backbone of our economy, and uncovered some concerning practices, including by some of the biggest tech firms in the world,” said Fergal Farragher, Ofcom’s director responsible for the market study.
“High barriers to switching are already harming competition in what is a fast-growing market. We think more in-depth scrutiny is needed, to make sure it’s working well for people and businesses who rely on these services.”
Ofcom intends to publish their final report setting out their findings and recommendations, as well as their decision on a market investigation reference, no later than 5 October 2023.
The Tech for Good Summit is an annual gathering of technology experts, social entrepreneurs, the volunteer community and tech and third sector leaders who come together to explore the ways in which technology can be used for social good.
This year’s event will feature keynote presentations by Rhodri Davies, Director of Philanthropy Matters, and Kathryn Baddeley, Head of CSR at Cisco UK & Ireland.
Providing a platform for sharing innovative ideas, practical insights and proven strategies, the summit aims to help organisations create positive social impacts through technology.
The event will include a series of panel discussions on a wide range of topics, including the benefits of skilled volunteering, open data challenges and opportunities, technology infrastructure for the third sector and equality of access and opportunity to jobs in the tech sector.
Featuring leading practitioners from various backgrounds and industries, the panel will provide attendees with a well-round perspective on the central issues regarding the third sector.
Alistair Forbes, CEO of the Scottish Tech Army set the scene for the event, saying: “The Tech for Good Summit is a key part of our mission to both expand and increase the cohesion of the tech for good ecosystem in the UK. We are proud to be able to bring together such an outstanding group of presenters and panellists, who will both highlight the art of the possible and challenge attendees to think of more effective ways to scale the impact that can be delivered by coordinated activity. Our rallying call for the day is ‘Come ready to listen – leave ready to act’”.
“The Tech for Good Summit is an important event for those who are passionate about using technology to make a positive impact on society,” said Rhodri Davies. “I am delighted to be a part of this year’s event and look forward to sharing my insights on the ways in which technology can be used to address key social challenges.”
Kathryn Baddeley added, “As the Head of CSR at Cisco UK & Ireland, I have seen first-hand the transformative power of technology when it is used at scale for social good. I am excited to participate in the Tech for Good Summit and to share my experiences and Cisco’s perspective with the attendees.”
The Tech for Good Summit 2023, sponsored by Zebra Growth, promises to be an informative and engaging event that will inspire attendees to explore new ways in which technology can be used to create positive social impact.
To register for the event or to learn more, please visit the event website here.
The ICO has issued the fine following a number of breaches of data protection law, including failing to use children’s personal data lawfully.
“There are laws in place to make sure our children are as safe in the digital world as they are in the physical world,” John Edwards, UK Information Commissioner said. “TikTok did not abide by those laws.”
About 1.4m UK children under 13 were allowed to use the platform in 2020, despite its own rules of not allowing children aged 12 or below to create an account.
UK data protection law says that organisations that use personal data when offering information society services to children under 13 must have consent from their parents of carers.
TikTok failed to do this, and the ICO says the company “ought to have been aware that under 13s were using its platform.”
TikTok also failed to carry out adequate checks to identify and remove underage children from its platform.
The ICO investigation found that a concern was raised internally with some senior employees about children under 13 using the platform and not being removed – the ICO found TikTok did not respond adequately.
“As a consequence, an estimated one million under 13s were inappropriately granted access to the platform, with TikTok collecting and using their personal data. That means that their data may have been used to track them and profile them, potentially delivering harmful, inappropriate content at their very next scroll,” Edwards commented.
In the ICO’s findings, TikTok breached UK General Data Protection Regulation (UK GDPR) between May 2018 and July 2020 by providing services to children under the age of 13 and processing their data without consent or authorisation from parents or carers.
Further, the company failed to provide proper information to people using the platform about how their data is collected, used, or shared in an understandable way. The ICO says this prevented users from making informed decisions on their engagement with the service.
Overall, the ICO said that TikTok failed “to ensure that the personal data belonging to its UK users was processed lawfully, fairly and in a transparent manner.”
Previously, the ICO planned to fine TikTok for £27m, but upon taking into consideration the representations from TikTok, they decided to reduce the fine and not pursue any findings regarding the use of special category data. Special category data includes: ethnic and racial origin, political opinions, religions beliefs, sexual orientation, trade union membership, genetic and biometric data or health data.
It was after the ICO’s investigation of TikTok, the regulator has published the Children’s code to help protect children in the digital world, aimed at online services that are likely accessed by children.
“TikTok should have known better. TikTok should have done better. Our £12.7m fine reflects the serious impact their failures may have had. They did not do enough to check who was using their platform or take sufficient action to remove the underage children that were using their platform,” Edwards concluded.
Established in 2020, the National Cyber Force (NCF) is a partnership between GCHQ and the Ministry of Defence (MOD) which carries out cyber operations on a daily basis in an attempt to protect against threats to the UK, further the UK’s foreign policy, support military operations, and prevent serious crime.
Following the publication of the government’s Integrated Review Refresh (IRR), the publication of a new document, NCF: Responsible Cyber Power in Practice, delivers on the commitment to the IRR to be as transparent as possible about the NCF’s cyber capabilities and provide clarity on how the UK acts as a cyber power.
Director GCHQ, Sir Jeremy Fleming, said: “In an increasingly volatile and interconnected world, to be a truly responsible cyber power, nations must be able to contest and compete with adversaries in cyberspace. In the UK, the National Cyber Force complements the UK’s world class cyber resilience to give the country operational cyber capabilities at the scale needed to protect our free, open, and peaceful society.”
In the statement, the UK government said it is “reiterating its commitment to international stability and security,” deeming its own policies as responsible, with “accountable, precise, and calibrated” operations.
In the paper, the NCF details that its cyber operations are carried out on a “daily basis” and range from supporting military operation, to preventing serious crimes like countering child sexual exploitation and abuse.
Operations are carried out against both state and non-state threats, using a combination of the “MOD’s operational and planning expertise, DSTL’s scientific and technical capabilities, GCHQ’s global intelligence and SIS’s skills in recruiting and running agents alongside delivering clandestine operational technology.”
A new permanent base will be established at Samlesbury in Lancashire, aiming to increase the NCF’s operational output.
The report – written in layman’s terms, discusses the UK’s principles and operational approach, insisting the NCF functions in an ethical manner, in line with national values as well as domestic and international law, and the paper goes into detail on different ethical frameworks underlying its operations.
Other central principles include having precise and calibrated operations.
Operational Approach
Central to the NCF’s approach is the “doctrine of cognitive effect,” which is an approach of weakening an adversary’s ability to plant and conduct activities by using techniques that have the potential to sow distrust and decrease moral.
This includes removing the digital technology groups rely on in order to function, such as taking away extremist groups’ abilities to publish media.
Other approaches include limiting adversaries’ lines of communication or affecting their confidence in digital technology in order to prevent their ability to acquire, analyse, and ultimately exploit the information they need.
Covertly damaging the integrity of an adversary’s systems so they are less functional rather than completely denying the service was found to have a more long-lasting effect.
A “Responsible Cyber Actor”
In a statement, the UK government insisted it was a “responsible cyber actor,” taking actions that would set it apart from its adversaries.
The NCF’s work is covert in nature – the details of opertaions must not be revealed as the ambiguity of certain opertaions is key to amplifying the congnitive effect.
Despite the necessary level of secrecy, however, the government has decided to disclose that over the last three years the NCF has delivered operations to:
Protect military deployments overseas;
Disrupt terrorist groups;
Counter sophisticated, stealthy and continuous cyber threats;
Counter state disinformation campaigns;
Reduce the threat of external interference in democratic elections; and
Remove child sexual abuse material from public spaces online.
Sir Fleming added: “Building upon two decades of experience, the dynamic new partnership has countered state threats, made key contributions to military operations, and disrupted terrorist cells and serious criminals including child sex offenders.”
The paper hopes to reiterate the UK’s commitment to international stability and security, and illustrate how states can act responsibly in cyberspace, in line with domestic and international law.
Sir Fleming continued: “With the threat growing and the stakes higher than ever before, we hope this document provides a benchmark for the UK’s approach and a basis for like-minded governments to come together internationally to establish a shared vision and values for the responsible use of cyber operations.”
General Sir Jim Hockenhull, Commander of Strategic Command, said: “The National Cyber Force is a crucial tool in our integrated approach to national security and our defence of the UK.
“Working across Government and with our international allies is vital. There is a power in partnerships, and we must go further to out-cooperate and out-compete states that are driving instability.”
On Friday 31 March, Capita confirmed there had been a cyber ‘incident,’ which has now been confirmed as an attack.
While the UK government contractor has not yet confirmed the nature of the attack, employees of Capita said its IT services were impacted, including its Microsoft 365 Suite.
Capita is one of the largest suppliers for the UK public sector, and provides supplies for many military institutions as well as the NHS, and is contracted for HM Revenue and Customs.
As revealed by a Capita employee to The Guardian, employees were unable to log into their laptops, as their credentials were deemed incorrect.
Staff had to revert to manual notes as Capita’s critical infrastructure took a hit.
In a statement released on 31 March, Capita said that a “cyber incident” impacted its internal Microsoft Office 365 applications.
“Our IT security monitoring capabilities swiftly alerted us to the incident, and we quickly invoked our established and practised technical crisis management protocols. Immediate steps were taken to successfully isolate and contain the issue. The issue was limited to parts of the Capita network and there is no evidence of customer, supplier or colleague data having been compromised,” the statement read.
Because of Capita’s size, reach, and governmental importance, the potential of a cyber-attack was immediately concerning, as it could be a target of nation-state actors or those looking for financial gain.
Capita has since restored its system, according to the statement: “Working in collaboration with our specialist technical partners, we have restored Capita colleague access to Microsoft Office 365 and we are making good progress restoring remaining client services in a secure and controlled manner.”
Gender inequality in tech is an ongoing problem and a critical subject of discussion – continuous reports highlight that the issue is simply not going away, and progress is staggeringly slow.
The World Economic Forum recently published a set of four recommended pathways for getting women into tech leadership roles noting that gender equality “remains an unfulfilled promise.”
A recent study of the gender balance of Chief Information Officers at FTSE 100 companies by Frank Recruitment Group, a Tenth Revolution Group company, revealed that in 2022, women made up just 27% of CIOs and that their average tenure at that level was a full year shorter than their male counterparts.
To follow on on these enquiries into women in tech leadership roles, researchers at Revolent, a Tenth Revolution Group company, have conducted a case study of middle management tech roles across the top companies by market cap in the UK, Canada, and the US.
Looking specifically at senior and lead roles for architects, developers, and engineers, the findings indicate fewer women than men at middle management, and that those women who are present seem to have less time in those roles as well.
In both the UK and US, only 11% of middle management tech roles are occupied by women, and 17% in Canada.
Further, the tenure in these roles is shorter for women: the average tenure for men in middle management is 3.7 years, with women only staying 2.5 years on average, equalling a gap of 1.2 years.
At the senior level, this gap increases to 1.4 year, with a gap of 1 year in lead level role tenures.
In addition to this, women make up just 22% of tech professionals who have a tenure of more than a decade in their role.
Revolent EMEA & APAC CEO Ian Clark commented: “Gender inequality’s still a critical subject in tech, because progress has been too slow. The data here on middle management helps build out the picture on leadership – if we aren’t getting women into these senior and lead roles, there’s less chance they’ll reach the executive level.
“And their shorter average tenure is also a potential problem. It may mean that women have started in their positions more recently of course, but it could also indicate that women are not staying in these jobs. We have to make sure we’re equipping women in tech with the resources, support, and opportunities they need to progress.”
But what is to be done about this persistent issue?
Clark continued: “Gender inequality is a major issue in tech, and all the more pressing to address in the context of the skills gap. This study is an important reminder that we need to be thinking about pathways. We have to encourage and empower women to pursue tech work at every level so that there are women who can progress from entry level roles to senior roles, and so there are women at senior and lead level who can progress to the executive level. We can’t only be working to solve the problem at just one level, the whole journey is important.”
Despite the number of unfilled job vacancies in the tech sector falling by more than a fifth in the latter months of 2022, the skills gap continues to plague the sector as 55,000 roles are left unfilled.
Craig Freedberg, Regional Director Technology, at Robert Half, commented: “Despite the news of layoffs in big tech, and indeed our own research showing that the number of unfilled tech roles has decreased, there is no denying that companies are still contending with skills shortage – particularly start-ups and scaling entities.”
The research reveals that, while the average number of unfilled job vacancies in the sector fell by 21.4% annually in quarter four 2022, companies – particularly scaling tech businesses and start-ups – are still facing big challenges filling vital vacancies with the digital skills they need to remain competitive.
Further, the report shows that average earnings in the sector were up by 8.6% year on year, marking an acceleration from 6.3% in quarter three.
Earnings in the sector were more than two-thirds higher (67.9%) than average pay across all industries.
While this is positive news for talent in the current crisis, it does suggest that employers are still having to entice candidates with inflated remuneration packages as demand remains high.
Even so, other reports have suggested that tech workers are looking for more than high wages when applying for jobs, with Gen-Z in particular looking at a company’s ethics and impact when applying for jobs.
“There are more high-growth companies in the UK than European peers, with 144 unicorns, 237 futurecorns and 85,000 start-ups and scale-ups being created,” Freedberg commented.
“With big tech no longer aggressively recruiting we are seeing a rebalancing towards SME businesses that have – and continue to – struggle to source talent.
“Against this backdrop candidates with the right skills set are certainly in the driving seat, and employers are having to develop compelling attraction strategies, not only in relation to remuneration, but also broader benefits packages in what is a skill short environment.”
Raising Partners co-founder Helena Di Biase announced the Glasgow-based VC fund for up-and-coming Scottish firms, aiming to address and mitigate current fundraising barriers.
Specifically, the fund was created in an effort to address the lack of seed and pre-seed capital founders in Scotland need, something Di Biase classifies as “crucial.”
The team is raising £15 million for an inaugural venture capital fund, with an aim of making 24 investments into pre-seed and seed stage start-ups at £300,000 each.
According to Di Baise, at least 75% of the investments will be inc Scotland-based companies.
Di Biase told the Herald in her interview announcement that Scottish companies only received seven per cent of 2022 equity investments made in the UK.
The fund therefore aims to boost the Scottish economy and start-up landscape, and hopes to continually bolster companies throughout their progression – nearly half of the funding is being held for follow-up investments to ensure continued growth.
New technologies will be the main focal point of the investments, especially those set to garner the greatest societal impact in sustainability, healthcare, and socioeconomic mobility.
Di Biase told The Herald: “There is a huge opportunity to invest in some of the world’s most cutting-edge businesses here in Scotland, particularly those in climate tech, health tech and sustainability and we’re excited to be able to go some way in addressing the funding imbalance that exists across the UK.”
Further, to address inherent barriers in applying for funding, the team is removing the necessity of a ‘warm introduction’ for applicants.
Besides providing investment themselves, Raising Partners, which has an Edinburgh based-syndicate, was founded to provide advice and guidance through the difficult funding ecosystem.
Robin Bylenga started her cybersecurity presentation with a story – about her time growing up in West Texas, being bucked off every horse she tried to ride – her father always insisted she get back up and try again.
The point of the story quickly became obvious – Bylenga was trying to humanise herself and create a connection with the audience, a packed room at Dynamic Earth for DIGIT’s Scot-Secure 2023.
This is the exact thing she recommends companies do to improve their cybersecurity – maybe not tell a story involving barnyard animals, but to connect with their employees.
Blind Spots in Cybersecurity
Bylenga went on to point out the ‘blind spots’ deteriorating cyber perspectives – keying in too closely to technological advancements is blocking out both the route of many cyber problems, and potential solutions.
“We can’t spend all of our time and money on processes, not logic,” Bylenga said.
When analysing the processes that go into cybersecurity incidents and attacks, however, certain things become clear.
“We’ve seen the data, heard that 95% of cyber attacks are caused by human error, that humans are the weakest link,” Bylenga said.
While Bylenga does not like this ‘negative’ language, it would logically follow that if humans are central to the problem, they might be key to the solution.
And we are desperate for a solution – amid major cybersecurity staff shortages and an increasingly digital world, cyber attacks are increasingly sophisticated and perverse. From nation state actors trying to take down hospital infrastructure, to email phishing attacks trying to access personal information, the threat landscape is less secure than ever.
As the pandemic shifted many workers remote, the increase of Internet of Things (IoT) devices only increased the number of avenues for potential attack and leak risks.
Startling statistics were presented: by 2025, 347 billion emails will be sent and received daily.
The global cost of data breaches will reach $9billion, according to IBM.
Throughout all of these changing issues and landscapes, people remain central to cybersecurity.
During the Scot-Secure event, NHS Highland was chastised for their lack of proper data protection practices: a simple human error of CC-ing rather than BCC-ing an email revealed personal health data. Human errors such as clicking on scam links can be devastating for a company.
While cybersecurity technology may be advancing, in many companies security can still come down to simply following ‘best practices.’
But the humaneness of people is often ignored in favour of developing and investing solely in technology – processes rather than logic.
“We’ve got brilliant tech,” Bylenga assured the audience full of cyber specialists, “but we can’t get so secure and have a false sense of security that the tech alone is going to protect us.”
Human Errors, Human Solutions
According to the 2023 Gartner report on cybersecurity, by 2025, a lack of talent or human failure, will be responsible for over half of all significant cyber events.
While the report understands that human error is a major factor in cyber incidents, it also predicts that 50% of CISOs will adopt a human centric design to reduce ‘operational friction’ within cybersecurity.
This prediction comes after finding that 90% of employees who admitted undertaking a range of unsecure actions during work knew their actions would increase cyber risks,, but did so anyway.
This phenomenon is what Bylenga classifies as a non-malicious, with intent incident, where employees put their company at risk not due to any malicious intentions, but to side-step protocol, get their work done faster, improve efficiency, or even by simply using their own non-secure device.
But why would people knowingly put their organisations at risk? Surely, they would be to blame for any incidents or successful phishing attacks.
According to Bylenga, this thought process is entirely wrong.
“The Information security department needs to be a part of a department of trust, not a department where people feel intimidated, or where people feel stupid, or uneducated,” Bylenga insists, indicating a culture shift is needed to better enhance security.
“Malicious acts are a very, very small part of what actually happens in our corporations,” Bylenga informed the audience. “Much more of it has to do with mistakes or systemic issues.”
Accidentally disclosing passwords, skipping trainings, violating protocols to get work done faster, are more typical instances affecting the companies.
But in mitigating these issues, Bylenga insisted on building a department of trust – “Because ultimately, in reducing risk, we want people to report.”
Removing blame, but not accountability, would encourage more employees to proactively report any incidents without fear of repercussions.
Getting to understand a department can better direct training, and building a human connection is vital for effective communication from both parties.
When pressed about how to properly discipline an employee who regularly broke protocol by clicking on phishing links, potentially jeopardising a company, Bylenga stuck to her guns.
Firing was out of the question.
“That’s just never the right move,” she said. Understanding a team and why a person may be making these choices was more important in the long run of avoiding future cyber incidents.
Part of her recommendations included managing by walking around, asking questions about day to day operations, and understanding employee concerns before making decisions on training or security protocols.
Reaching out to people where they are, rather than where you might want them to be, is also key in creating relevant training practices.
Understanding systemic issues, rather than shifting blame to individuals, is vital in building a communicative, trustful, and secure company.
“Security is all of us, and it takes a whole team, not just the technology,” Bylenga drove home the point.
A new research-driven business toolkit, which seeks to increase opportunities for a more diverse workforce within the tech sector, has been unveiled by Colorintech at an event in London.
The toolkit, commissioned by the UK Government’s Department for Science, Innovation and Technology (DSIT), was produced after months of research by Colorintech, the non-profit organisation that supports diversity and inclusion in the tech UK industry as well as a more transparent and inclusive tech economy.
Improving Diversity and Inclusion
Special guest at the event was the Minister for Tech and the Digital Economy, MP Paul Scully.
Scully said: “It’s my mission to ensure the exciting careers on offer on offer in our thriving tech industry are available to everyone, no matter their background.
“I strongly encourage tech businesses to use this toolkit to help them attract and retain a diverse range of tech talent which will generate innovation and benefits for all.”
Better Pathways
Colorintech co-founder Ashleigh Ainsley said: “This is a truly a groundbreaking moment where we’re able to present the first research of its kind, commissioned by the DSIT, that looks into how to enable better pathways for ethnic minorities in tech.”
The research project, which surveyed and interviewed hundreds of mid-senior tech professionals on their views about discrimination, working conditions and scales of pay, calls upon employers to implement a number of changes which would benefit minority ethnic workers.
The changes include: providing greater pay transparency through salary banding; tackling racial prejudice and poor behaviour in the workplace; and encouraging supportive relationships with line managers.
The Survey’s Findings
Findings from Colorintech’s survey show that 79% of minority ethnic workers surveyed believe they have been offered a lower salary than they had expected; that 61% of ethnic minorities had been subjected to discrimination in the last 24 months; and that 60% of Black professionals have experienced barriers to entering the industry in the last year.
Furthermore, over half (58%) had experienced microaggression in the workplace during the last 24 months.
Ashleigh concludes: “Creating a more and diverse and inclusive tech workforce starts with recognising and addressing the barriers that prevent ethnic minorities from entering and thriving in the industry, Importantly we need to equip corporations to do so with actionable recommendations. It’s not just about ticking boxes for diversity – it’s about unlocking the untapped potential and talent that exists in every town and city.”
The toolkit research is part of Colorintech’s broader mission to create a more diverse and inclusive tech industry. Since 2018, Colorintech has been working to address the lack of diversity in tech by providing training, mentorship, and networking opportunities for underrepresented groups in the industry.
The investment will create 50 new jobs at the Glasgow-based company, which specialises in energy consumption monitoring technology, and will use The Bank’s support to scale up to target new global markets.
By providing real time and actionable Environmental, Social, and Governable (ESG) data in multi-tenant buildings, Utopi is supporting the transition to Net Zero and Scotland’s tech ecosystem.
Figures indicate that the new ESG technology could reduce over 6,500 tonnes of carbon from multi-resident buildings over three years, improving ESG performance by 20%, and increasing asset value by up to five percent.
Utopi CEO, Jonathan Burridge, said: “This investment will support our ambitious plan to become the number one ESG Technology platform in our target markets. Data driven transformation is essential to reducing global carbon emissions, and with the support of the Bank, we can reach audiences around the world sooner.
“The Bank really understands the opportunity we have to make an impact, and we are thrilled to have them onboard for the next exciting stage of our journey.”
The Scottish technology company is currently working in partnership with developer operator Moda Living in Edinburgh at its 476-home neighbourhood, Moda, The McEwan, to monitor the energy consumption of individual properties located in the residential building.
For monitoring carbon emission levels, building managers have access to real-time data through GRESB and another ESG benchmarking tools.
Residents can also track day-to-day usage through an app.
Nicola Douglas, executive director of innovation at the Scottish National Investment Bank said: “We are fully committed to achieving Scotland’s net zero targets.
“This investment has the potential to make a significant impact on carbon emissions in the real estate sector, futureproofing sustainable communities around Scotland.
“Our investment into Utopi will support several new data-lead jobs in the company, helping to build Scotland’s technology ecosystem.
“Utopi’s technology has a strong alignment with both our Net Zero and Innovation missions and we look forward to working with them to deliver their ambitious growth plans.”
Amanda Rennie, Operations Director at Moda Living, said: “Operating our rental neighbourhoods sustainably, and empowering our residents to live a green lifestyle are huge priorities for Moda Living.
“Utopi’s technology allows us to interact with the efficiency of our buildings in a way that’s completely unique to the residential sector – at Moda, The McEwan and at our rental neighbourhoods across the UK.
“We look forward to working together with Utopi and seeing the technology in action having secured this well-deserved investment from the Scottish National Investment Bank.”
Global scaleup professional development platform Reforge specialises in connecting product and growth professionals with the insights, strategies and frameworks of tech executives who have launched and scaled some of the major companies of the last decade including HubSpot, Slack, Zapier, and more.
Fareed Mosavat, Chief Development Officer at Reforge, said: “We have already developed a great working relationship with CodeBase, and we’re excited that the first Techscaler cohort has joined Reforge. Our team greatly looks forward to working with talented founders and executives from the Scottish tech scene.”
Reforge will deliver advanced training for the established companies in the cohort, who are gaining traction and looking to scale.
Techscaler, the Scottish Government’s £42 million programme to support the growth of tech startups across Scotland, was awarded to CodeBase, the UK’s largest technology incubator, in July 2022.
Techscaler offers a suite of support to startup founders in Scotland including mentorship, community, workspace, and education, with courses tailored to each stage of the startup journey, from ideation through to scaling, and beyond.
Eligible organisations that become Techscaler members can receive free access to Reforge courses and education, worth thousands of pounds per year, as part of their membership.
Alongside access to Reforge courses, the cohort will be supported by Techscaler’s Education team through mentorship, study groups, and expert help and advice from local industry operators.
Overall, the collaboration between Techscaler and Reforge aims to empower tech entrepreneurs and employees in Scotland with the practical knowledge, guidance, and resources needed to take their businesses to the next level.
Shona Marsh, Head of Education Programmes at CodeBase, said: “The partnership with Reforge brings Silicon Valley playbooks, scaleup experience and best practices to Scotland, to help companies accelerate their growth.
“We have some fantastic people in the first cohort, from interesting and impactful scaleups, with their own strong experience to add value to the community, and they now get the chance to learn from experts who have been instrumental in the growth of some of the world’s best known tech groups.
“Participants will be able to learn from the successes and failures of those who have been there and done it before through Reforge case studies, so it will be invaluable for the cohort to immerse themselves in the key principles that have underpinned so many successful ventures.”
Marlou Siemerink, Senior Product Manager at Cyacomb, said: “From first impressions, Reforge is a really great platform with fantastic content. We feel privileged and energised to gain access to such valuable insights from industry operators who have done it before, and we’re looking forward to meeting with and learning alongside other startup specialists.”
Techscaler runs a range of programmes and courses, including Startup Basics, Startup First Steps, and Startup Next Steps, online and in person across 7 regional hubs in Glasgow, Edinburgh, Stirling, Dundee, Aberdeen, Dumfries, and Inverness.
The Startup Basics course was launched in December and can be accessed at any time via the Techscaler online community, First Steps begins soon – with enrolment for the upcoming cohort open until 5th April, and Next Steps is set to start in September.
Earlier this year, CodeBase launched CodeBase Bridge: Playbooks for Building Startups, a course for postgraduate students at the University of Edinburgh. Funded by the Edinburgh Futures Institute, the accredited, elective course is for students with early-stage startup ideas, who are keen to learn more about technology, startup thinking, innovation, and entrepreneurship.
Professor of Environmental Science and Scotland Hydro Nation Chair Andrew Tyler is the University of Stirling‘s lead in the joint research project which will see remote water quality monitoring carried out using satellite technology.
According to a preliminary assessment by the United Nations Environment Programme, the war has caused untold damage to water pumping stations, purification plants and waste water treatment facilities. This is likely to have caused contamination of ground and surface waters.
Working with experts at Odessa State Environmental University, Professor Tyler is building expertise on enhancing and protecting water quality in post-war Ukraine.
“Everything in Ukraine has been impacted by the war,” Professor Tyler said. “Including the quality of freshwater in lakes and reservoirs.
“Water quality is crucial to human health but conventional sampling of aquatic systems is challenging during military conflicts.
“The availability of free-to-access, consistent and long-term Earth observation (EO) data provide the ability to observe aquatic systems remotely. Few countries have the capacity to fully exploit the potential of these new satellite data products so our aim is to build the expertise in Odessa State University to exploit the EO opportunities for national monitoring.”
After the Russian invasion of Ukraine, the University Stirling has underlined its solidarity with all those affected by the war and condomed the attack – the university has stated its supporting the actions taken by staff and students to support the Ukrainians who have been effected.
The University of Stirling has been awarded funds through Universities UK International‘s (UUKi) twinning initiative to support joint research with Odessa State Environmental University in Ukraine.
A total of £4.42 million made available to universities across the UK will help fortify research capacity in Ukraine’s universities, preventing a brain drain of academic talent and ensuring the country’s universities can play a critical role in post-war reconstruction.
Research from STX Next, a European software development company specialising in Python, found that soft skills dominate importance among programmers.
Over 100 Python developers were surveyed in the Python Tech Radar report, where soft skills came out on top as the most important factors to becoming a great python developer.
32% of developers surveyed said an ability to think logically, critically, and analytically is the key to becoming a great Python developer.
A further 14% said persistence was key to their job, with the same proportion of respondents saying a readiness for tackling new challenges and for continuous learning were crucial.
The report offered several insights into the world of Python developers.
20% of respondents highlighted mentorship as another soft skill to focus on, while 19% said they wish to improve their communication skills.
Mentorship has been a large part of driving diversity and inclusion in the work place, as many marginalised groups say a lack of role models are holding them back from pursuing tech.
Further, the survey also revelaed that 93% of Python developers highlighted self-learning as the main method they learnt to programme, with a further 56% said that they regularly made use of online courses.
This trumped more traditional pathways of university degrees, showing the various ways of entering the tech sphere.
In addition to this, many developers said the best way to learn is through practical experience – 70% said their main training and learning activities consisted of working on new and existing commercial projects, slightly higher than those who cited working on their own personal projects (64%).
While learning was noted as important, time was clearly a limiting factor: 75% of developers spend just six hours or fewer learning per week, with 42% spending one to three hours, and 32% spending four to six hours.
Ronald Binkofski, CEO at STX Next said: “Our research reveals what has long been known within the tech industry: the modern day developer is a lot more than simply someone who codes and understands a programming language. Technical skills are a given but soft skills are what set the best developers apart.
“Recent layoffs in the industry have increased the pressure on developers to expand their skillsets even more. Organisations that are facing up to economic challenges will seek resilient and multitalented employees that can guide teams through hard times and ride out the storm.
“Recruiting and retaining developers that can blend a proficiency in coding with the ability to motivate teams and help others to improve are invaluable to businesses. It’s positive to see from our research that in response to this growing need, developers are dedicating time to improving their employability and building their skillsets.”
Binkofski concluded: “Employers are demanding that their new hires are leaders, mentors and that they have a proficient understanding of the ins and outs of business. Resilience and perseverance, coupled with an ability to think logically and analytically in approaches to problem solving, should be regarded as crucial tools in the kit of any developer.”
Edinburgh-based event ticketing platform, Citizen Ticket, has appointed former Skyscanner executive Carolyn Jameson as its new Chair.
Jameson’s two decades of leadership experience within the global technology sector includes six years as Chief Legal Officer at Skyscanner, where she played a role in its international growth and oversaw its sale to Chinese travel company, Ctrip, for £1.4bn in 2016.
Founded in 2013, Citizen Ticket provides a ticketing and booking platform for event organisers. They company’s cloud-based self-service software enables its clients to generate online payments for ticket sales, manage customers, and capture important data.
Harry Boisseau, Citizen Ticket’s co-founder and CEO, said: “We are absolutely delighted to welcome Carolyn as our new Chair, an appointment which underlines our ambition to become the most fundamental platform for events and experiences while making a lasting positive impact to our planet.
“Carolyn is a highly skilled and experienced operator within the global tech sector and a key player who has helped scale major technology businesses to reach their full market potential. She brings real substance to our team and will be a major contributing factor to our future success and growth.”
As well as handling customer service, Citizen Ticket also provides on-site support to clients and assists them with event advertising and marketing.
The company claims they operate with a strong commitment towards Environmental, Social, and Governance (ESG) and has implemented measures to combat ticket fraud and touting.
Further, through its partnership with the National Forest, it also invests a portion of its revenues in the creation and management of new UK woodlands.
Having recovered from economic impacts of Covid-19 on social events, Citizen Ticket is now seeing significant growth – the company is on track to exceed £6.2m in transactional volume in the current financial year which are forecast to rise to over £18.6m by 2025.
Carolyn Jameson, said of her appointment: “I’m excited to join the team at Citizen Ticket, a company with an innovative, technology-driven offering that is addressing key challenges facing event organisers while enhancing the experience for consumers.
“I look forward to working closely with Harry and his colleagues and supporting them on their growth journey. Along with its focus on improving service delivery and customer experience, I also share and support Citizen Ticket’s commitment towards sustainability which sits at the heart of its ambitious vision.”
In January, Tech Nation announced it would cease operations in its current form, following the award of its core government grant funding to Barclays Bank, ending a decade of work as the UK’s growth platform for tech startups and founders.
At that time, Tech Nation invited expressions of interest from organisations that would be interested in its brand.
Having received and carefully evaluated dozens of expressions of interest, Tech Nation can confirm it has entered into discussions with Founders Forum Group (FF Group), a global community and group of businesses supporting entrepreneurs at every stage of their journeys.
Tech Nation Founding CEO, Gerard Grech, said: “We have been delighted by the dozens of expressions of interest that we received and want to thank all those that have engaged with us during this process. We are very excited to be in discussions with Founders Forum Group, which we think is well placed to build on the legacy that Tech Nation has created over the last 10 years, given their ethos and approach to supporting entrepreneurs at every stage.”
In the last decade, Tech Nation has helped shape the trajectory of UK tech to be the number one digital economy in Europe and number three globally, valued at $1tn (16x growth in 10 years), employing 5m people (up from 2m in 2013), with over 20 places in the UK home to one tech unicorn or more.
Additionally, a third of tech unicorns ever created in UK history have passed through one of its growth programmes.
Tech Nation Chair, Stephen Kelly said: “It’s been a golden decade of growth of prosperity for UK tech. The tech ecosystem has gained so much from Tech Nation as the natural platform for UK scaleups which have been the jewel in the crown. It is immensely positive news for the UK that FF Group is excited to explore what more can be done to create another golden decade.”
Assuming both parties agree, FF Group would seek to continue Tech Nation’s legacy and plans to adopt the brand lineup into its existing portfolio of events and services tailored to entrepreneurs.
FF Group CEO, Carolyn Dawson said: “We’re delighted to be in discussions with Tech Nation around the future evolution of this impactful brand. Our hope is to build on the great work of Tech Nation and continue to serve as the collective voice of founders and investors across the UK, collaborating with media, government, and industry to entrench the UK as a world-renowned startup hub and leading innovation economy.”
In addition to this update, Tech Nation continues to be in talks with the Home Office about the future of the Global Talent Visa route.
In the meantime, Tech Nation will continue to accept new Global Talent endorsement applications for the foreseeable future, until a new endorsing body is in place.
FF Group Co-Founder and Executive Chair, Brent Hoberman said: “Over the last decade, Tech Nation has played an instrumental role accelerating startup growth and making the UK Europe’s top digital economy. We’re keen to continue this legacy and help more UK founders scale more groundbreaking ideas, keeping the UK at the centre of tech innovation.”
Grech concluded: “The last decade has been an incredible success story. One in which the UK is now third in the world for tech investment. The team and I are fortunate enough to have seen a third of all tech unicorns and decacorns ever created in UK history graduate from a Tech Nation programme. We look forward to these continued discussions.”
Despite the global disruption caused by the COVID-19 pandemic, space organisations presented a robust picture, generating £17.5bn in 2021, compare to £16.5bn in the previous year.
The sector now employs just under 48,800 people and supports an estimated 126,800 UK jobs across the wider supply chain.
Secretary of State for Science, Innovation and Technology, Michelle Donelan, said: “With the global space economy expanding rapidly, investing in UK our space capabilities can unlock new opportunities, bringing more jobs, skills and businesses to the UK.
“The government is committed to supporting this high-growth sector, boosting the UK’s reputation as a growing space power, and inspiring the next generation of professionals.”
Space applications generally, which incorporate services such as broadcasting and mobile satellite communications, space manufacturing, including satellites and scientific instruments for space missions, and space operations and ancillary services were the biggest growth drivers.
John Hanley, Chair of the UKspace trade body, said: “Further growth in the UK space sector, particularly during what was an incredibly challenging time for most UK industries, demonstrates the sector’s resilience and ingenuity. It is gratifying to see the sector growing in areas of the country that have previously been under represented – we look forward to supporting these new entrants to the space sector through our new cluster membership of UKspace.
“These positive figures underline the opportunities that space offers to drive inspiration, aspiration and productive jobs across the UK. In order to capitalise on this, we must further strengthen our partnerships to maintain growth across the whole of the sector, allowing us to extend our reach and support the UK space industry in cementing its position as a leading player in the global space arena.”
High Growth, High Confidence
The report by know.space researched 1,590 UK-based space-related organisations, and included 303 survey responses on the outlook for the space sector.
The 5.1% growth in income shows a higher growth rate than recent years and outpaced both the growth of the global space industry in the same period (1.6%) and the general UK economy, which contracted by 7.6%.
Despite the challenges of the cost of living, survey respondents were optimistic about the future, with three in five expecting to growth their income over the next few years, over half (58%) expecting to employ more staff, and half anticipating higher investments.
Nearly three quarters of survey respondents cited support from the UK Space Agency as a key enabler for commercial success.
Space continues to attract a diverse range of investors, mostly (89%) from the private sector.
Figures for 2022 (using Crunchbase) show that an estimated £635 million was invested in UK-headquartered space companies through 34 identified deals, with acquisitions accounting for three quarters of the total investment value.
There has been a steady upward trend in both the number of investments (from one in 2012 to 34 last year) and the population of investors (from one in 2012 to 66 last year).
Par Equity, Innovate UK, and the Scottish Investment Bank have been the source of most deals during this time.
Robert Gordon’s College has launched its scholarship programme for RGC Online aimed at providing young talent with the skills and knowledge required to support a future career in the Scottish tech sector.
RGC Online offers live-taught SQA accredited qualifications in Higher Computing Science and Higher Applications of Mathematics, as well as bespoke online tech modules such as Artificial Intelligence, Data Science and Machine Learning, Cybersecurity, Game Design, Entrepreneurship and Quantum Computing.
The college’s scholarships are intended to remove financial barriers and ensure pupils across Scotland can take part in the programme irrespective of their location or background. The scholarships are to be rewarded based on merit and financial need.
Robin Macpherson, Head of Robert Gordon’s College, said: “At Robert Gordon’s College, we believe that everyone deserves access to high-quality education. By offering scholarships for RGC Online, we aim to remove financial barriers, ensuring pupils across the country can take part. A significant number of places are fully funded to facilitate social mobility and open up a gateway to future success in the growing tech sector.
“These scholarships are part of our ongoing commitment to making our education accessible to all students. We want to give young talent the opportunity to shine and learn from the brightest minds in technology.”
RGC Online was created in response to the ‘major talent shortage’ identified in the Logan Review by the Scottish Government, which highlighted the need to provide young people with opportunities to learn National Qualification courses that they might not otherwise be able to study in their local school.
Developed in collaboration with tech industry experts and academic leaders from Robert Gordon University and Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) and will provide students with the same high standard of education offered by Robert Gordon’s College, one of Scotland’s leading independent schools.
The programme has been designed to enable students to study with like minded peers across the country, as well as encourage them to interact with their teacher and receive personalised feedback, just as they would in a classroom.
Students will be enrolled in small classes to ensure a high degree of teacher support and will have access to comprehensive and engaging digital learning materials.
In the STC’s recent Diversity and Inclusion in STEM report, under-represented groups were still found to be a low levels across the pipeline, and urged that this should take priority for DSIT.
Part of the Department’s major challenges in delivering on the Prime Minister’s ambitions to turn the UK into a technology superpower lies in the skill shortage – while tech jobs are in demand, there simply are not enough skilled workers to fill all the gaps.
A key factor in this issue, however, is the lack of diversity found across STEM industries, which starts from an early age.
The report examined school children and subject uptake into A-levels across England, finding gender disparity as well as racial and ethnic disparity in subject intake. Girls were much less likely to continue with STEM subjects than boys, and those from Black and Caribbean ethnic backgrounds were also less likely to take STEM subjects than their white or Asian classmates.
While the report recognised that it was institutionalised sexism at the heart of the gender disparity, it made no reflection on why the racial disparity permeated at such an early age in schoolchildren across England.
The STC highlighted how single interventions or policies would not be effective in solving the issues and a systematic approach should instead be adopted to help solve the lack of representation in STEM education and work.
Some barriers the report cited as inducing the diversity gap include a lack of support from teachers, a lack of visible role models, a lack of access for those from less privileged socio-economic backgrounds, and differing opinions from cultural perspectives.
Sheila Flavell CBE, Chief Operating Officer for FDM Group, commented: “The lack of diversity in STEM is an ongoing issue and requires greater action that an all-in-one solution. The issue is complex with many barriers to entry within STEM fields, as well as the struggles with retention, so reviewing what can be done to promote and support under-represented groups along each stage of the pipeline is crucial.”
More specifically, the STC is recommending higher wages for STEM teachers to increase the number and skillset of teachers so students are better supported, continually updating the curriculum to include more relevant role models such as women and BAME scientists, improving the access to ‘triple science’ GCSEs across the board, and gathering data on different disparities to better understand and mitigate root causes.
The lack of diversity among STEM teachers was also highlighted as a key component of the issues, stating that an additional 15,655 black teachers would need to be added to the general population of teachers to match the number of black students in education.
Flavell added: “The education sector plays a large part in this, as children from a young age may be exposed to a lack of diversity in role models, especially teachers, within STEM that may impact their want to pursue the subject. The government should implement further support for teachers from diverse backgrounds to enter teaching and receive the right support to aid in retention.”
For higher research institutions, the STC report also noted several barriers widening disparity, including hiring and funding practices, as well as representatives on deciding committees.
The need for targeted interventions has thus been identified to champion this issue, and once the new department addresses this topic, the education and research sectors are expected to follow in its lead.
“It is great to see this call to action for the government, especially as the new department has so much potential to help curve obstacles and drive inclusion,” Flavell said.
“By tapping into underrepresented groups, new talents can evolve and continue in the fight for a fairer, more inclusive society.”
The Confederation of British Industry (CBI) has announced the launch of Project Decacorns in a bid to scale the UK’s unicorns into £10 billion decacorns.
CBI President Brian McBride made the announcement in a Speech at Mansion House, with intentions to support the UK’s most innovative and high-growth companies to create a more productive and dynamic economy.
“The UK is one of only three countries around the world with more than 100 unicorn companies – those valued at $1 billion. I’m spearheading a programme to transform the UK’s great $1bn unicorn companies into ‘decacorns’ $10bn companies this decade, that can unleash growth – and jobs – right across the country,” McBride said.
”I’m certain that in the UK, if we pull together – Government and business, business and business – we’ve got what it takes to create not just a UK Silicon Valley, but a global growth powerhouse.“
McBride reflected on what he referred to as the UK’s unique advantages in created and attracting the best tech talent in the world, highlighting the success of the sector by saying “We’re the only country in the world besides the US and China with a tech sector worth over $1 trillion.”
He also gave special attention the UK Fintech, celebrating the sector, which is worth over £11bn – “which is 10% of global market share,” he said.
“It’s our secret weapon – the spark plug to set off the full power of the City of London and the financial services sector in the global race for growth.”
Further, tech expansion and growth is already expected under the right conditions, with TechNation predicting the industry’s value to quadruple by 2032.
The same report saw a decline in the creation of Unicorns in 2022 – but future unicorns, those on the road to a $1bn evaluation, are still growing.
CBI Deputy Director for Digital & Decacorns project lead, Susannah Odell said: “The Prime Minister and Chancellor announced ambitious plans to turn the UK into the next Silicon Valley. We are fully behind their goal in creating a more innovative and prosperous economy and are ready to work with government in turning this dream into a reality.
“In the US, they are already creating a new generation of decacorns – businesses that scale to $10 billion in value. We at the CBI believe the UK can step up and match that. We want to knock down the blockers holding them back and find smart solutions to boost their success in partnership with government. That’s what our project is all about.”
The National Infrastructure Commission (NIC) has published its 2023 Infrastructure Progress Review, praising the government’s progressive rollout of broadband connectivity.
“Deliver of full fibre and gigabit capable broadband is progressing rapidly,” the report said.
The government has recieved several praises in the report for their ‘genuine commitment’ to digital connectivity across the country, and the Commission has said that all of their recommendations have been met or partially met.
Currently, consumers are paying less for both fixed and mobile services than they did a decade ago, though prices will rise in April.
The government is on track to deliver its gigabit capable targets, according to the report, and has increased from 65 to 72% over the past year.
Much of this coverage is in credit to Virgin Media’s upgrade of its hybrid fibre network to be gigabit capable, which is easier than upgrading from a copper to fibre optic build.
Further, full fibre coverage has also increased from 30 to 45% in the last year.
Coverage, however, remains lagging in rural areas compared to urban areas. The UK Government’s Project Gigabit, launched in 2021, is aimed at directly addressing this issue.
Further, both the government and Ofcom have reformed their policies to ensure investments support the deployment of gigabit capable networks, as well as removing barriers for new gigabit capable networks.
The government’s Shared Rural Network agreement with mobile network operators have also increased 4G coverage across the UK, with over £500m in public investment matched by over £500m of private sector investment.
Despite the investment, however, 4G coverage is still lagging in different nations within the UK as rural and remote areas lack coverage.
Further, the UK is lacking in their strategic goals for 5G coverage, with no plans currently in place.
While 4G coverage plans are in place, most of the report’s critiques were surrounding this lack of 5G strategy.
As well, the poor coverage on rail networks and lack of reporting on train connectivity also needed improvement.
But the report did note that 5G coverage continues to grow, with over 12,000 deployments now in place in the UK, nearly double the 6,500 reported in 2021. These have mostly been in urban areas, and most are not standalone.
Only standalone 5G networks can deliver the full range of 5G capabilities – most UK deployments are connected to a 4G core and therefore cannot support the full range.
Based on these findings in the report, the NIC has recommended that the government set out a clear 5G vision in the upcoming Wireless Infrastructure Strategy.
According to the CBI, UK job vacancies are reaching record highs, currently at 147% of the February 2020 average. In those three years, an estimated half a million people of working age have left the UK labour market, and more than three-quarters of UK businesses say that access to labour is threatening UK competitiveness.
As well as the shrinking recruitment pool, there is also a shortage of people with the right skillset. In particular, the digital skills gap has been a long-standing problem for UK businesses. A survey conducted in Q4 2022 underscored that impact, with 81% of UK managing directors saying a lack of digital skills is negatively affecting their company.
For the IT sector, the situation is even more challenging. Figures released last year show there were over two million UK job vacancies in tech in 2021, more than any other labour area, with an industry coalition also saying that nearly 12 million workers lack essential digital skills.
SMEs are feeling the skills squeeze Accounting for 99.9% of all UK businesses, and employing 61% of the workforce, SMEs are some of the hardest hit. Skill shortages within an SME can be much more pronounced when compared with large enterprises, as there are fewer team members to help with upskilling, sharing the workload, and bridging the skills gap.
It’s a problem that won’t go away anytime soon. And although upskilling, reskilling, and training new talent will go some way towards closing the gap, the sheer magnitude of the issue means we cannot overcome it through reskilling alone. However, there are some positive movements. Entries into GCSE single science subjects continue to rise, with maths being the most taken A-level subject last year.
Leveraging technology and the new hybrid opportunity While some industries rely heavily on the physical presence of their staff, others can function largely through technology and a virtual presence.
In 2022, 30% of the UK’s employees worked remotely, with around one in ten not entering the office for the entirety of 2021. Those team members working within IT and communications have the highest likelihood of working remotely, with over 80% working off site in 2021.
There’s no doubt that skill shortages have been creating costs and eating into profits. Yet the answer isn’t just one of seeking out improved skills and more employees to fill those roles. IT can also hold the key.
In a world where technology is accelerating, there are opportunities to introduce new software, systems, and platforms that will help with the heavy lifting, particularly as employment trends indicate that hybrid working practices are here to stay.
From unified device and identity access management to robotic process automation (RPA) and no-code applications served up in a visual drag-and-drop user interface, there are many ways that businesses can lower the threshold of technical understanding that they require. Harnessing the right tech can also improve employee choice, wellbeing, and opportunity, attracting new starters to those vacant roles.
The case for simplified identity and access management
As an example, unified device and identity access management can simplify administrative IT tasks, particularly when a business has a workforce deployed across multiple locations and using a wide range of devices and operating systems. It is a cost-effective option and doesn’t sacrifice security or functionality. When a business is looking to transform its practices to attract and retain talent in a competitive labour market, the ability to provide users with access to the resources they need immediately, effectively, and securely cannot be overstated.
Whether devices are mobile or fixed, corporate-owned, or part of a BYOD initiative, with an open directory platform that handles unified device and identity access management, you can create a scalable foundation that evolves with your business. You’re able to pick and choose all the solutions that work in harmony with your organisation, enticing new starters and keeping employees engaged, wherever and however they choose to work.
The skills shortage is one of the biggest issues facing UK industry today, particularly for the tech sector. And it is not going away. As a result, businesses must do all they can to not only attract talent, but also put measures in place that simplify systems and give employees the maximum flexibility to work on their own terms, using the devices and systems that they love.
Scotland Loves Local (SLL) gift cards can be loaded with credit and used in shops and businesses within users’ local council area to boost commerce, and now the initiative is getting a digital advancement.
The Scottish Government is investing £250,000 to enable the cards to operate digitally via devices such as mobile phones.
This move reflects the growing popularity of digital payments seen in the UK: about 10% of UK 2022 transactions at the point of sale were made using digital wallets on mobile phones, according to the Global Payments Report by Worldpay from FIS.
By going digital, the cards can be used by businesses to reward loyal customers and encourage repeat custom.
The new system may also be made compatible with transport providers’ ticketing systems, allowing train and bus fairs to be gifted.
Currently, cards are utilised by more than 20 councils, including six which have used them to distribute more than £13 million of Scottish Government Covid economic recovery funding to lower income households.
Started in 2021, the SLL programme has 6,659 registered businesses, 75% of which are independent or franchised businesses.
Visiting Barrhead, where the SLL cards have helped boost business in the town centre, Community Wealth Minister Tom Arthur said:
“Going digital is an important step forward for the SLL gift card. The scheme has already delivered millions of pounds of extra spending to help businesses recover from the pandemic and by increasing their useability I am sure even more people will be encouraged to shop locally.
“The cards have made a real difference in places like Glasgow, where thousands of cards have been used to access Scottish Government funding for economic recovery.
“They represent a step towards the creation of local currencies to be invested and retained within areas. Digitalisation will accelerate that process and help support fairer and more prosperous local economies.”
Scotland’s Town Partnership (STP) delivers the SLL initiative – which includes the gift card – encouraging people to support their communities by spending locally.
“The Scotland Loves Local campaign is a force for good – galvanising communities to support local people and businesses at times when they have never needed that more.
“The need for us all to think, choose and spend locally is critical, not only in our ongoing recovery from the impact of Covid-19 on businesses, but in helping us all through the cost of living crisis and in responding to the climate emergency.
“Continued support from the Scottish Government allows businesses and communities to innovate, invest and embrace opportunity, building better, stronger places.”
Scottish tech workers met at CodeBase in Edinburgh to discuss the newly launched Tech Workers Charter created by Prospect Union, which aims to increase union membership among tech workers and improve conditions across the industry.
While tech is often viewed as a lucrative, stable job, recent mass redundancies among the largest names in tech has created unease – much of what was discussed centered around job security.
Prospect – a trade union representing various industries across the UK – surveyed thousands of tech workers and met discretely with union members and interested workers to formulate the Charter, which they launched to a packed audience on 23 March.
The Charter delves in and out of specialist requests for the tech industry – with basic tenants like transparent pay and increased diversity and inclusion, to tech specific stipulations like non-compete clauses and the right to intellectual property.
Key components were placed into three distinct categories: transparency in work; quality and partnership at work; and tech for good.
Transparency in Work
Tech workers wanted transparency: clearly-defined pay grades with transparent objectives, responsibilities, and paths for progression was a key tenant they would like to see going forward.
“If you’re hiring people in different pay, you need to be able to justify that,” one of the workers involved in the Charter stipulated.
Further, workers are asking for more clarity from companies regarding their job security.
While they understand the risks involved in joining a startup, workers feel they should be secure in knowing their pay check will show up at the end of the month – the charter says that companies owe their workers some insight into their financial outlook.
Another major issue the workers touched on were stringent non-compete clauses which block tech workers from accepting positions with competing companies, or even applying for jobs with similar tech.
Tech workers explained that these clauses are often vaguely defined and can be long-lasting, preventing career pivoting and progression.
“I find these clauses causing not just barriers to employment and entrepreneurship, but they also help society by reducing competition and innovation in the tech industry,” one worker argued.
Quality and Partnership at Work
Flexible working hours are now well accepted in many industries, and recent research shows that Scots are ready to quit their jobs rather than forgo hybrid working models.
However, remote and flexible working may be at risk even in tech, as Meta CEO Mark Zucerkberg said that workers work better in the office than at home, and as cyber security concerns rise with remote work.
Tech workers remain adamant that flexible working continues, however: “If you have organizations that are flexible enough, that means you can diversify your workforce; you can reach so many more people. And it means that organizations are more diverse, and are stronger because of it. So that’s why flexible working is important,” a worker presented.
Connected to flexible working stipulations is the right to switch off – while tech workers may be allowed to work remotely, they feel work life should not be invading their personal life.
The Charter is adamant in advising tech workers to not opt out of the Working Time Directive.
As a worker explained, anyone is able to work longer hours if they wish – opting out of the Working Time Directive means than at employer can force a worker to perform tasks outside legal working hours, forfeiting a worker’s right to refuse.
Further, the charters says that clauses about intellectual property rights also need to be redrawn – some clauses say that companies have the right to any intellectual property created during a worker’s employment.
Workers are calling for this to be reformed, saying they should maintain the right to their own code, and employers should have no rights to intellectual property developed outside contracted hours.
Tech For Good
Many tech for good stipulations reflect the unique position many tech workers are in – both their power in job variety as well as their social responsibility.
To improve diversity, inclusion, and equity, workers are calling for more data to be published regarding gender pay gaps and company demographics.
Recruitment processes should also be reformed – degree and grade requirements should be scrapped: “Those are absolutely useless, especially in this domain where people can be judged and assessed based on what they’ve actually produced,” a worker argued.
But the Charter goes further than that – tech workers are reflecting on what their talents and skills are being used for, and they want to have more of a say.
Environmental concerns across the board are huge – workers want to know their tech is not causing further harm to the environment, and are pushing for greener policies and a commitment to a Just Transition.
Further, tech workers are fighting for the right to say no to work they find unethical – whether this be refusing to work on projects with countries with human life violations, or contractors hoping to use certain technologies for increased surveillance without proper ethical practices.
Protections for whistle-blowers is also a part of the Charter.
A Union for Tech Workers – Starting Somewhere
Tech has one of the lowest union membership percentages of any industry, only slightly higher than hospitality.
Maria Torres-Quevedo, who works for Prospect and is part of their push to reach under-unionised industries like tech, touched on the reasons this might be, and the audience noted relatively high pay, a lack of collectivism, a gamification of the tech industry, and meritocracy as key reasons tech as yet to form a larger trade union.
The launch of the Charter was a starting step for tech workers to approach their co-workers and employers to fight for better working conditions across the board.
“The power that a union has comes from its membership – if we had full union membership across the tech sector, that will be huge. You have the power collectively,” Torres-Quevedo said.
The National Crime Agency (NCA) has revealed it infiltrated the online criminal marketplace by setting up a number of cites purporting to offer DDoS-for-hire services.
The announcement comes after the agency chose to identify one of the sites currently being run by officers as part of a sustained programme of activity to disrupt and undermine DDoS as a criminal service.
The NCA replaced the site’s domain with a splash page warning users that their data has been collected and they will be contacted by law enforcement.
DDoS attacks, which are designed to overwhelm websites and force them offline, are illegal in the UK under the Computer Misuse Act 1990.
DDoS-for-hire or ‘booter’ services allow users to set up accounts and order DDoS attacks in a matter of minutes.
According to the NCA, such attacks have the potential to cause significant harm to businesses and critical national infrastructure, and often prevent people from accessing essential public services.
All of the NCA-run sites, which have so far been accessed by around several thousand people, have been created to look like they offer the tools and services that enable cyber criminals to execute these attacks.
Users based in the UK will be contacted by the National Crime Agency or police and warned about engaging in cyber crime. Information relating to those based overseas is being passed to international law enforcement.
Alan Merrett from the NCA’s National Cyber Crime Unit said: “Booter services are a key enabler of cyber crime.
“The perceived anonymity and ease of use afforded by these services means that DDoS has become an attractive entry-level crime, allowing individuals with little technical ability to commit cyber offences with ease.
“Traditional site takedowns and arrests are key components of law enforcement’s response to this threat. However, we have extended our operational capability with this activity, at the same time as undermining trust in the criminal market.
“We will not reveal how many sites we have, or for how long they have been running. Going forward, people who wish to use these services can’t be sure who is actually behind them, so why take the risk?”
This activity forms part of Operation Power Off, the coordinated international response targeting criminal DDoS-for-hire infrastructures worldwide.
In December last year, 48 of the world’s most popular booter sites were taken offline by the FBI, following close collaboration with the National Crime Agency, Netherlands Police and Europol.
The NCA also arrested an 18-year-old man in Devon, who was suspected of being an administrator of one of the sites.
The sites seized were the biggest DDoS-for-hire services on the market, with one having been used to carry out over 30 million attacks.
The Genetic Technology (Precision Breeding) Act – which passes into law – is being lauded by the government as a major step in unlocking growth and innovation in new technologies and in reinforcing food security in the face of climate change.
To ensure England becomes a world leader in agri-food innovation, the act will set in motion changes to allow farmers to grow crops which are drought and disease resistant, reduce use of fertilisers and pesticides, and breed animals that are protected from harmful diseases.
Precision breeding involves using technologies such as gene editing to adapt the genetic code of organisms – creating beneficial traits in plants that would take decades to achieve through traditional methods.
This would enable scientists to create foods that are more flexible, adaptable and plentiful for years to come.
Under the provisions of this Act, a new science-based and streamlined regulatory system will be introduced to facilitate greater research and innovation in precision breeding – with stricter regulations remaining in place for genetically modified organisms (GMOs).
The Genetic Technology (Precision Breeding) Act covers precision-bred plants and animals developed through techniques such as gene editing. This is different to genetic modification (GM), which produces crops containing genetic changes that could not have occurred through traditional breeding or occur naturally.
The issue of gene-editing and GMO qualifications has been a hot topic and the world tries to ethically solve hunger in a changing climate.
The EU has stricter laws for GMOs – the UK’s new law would ease certain regulations, fast-tracking the process.
The scientific community seems largely split: in a survey prior to the bill being passed, the Chartered Institute of Environmental Health found a near three-way tie among it’s members: 34% neither agreed nor disagreed with the bill, 39% did not want precision-bred food in the UK, while 27% were in favour.
The government has stipulated that the act ensures that the Food Standards Agency will consult on new food and feed legislation before any changes in the market are seen, and a new proportionate risk assessment for precision bred food and feed will be produces.
Scotland and Wales are yet to confirm the Act under their own governments, with critiques saying they would like to refer to more stringent EU regulations, and the Scottish Parliament wary of regulatory powers it would forfeit to the UK government.
Food Minister Mark Spencer assured the English public: “The Genetic Technology Act is fantastic news for British consumers and farmers. Precision Breeding technologies are the future of food production not just at home, but around the world, and this Act will put our nation at the forefront of this revolution.
“Some 40% of crops globally are lost every year to floods, pests and other external events, and this new law will unlock our agri-biotech industry to support resilient food production for decades to come.”
England does however, join countries such as Argentina, the US, Australia and Japan that have already enacted similar legislation to drive increased innovation in food and agri-tech and deal with pressing hunger issues.
Defra’s Chief Scientific Adviser Gideon Henderson said: “This is an important time for agricultural science. The ability to use gene editing to make precise, targeted changes to the genetic code of organisms, in a way that can mimic traditional breeding, enables development of new crop varieties that are more resistant to pests, healthier to eat, and more resilient to drought and heat as climate changes.”
While there is a potential for further innovation, the government says it recognises that there is a need to safeguard animal welfare in the new regulatory framework.
With this recognition, the government says it plans a step-by-step approach, first enabling the use of precision breeding technologies on plants, then moving to animals.
Accenture, the Dublin-based global tech consultancy giant specialising in IT services, has announced plans to cut 19,000 jobs over the next 18 months.
This is despite the company reporting strong revenue and a record number of bookings for the second quarter of the fiscal 2023 year.
In their fiscal report, the company said that during the second quarter, Accenture “initiated action to transform our non-billable corporate functions to reduce costs.”
Over half of the 19,000 employees cut over the next 18 months are expected to consist of people in the non-billable corporate functions of the company.
By February 2023, the company had increased its workforce by 38,000 employees in an effort to meet increased demand.
“We evaluate voluntary attrition, adjust levels of new hiring and use involuntary terminations as a means to keep our supply of skills and resources in balance with changes in client demand,” Accenture said.
Despite the announced layoffs, the same report said that Accenture still plans to continue hiring “especially to support our strategic growth priorities.”
“Our results of operations are affected by economic conditions, including macroeconomic conditions, the overall inflationary environment and levels of business confidence,” the company said.
Despite global turmoil, Accenture expects annual growth to be between 8% to 10% for 2023. Previously, expectations were as high as 8-11% growth.
“There continues to be significant economic and geopolitical uncertainty in many markets around the world, which has impacted and may continue to impact our business, particularly with regard to wage inflation and volatility in foreign currency exchange rates. In some cases, these conditions have slowed the pace and level of client spending,” Accenture explained.
Small-and-medium UK businesses are being held back by technophobia, experts have warned.
Fear of new technologies has hampered the progress of SMEs, even after the proliferation of digitisation brought on by the pandemic and remote working.
Experts from telephone systems.cloud have warned that the future of many SMEs is at risk if they do not keep up with accelerated technological change across the wider business sector.
They forewarn that thousands of small-and-medium sized UK businesses are struggling to adapt to these changes, resulting in wider business problems for these organisations.
Now, experts are encouraging SMEs to address their technophobia and adopt new innovations such as cloud and Voice over Internet Protocol (VOIP) technologies.
Those failing to evolve with the digital landscape are losing out on valuable business because through a fear of change and reliance on outdated systems.
Communications experts say that fear of new technology is still deeply rooted in many leaders who are deterred by a lack of in-house tech knowledge and resistance to intimidating change.
The tech skills shortage is also aggravating the issue, with research showing that digital adoption has been delayed because of a lack of available tech skills. Further, the shortage of tech talent is leading to developer burnout, making it more difficult to bring in new technology as backlogs hamper the current workforce.
Despite this, experts have pushed for digital adoption and transformation efforts to not be put on the back burner.
Juliet Moran, from TelephoneSystems.Cloud said: “Technology may seem scary, but decisions should never be based on what leaders are comfortable with.
“Rather, the decision to change should be based on what will most benefit a company, aka the effectiveness of a system for operations, efficiency, and profitability.
“The business owners that have seen earlier technological opportunities have had the advantage of accessible and streamlined systems and are now taking huge strides in the post covid climate.”
The business world drastically changed during the pandemic and traditional working methods were questioned more than ever when lockdowns left millions without sufficient technology or software to work away from the office.
Transforming the workplace with new technology was shown to be more essential than ever.
Moran continued on the effect of new technology: “It can be used for many benefits, including expanding customer base, improving internal and external services, minimising admin, optimising markets, and streamlining communication threads.
“There was once a time when people only shopped on the high street and watched films on video cassettes, but with time these industries have transformed, and the companies that didn’t adapt and embrace the change were left behind.”
Still, recent research has revealed that 48% of SME leaders in the UK still lack a tech investment strategy. Meanwhile, over 50% of SMEs have accelerated their digital transformation since the pandemic, and those failing to adapt are now falling behind.
“This will be the case for SMEs failing to keep up because new technology has been proven to revolutionise business operations,” Moran commented.
“Being on the wrong side of the digital divide will only continue to have negative implications for businesses as success continues to balance on their ability to modernise.”
The success of markets like cloud computing – the market of which reached almost £400 billion in 2022 – has demonstrated that technology can be used within businesses to reduce costs while improving overall efficiency and productivity.
Despite more businesses realising these technologies can often make work easier and more cost-effective, there are still myths permeating traditional, critiquing cloud computing as too complex and expensive.
This fear of change and lack of technical knowledge is now incredibly destructive for businesses – making the wrong move can lead to companies falling behind or building technical debt.
With ever-transforming business world with new adaptive technologies, it is important businesses stay agile and open to change
A University of Stirling scientist has led a project which developed a new tool to identify girls in developing countries who are at risk of nutritional deficiency.
Professor Dave Little of the University’s Institute of Aquaculture used the resource to discover that adolescent girls in Bangladesh are particularly vulnerable.
Aquaculture is a fast-growing food production sector in many low-income and food deficit countries and while these ecosystems produce highly valuable and nutritious aquatic foods, local communities can still have a poor diet as a result of changes to the supply and accessibility of fish.
Professor Little said: “Adolescent girls represent a particularly vulnerable group in Bangladesh, with higher nutritional needs relative to energy requirements than other adult household members, and at the same time likely to have restricted access to food.
“For this group, an optimal diet is critical for their own health and – in the case of early marriage and motherhood – for their infants.”
Therefore, Professor Little led research which has enhanced understanding the factors that are important for explaining the role of fish intake in nutritional wellbeing. To do this, his team developed a metric to identify adolescent girls at greater risks of nutritional deficiency.
A survey of 300 girls was repeated during dry and wet seasons in order to capture seasonal variations in fish availability – the observational data enabled researchers to combine risk factors which identify girls who are more likely to have omega deficiency.
To do this, the metric explored the relationship between candidate predictors including diet diversity, religion, anatomy, and socio-economic status and the depend variables of the amount of omega-3 and other micronutrient levels the candidates received, via multivariable regressions.
This method could then be used to identify those candidates who were most at risk of nutritional deficiencies, and potential conditions increasing these risks.
Professor Little collaborated with Universities of Glasgow, Aberdeen, Copenhagen and the Noakhali Science and Technology University and the International Centre for Diarrhoeal Disease Research in Bangladesh.
Dr Eleanor Grieve of the University of Glasgow’s Schools of Health and Wellbeing, who led the paper, said: “The identification of particularly at-risk individuals would improve targeting of timely and cost-effective interventions.
“The use of the metric using a few short questions is cheaper, can be done online, and avoids the complexity and cost of finger prick blood sampling and biomarker measurement based on field samples.
“Application of the metric could enable the development and implementation of better informed and more integrated policies and practices in relation to aquatic food production systems.”
The work was funded through the Innovative Methods and Metrics for Agriculture and Nutrition Actions (IMMANA) programme. IMMANA Phase 1 is funded with UK Aid from the UK government, led by the London School of Hygiene & Tropical Medicine (LSHTM).
Tech Nation, the growth platform for tech scaleups which recently announced it would be closing its doors after losing out on government funding to Barclays Eagle Labs, has published its final Tech Nation Report: How to build a scaleup.
Shining a light on the state of UK tech, the report provides a critical resource to an ecosystem facing a turbulent global economy, uncertainty, and change.
The report explores conditions for growth created over the last decade, what tech companies can do to react to these conditions, and what needs to happen in order to accelerate the future growth of UK tech and maintain strength on a global stage.
Another golden decade for UK tech?
Scaleups in the UK have returned just over £436bn in value over the last ten years – achieved by an exit of some form, whether an acquisition, SPAC or a public listing. Over the next decade, to return around the same rate of value to the ecosystem (just over 3.7x investment) UK tech firms should target exits of £1.62tn.
Taking into account peaks and troughs in UK tech’s growth rate over the last decade, the UK tech ecosystem will reach £2.11tn by 2032 (up from £0.81tn in 2022) if the momentum gathered is maintained. However, if better conditions for scaling can be created, a £3.25tn ecosystem value by 2032 is within reach and should be the target we collectively aim for in order to maintain the strength of UK tech on the global stage.
“The last decade of UK tech has been explosive; growth has been unprecedented, and the positive economic impact created by founders has been almost unimaginable,” Dr. George Windsor, Data and Research Director at Tech Nation said.
“As UK tech continues to mature, we must take every opportunity we can to collectively re-imagine, and change ecosystem conditions for the better. In the Tech Nation Report 2023, we argue that this should take the form of addressing access to finance, boosting diversity, and prioritising value realisation. Tech is at an inflection point, with a profound opportunity for future growth, and a number of both headwinds and tailwinds to get there.”
Headwinds and Tailwinds
There are tailwinds and the inevitable headwinds in reaching ‘target $4tn’ ecosystem value. Investment in 2022 receded by 32% globally, and 28% in the UK.
UK start ups raised £24.4bn in 2022, which though 72% higher than the 2020 total, is down from the heights of 2021 when funding peaked globally.
In 2022, the UK tech ecosystem saw the lowest number of rounds in the past five years, over 1,200 less than 2021 levels.
High value rounds equaling £203m+ and low value rounds equalling less than £0.81m (pre-seed) encountered the largest percentage falls (with pre-seed rounds falling by 41%).
UK Tech on the Global Stage
The UK took back its position as the third largest tech ecosystem in the world for VC investment in 2022 after falling behind India, though is likely to see increasing pressure from India and emerging ecosystems like Indonesia and Mexico over the next five years.
Against its European neighbours, the UK remains the dominant player with investment into startups and scaleups remaining greater than investment into France and Germany combined.
However, without the right conditions and support mechanisms in place, there is evidence to show that the UK risks being caught up.
France, Italy, and Sweden are the only countries to see positive investment growth after the record Covid bounce back year of 2021 – compared to the UK which experiences its highest decrease in five years at 24.7%. France is the only country to have experiences positive growth in every year over the past decade.
Stephen Kelly, Chairman at Tech Nation commented: “The Government needs to develop a plan that creates the environment and platform for UK tech to be the rocket fuel for growth in the economy and address some Achilles heels of the UK economy. The opportunity for UK Government with the impact of tech-enabled innovation, machine learning and automation has huge potential for all industries from Agriculture to Waste Management with a massive productivity boost where currently the UK languishes at the bottom of G7 productivity league. The opportunity is ours to take.”
Unicorn winter?
2022 saw a decline in the rate of unicorn creation (£0.81bn+ valuation companies) at 4% (10x slower than 2020-2021 at 41%) underpinned by a reduction in the number of new unicorn companies being founded year on year for the last 18 months.
On the other hand, future unicorn (£203mn – 800mn valued companies) numbers have risen with 45% growth from 2021 to 202, suggesting that either the UK is effective at supporting companies to scale, but not to the high end of the value spectrum, or that there is a glut of unicorns to come, on the basis of many companies being well poised to gain value and breach the billion dollar mark.
Some ethnic groups and women are still heavily underrepresented in the UK.
Elizabeth Scott MBE, Client Engagement Director at Tech Nation commented, “Diversity is critical to business performance and a fundamental part of UK tech ecosystem growth. We’ve just seen Marshmallow, a Tech Nation alumni company, only the second Black-founded unicorn in the UK, recognised by The Financial Times as Europe’s 2nd fastest growing company. There is outsized growth to be achieved by backing under-represented founders who have identified and are best placed to execute on disruptive opportunities. ”
No European country achieves a proportion of 30% women in the tech workforce, and tech roles for women in the UK are paid nearly 2.5% on average less than their male counterparts.
Edinburgh is the city with the most women in tech, followed by Newcastle and Cambridge – all three are above 30% versus the UK’s average of around 25% of the workforce.
The proportion of people from underrepresented ethnic groups working in tech has increased over the last five years, but by less than +2%, highlighting continued inequality of access to tech roles.
Scott continued: “While the data shows that some progress is being made, it’s slow and we all know that UK tech still has a lot of work to do. As well as doing more to support under-represented founders access the support and funding they need, as an ecosystem we still need better visibility and access to tech jobs. Achieving representation in the UK tech workforce would give everyone a seat at the table, enabling changes to the way businesses are run, new ideas and value creation.”
What Needs to Be Done
For the ‘target £3.25tn’ ecosystem value to become reality, it is vital that Government rhetoric for the UK to be a ‘forward facing technological and scientific superpower’ is now paired with policies and support mechanisms to match and for all ecosystem stakeholders to fuel conditions for growth.
In this context, Tech Nation recommends the following actions to achieve the target.
Plug patient capital into all stages of company growth (not just at early stages) to ensure UK companies have the resources to live up to the promise of creating a global science superpower. 15x investment in deeptech, and climate tech must be made by the end of the decade to stimulate and sustain growth. Addressing current gaps in access to finance for UK startups and scaleups could contribute up to £365bn in additional value to the UK tech ecosystem over the next decade.
Rethink talent gaps, and emphasise opening access to opportunities in tech for all people. Organisations like Colorintech are making huge strides to make tech accessible and fair, and more must be done to support them, and underrepresented people. Addressing current gaps in access to talent for UK startups and scaleups, and reducing inequalities in access to opportunity in tech for underrepresented people (as founders and employees) could contribute up to £325bn in additional value to the UK tech ecosystem over the next decade.
Prioritise value realisation. Tech leaders in the UK must develop a Silicon Valley-like sense of exit intentionality, capital and talent must continue to be efficiently recycled through the ecosystem to create additional value, and knowledge must be deepened and shared around late stage growth. Enabling high value exits, and providing augmented support to founders to realise value created by their companies could contribute up to £447bn in value to the UK tech ecosystem over the next decade.
Gerard Grech, Chief Executive at Tech Nation commented: “The last decade of UK tech has been an incredible success story. One in which the UK is now third in the world for tech investment, after the US and China. But there is much more we can do and value to be unlocked if we create the right conditions for future growth over the coming years, as this report shows.
“We urge ecosystem stakeholders, investors and government to continue optimising the business environment for tech businesses, from opening up new pathways for talent to increasing sources of funding. Despite the challenging headwinds at present, I’m optimistic about the next decade and the UK’s ambition to become a science and technology powerhouse.”
Amazon Web Services (AWS) has announced a new opportunity for charities and third-sector organisations in the UK to apply for a grant for cloud-based technology projects.
The IMAGINE Grant is available to any UK-based charity for a project that would benefit them and other charities in their field.
Non-profits are encourages to prioritise technology as a key component of their projects to better provide support to their users, typically people who are most at need.
The UK grant award category is titled “The Go Further, Faster Award,” and the winner will receive benefits including: a project kick off workshop and implementation support from technical specialists from AWS, as well as an opportunity for an AWS marketing promotion.
These benefits are in addition to the £40,894 cash funding and up to £13,086 in AWS promotional credits.
AWS is on the look out for projects which have the potential to be scaled across industries or fields in the third sector, all leveraging the cloud.
Projects should especially seek to include or integrate with more advanced cloud services such as artificial intelligence (AI), machine learning (ML), Internet of Things (IoT), high performance computing (HPC), and more.
Round one of applications are open from 1 May to 1 June, 2023.
AWS will be judging projects based on several key areas including: innovation and uniqueness, mission-critical goals and impact, clarity of defined outcomes and milestones, applicability of AWS services, viability and sustainability, and the comprehensiveness of the proposal.
While AWS services are not required to be used in the project, proposals will be judged on their applicability of AWS services within their scope.
SGN and MyBnk have partnered to empower young people across Scotland to make more sustainable and cost-effective choices when it comes to energy as part of Global Money Week.
This year’s theme is ‘plan your money, plant your future’ with a focus on the connection between sustainability and money.
Research from fintech company GoHenry shows that 71% of children and teenagers worry about the rising cost of living. SGN and MyBnk’s partnership is meant to help young people build the skills, knowledge, and confidence around these topics from an early stage.
Further, around 60% of 16-25 year olds said they were very worried or extremely worried about climate change in a global survey published in Nature.
SGN manages the network which distributes natural and green gas to approximately six million homes and businesses across Scotland and southern England.
MyBnk is a charity that provides expert-led financial education programmes to 5-25 years olds in UK schools and youth organisations.
With support from SGN, Cadet, Northern Gas Networks and Wales & West Utilities, MyBnk has developed a ‘Fuel Finance’ programme aimed at 9- to 11-year olds.
It adds an additional session to MyBnk’s flagship ‘Money Twist’ financial education programme for schools; helping them consider the impact of energy consumption on both the environment and their associated cost of living.
Through the programme, students can garner an understanding of real-world issues and practical steps they can take to help reduce fuel poverty.
Kerry Potter, Group Social Impact and Vulnerability Manager at SGN, said: “Young people worrying about money shows how important education around using energy safely, efficiently and affordably can be. We’re delighted to be leading the partnership with MyBnk on behalf of the gas distribution networks to deliver our fantastic ‘Fuel Finance’ programme. It’s hoped the lessons they learn will be shared with the adults in their lives struggling with the cost of living crisis and that the skills they gain will prepare them for the future.”
The partnership will run for three years and aim to reach over 8,000 young people across the UK, focusing on some of the country’s most deprived areas.
To foster continued learning, the programme also provides packs students can take home to engage the adults in their lives through family-lead activities such as games and comic books.
Rebekah Young, Senior Fundraising Manager at MyBnk, said: “In the midst of a cost of living and climate crisis, learning about energy is more important than ever. With support from the gas networks, we can equip more young people across the UK with the knowledge, skills and confidence to manage their money and living costs, make more sustainable choices and stay safe in their homes.”
Following Neurodiversity Celebration Week, which shines a much needed light on the topic of neurodiversity, there’s a continued conversation needed around neurodiversity in work, particularly in STEM.
Neurodiverse workers are known to provide adifferent viewpoint and thinking on problems, helping firms be more innovative and dynamic. They can also help firms improve productivity. In fact, a recentreport found that neurodivergent employees in certain tech roles could be up to 140% more productive than neurotypical colleagues.
More than this, neurodiverse people are a growing demographic as more people seek and receive diagnoses to better understand the various ways a human brain works – the modern workplace needs to reflect this diversity, and provide an inclusive environment so everyone can thrive.
Companies however, are still struggling to attract and retain neurodiverse talent, often falling flat on promises on inclusion once neurodiverse applicants are ushered in.
Neurodiversity is one area which can bring great benefits – but it also challenges how companies can ensure all talent is welcomed and can prosper at work.
Embracing neurodiversity in the workplace helps businesses spark innovation. By ensuring that different viewpoints are heard, and acted upon, firms can create a more resilient business and set themselves up for success in the long run.
Embracing neurodiversity at home and work
Neurodiversity refers to the infinite variation in human neurocognitive functioning. There is no standard for a healthy or scientifically “normal” brain and how it should take in and process information.
Unfortunately, many preconceptions around neurodiverse individuals exist, often centring on different social behaviours or working styles. Rather than letting those preconceptions guide you as an employer, colleague, or friend, we should be ensuring firms are creating the best space possible to help each worker achieve their potential.
Creating a workplace where neurodivergent individuals can share their needs and working styles without judgement starts with firms assessing their collaboration platforms.
By implementing technology that can work with a broad range of people, not just neurodiverse, but also different ages and personalities, will allow firms to operate at their best for the long term. Often, all it takes is a small shift in working or communication styles for firms to unlock the full potential of their workforce.
As a father of four neurodiverse children, I have found there are many lessons businesses can learn about how to get the most out of their workforce. Below, I have shared the key considerations that STEM organisations in particular will need to address if they want to continue to build successful teams and tackle skills shortages.
Six considerations for welcoming and celebrating neurodiversity
So, how can offices start to create that neurodivergent friendly environment? Starting with transparency, clear expectations, and room to develop is key. This can look like:
Establish patterns: Plan and execute work in iterations of a consistent time frame.
Define success: Determine how the team will know when an item is acceptable and done.
Create transparency: Share the backlog of work items by making it visible to the team, empower them to determine how they will do the work, and hold them accountable to decide on how much they will achieve within the iteration.
Meet daily: A brief standing meeting held at the same time and place each day increases communication and allows the team to assess progress and adapt plans as needed.
Inspect and adapt: Identify room for improvement by retrospectively analysing as a team on the successes and the struggles of previous projects, and plan an experiment that could make things better during the subsequent one.
Build bonds: Be intentional about connecting and developing as a team; encourage trusting relationships to develop and persist; changes to team makeup should be rare.
In today’s fast-paced and competitive world, valuing and embracing neurodiversity can significantly enhance productivity, innovation and engagement in STEM fields. It is crucial to provide a conducive work environment that supports and acknowledges the unique strengths of neurodiverse individuals. By addressing these six areas, businesses can create an inclusive workplace that encourages the collaboration and creativity necessary for success in STEM fields.
Borders College, based in the southeast region of Scotland, has successfully achieved the STEM Assured standard for their education, conferred by the STEM Foundation.
Energising economic activity by strengthening the provision of STEM education is one of the key capability requirements that drive us job creation, innovation, and industrial diversification, at regional and national levels.
Borders College, with regional campuses in Galashiels, Hawick, and Newtown St. Boswells, has some 1,300 full-time students and 4,000 part-time students.
Offering a wide range of educational programmes for students including vocational and academic courses, the college also has extensive apprenticeships and work-based learning programmes.
Subjects range from business, computing, construction, engineering, health and social care, hospitality, and sports and exercise.
The STEM Assured Standard and Framework benchmarked the college’s STEM provision in six category areas including: Strategy and Planning in relation to STEM economic priorities; Collaboration and Consultation with stakeholders and ecosystem partners; Innovation and Creative thinking; Design of STEM curriculum including thematic cross-curricular provision; Delivery including resources and learning materials used to support STEM education; and Impact of STEM provision and continuous improvement processes.
Peter Smith, Borders College Principal & CEO, said: “STEM Assured Accreditation is a fantastic achievement for Borders College, and a testament to the dedicated and innovative lecturing team leading this delivery.
“The development of STEM skills is absolutely crucial to the economic development of the Scottish Borders, and Borders College is committed to continuing as a leader in the STEM fields, offering the best experience to all our learners.”
The College is planning a range of evidence-supported new innovative courses in areas such as Data Analytics and Intelligent Buildings, Data Science, Big Data, Technology Enabled Care, and Cyber Security, as well as the introduction of bespoke Electric Vehicle Training Centre and a Tourism Academy to name just a few of the forthcoming new STEM related activities.
Professor Sa’ad Sam Medhat, Chief Executive of the STEM Foundation and IKE Institute, said: “Borders College has demonstrated a STEM leadership manifested through its ambitious Strategic Plan. The College’s Department of Enterprise and Business Innovation has a well-developed programme of engagements with local and national employers to anticipate and influence future skills needs for the region and beyond.
“Achieving the STEM Assured status clearly provides the college with a mark of distinction and differentiation reflecting its commitment to STEM education.”
“The Assessment and Validation Panel, which included seven senior industrialists and academics were impressed with the way in which Borders College has established an effective outreach programme, not only with local employers but also with high schools and primary schools.”
A driving force behind the coordination of the STEM Assured effort was Jimmy Louth, who recently passed away, said this on hearing the College had met the STEM Assured Standard: “I am very proud that we have achieved our STEM Assured Status, which means we have shown that we are doing excellent work in providing quality STEM education. We will continue to improve our provision to keep up with changes in the technology and job markets, while working closely with employers and other important stakeholders.
“Borders College is committed to embracing emerging STEM developments with a focus on cross-curricular programs that enable STEM students to develop the transferable skills required by the industry. Our new STEM hub and renewable technology developments, provide creative building blocks that will enable students to develop skills in new technologies.”
This is Milk, the Glasgow-based cloud platform firm, has announced it is seeking funding after doubling its investment following success with its neurodiverse-first online training platform.
Called Neve, the the platform aims to centre the needs of those with dyslexia, dyspraxia, ADD and ADHD at the heart of the training programme.
Founded in 2015, This is Milk focuses on digital transformation for businesses, with a training branch for managers to foster skills in problem-solving, creativity, and judgement.
Neve came about to solve a problem the This is Milk team identified after the pandemic – training needs were changing, post-Covid, and people with differing needs were often left behind.
The new platform was accepted into the CivTech programme in 2020, and has now been launched commercially.
After doubling their turnover last year, This is Milk is now seeking £1m to further develop their technology arm, with aims to increase the benefits of Neve as well as venture into the world of artificial intelligence for their educational platforms.
Founder and managing director Angela Prentner-Smith said: “In today’s e-learning market, learners and educators encounter drawbacks with many products.
“These range from limited face-to-face communication during training sessions and learning activities that can feel socially disconnected or lonely for some students.
“People with disabilities or those like myself who are neurodiverse can encounter an added stumbling block in having only limited access to courses and materials.
“With Neve, we will strive to resolve these challenges and others by providing ways to improve where, when, what, and how people learn.”
Neve delivers ‘bespoke pathways’ that can better attend to the differing needs of various people.
Trainers can develop their own courses, the platform relies on behavioral psychology to keep users engaged and enables better learning retention through bite-sized content.
“It’s not magic, and it’s possible to build an educational journey that works well for everyone,” Prentner-Smith said.
“Not only are we building the learning platform for the future, we’re doing so by shaping it around the nuances of our shared humanity.”
New research from secure communications specialists Beyond Encryption reveals Brits are unknowingly putting their personal data at risk via email.
43% of adults have shared personal data, including their address, bank account or passport details, over email in the last year, with Gen Z twice as likely to share these details as Baby Boomers.
Personal data is extremely valuable to would-be hackers and cyber criminals that can use this information to steal an individual’s digital identity.
Indeed, 39% of UK businesses identified cyber-attacks in 2022 and the NFIB reported that cybercrimes are on the rise.
While almost half (47%) of Brits shared their home addresses over email, 30% had shared bank account details and over a quarter shared their passport details (28%), driving licence (27%) and national insurance numbers (25%). 9% had even shared their medical records.
According to Beyond Encryption’s research, a third (32%) of Gen Z had intentionally sent such information over email in the past four weeks in comparison to only 7% of baby boomers.
Gen Z is also almost seven times more likely than baby boomers to have accidentally shared personal data with the wrong person.
According to the ICO, this is the cybersecurity incident type making up 15% of total incidents reported in 2022, highlighting the significant cybersecurity threat this poses.
Worryingly, almost three-quarters (73%) of consumers have been asked by a professional services provider to share personal data over email.
Health professionals were most often said to put consumers’ data most at risk, followed by financial advisors, estate agents and even lawyers who had requested data from 16% of those surveyed.
This data raises concerns as to how businesses and professional services are protecting customer data and highlights a significant level of security risk.
The ICO has put the onus on businesses to encrypt outbound messages where sensitive information is sent and discourage practices that put their client’s data at risk.
As businesses continue to look to digital transformation strategies and attempt to keep up with consumer demand for seamless user experience, secure and efficient digital communications are becoming increasingly important.
Email (39%) was revealed to be consumers’ top communication preference from a business they have a pre-existing relationship with. It was found to be over twice as popular as an online portal (16%) and three times as popular as post (13%).
Despite these actions, 85% of UK adults reported that they take care to protect themselves from cybersecurity threats with 65% saying that they can spot phishing scams.
These findings may therefore stem from the fact that 27% of consumers think email is protected and secure.
This is a major misconception – cyber criminals don’t require access to a user’s email account to gain access to their emails. The networks used to transmit messages and the servers that hold emails are not natively secure and are points of access for cyber criminals.
Paul Holland, CEO at Beyond Encryption said: “Businesses find themselves under unique pressures, with cyber threats increasing in complexity and number each year and consumers demanding instant access to services and a seamless user experience.
“However, this research has revealed clear vulnerabilities and threats posed to businesses across the UK. It’s vital that businesses put the tools and knowledge in place to protect client data whilst providing secure and efficient customer communications.”
The document boasts details of organisation”from Shetland to the Borders,” where start-ups and entrepreneurs can access resources, mentors, advice, accelerators, and incubator hubs.
For those looking to start a business to those looking to expand into the Scottish market, the guide acts as a first-stop to understanding the country’s ecosystem, providing information on business resources across the nation.
21 incubators are listed in the document, from CodeBase and Techscaler, to The European Centre for Marine Biotechnology Incubator in Oban.
Incubators such as these often provide entrepreneurial training, mentoring, and business support, typically on a selective and rolling basis.
A further 24 accelerators are also provided in the guide – selection is often highly competitive but worthwhile, as companies are offered entrepreneurial training, business support, and mentoring, as well as access to networks, investment and exposure.
Accelerators range from public-sector based CivTech, to the University of Edinburgh AI Accelerator which focuses on advancements in artificial intelligence.
The guide even offers 36 co-working spaces, where individual entrepreneurs and small businesses can set up shop among other business minds in Scotland to start or advance their enterprise.
Co-working spaces include The Melting Pot, in Edinburgh, to The Moorings in Oban, ONE Tech Hub in Aberdeen, and Enterprise Hub Fife in Glenrothes.
21 innovation assets are detailed in the report – these help to strengthen regional clusters to build more resilient supply chains to driver growth.
Innovation assets have diversified, taking the form of hubs, districts and ‘centres of excellence.’ These include The Data Lab, Medical Devices Manufacturing Centre, and Sustainable Aquaculture Innovation Centre (SAIC).
Entrepreneurial support organisations – which provide funding, connections, advice and training opportunities for companies and entrepreneurs, are also provided in the guide.
Some of the 54 organisations include Women’s Enterprise Scotland which focuses on lessening the gender gap in business, Scottish EDGE, and the Scottish Business Resilience Centre which recently changed their name to The Cyber and Fraud Centre – Scotland.
32 Networking Organisations & Communities – which provide events and opportunities for entrepreneurs to make connections, are also listed in the guide. These include Highland Business Women, Founders4Schools, and LawTech Bridge.
For more specific resources, the guide also provides 38 specialist support organisations, which are dedicated to particular groups or sectors.
Organisations in this list include Amina Muslim Women’s Resource Centre, Mountain Bike Centre of Scoltand, ScotlandIS, and Working Families.
Finally, the encompassing guide provides the details of 65 finance and investment support organisations, from Archangel Investors, to Green Investment Bank, Equity Gap, and Young Company Finance.
A mere 17% of organisations in the UK have a ‘Mature’ level of readiness needed to build cyber resilience against modern cybersecurity risks, according to Cisco‘s first-ever Cybersecurity Readiness Index.
Developed against the backdrop of a post-COVID, hybrid world where users and data must be secured wherever work gets done, the report highlights where businesses are doing well, and where gaps in security will widen if necessary actions are neglected.
Hybrid working presents new and unique cybersecurity challenges for companies. Previous static models have been rapidly replaced by flexibility, while companies increasingly operate from multiple devices in multiple locations, connect to multiple networks, access applications in the cloud and on the go, generating enormous amounts of data across an increasing number of entry points.
The Research
To investigate the readiness level of businesses across the UK, Cisco conducted a double-blind survey of 6,700 private sector cybersecurity leaders across 27 markets to indicate which solutions they had deployed and the stages of development they were in.
The measures were categorised into five core pillars forming a baseline of required defences: identity, devices, network, application workloads, and data.
Companies were then classified into four stages of increasing readiness: beginner, formative, progressive, and mature.
Findings
Alongside the stark finding that only 17% of companies in the UK are at the Mature stage, 44% of companies fall into the Beginner (4%) or Formative (40%) stages.
While this is better than the global average, which sees 15% of companies at the Mature stage, the number is still concerningly low given the risks associated with poor cybersecurity.
Despite the low number, companies seem aware of dangers: 80% of respondents said they expect a cybersecurity incident to disrupt their business in the next 12 to 24 months. The costs of being unprepared can be substantial, as 59% of respondents said they had a cybersecurity incident in the last 12 months and 47% of those affected said it cost them at least £408,160.
“The move to a hybrid world has fundamentally changed the landscape for companies and created even greater cybersecurity complexity. Organizations must stop approaching defense with a mix of point tools and instead, consider integrated platforms to achieve security resilience while reducing complexity,” said Jeetu Patel, executive vice president and general manager of security and collaboration at Cisco. “Only then will businesses be able to close the cybersecurity readiness gap.”
Business leaders need to invest in establishing a baseline of ‘readiness’ across the five security pillars to build secure and resilient organisations, the report stresses.
85% of respondents plan to increase their security budgets by at least 10% in the next 12 months, showing how critical this investment is.
In the UK, 26% of organisations were deemed ‘Mature’ in their protections for identity, with 25% at the Progressive stage, 33% at Formative, and 16% only Beginners.
Device protection faired better in the UK, with 41% of UK companies deemed Mature. Still, 19% were Beginner, with 29% Formative and 11% Progressive.
Network protection had more varied results, with 39% of business falling under Formative in the UK, with 30% Progressive, 22% Mature, and 9% Beginner.
The UK’s readiness to protect application workloads seemed to struggle, with 47% only at the Formative stage, 28% Progressive, 12% Beginner, and only 13% deemed Mature.
36% of UK companies were deemed Progressive in their protections for data, with 26% Formative, 24% Mature, and 14% Beginner.
Cisco recommended five key dimensions to build security resilience.
Closing gaps in the company’s system to create one, open platform to ensure less entry points and establishing a unified, secured system across devices.
Seeing more and always be monitoring – instead of waiting for a cyber incident to respond to, consistent monitoring to ensure employees are abiding by best practices to reduce risk.
Anticipating what is next using actionable intelligence – consistently making cybersecurity part of a company’s advancements and understanding cyber risks that are part of transformative policies.
Prioritising what matters most – making sure data stays secure as part of a business plan rather than an after thought.
Automating responses to bounce back fast – using automation at the early stages of a cyber incident can be a game changer in identifying and quickly responding to incidents.
WhiteHaul, a spinout from the University of Edinburgh, has developed a platform that will enable Internet Service Providers (ISPs) to provide users with gigabit-capable broadband speeds over long distances and challenging terrain, at significantly lower costs than current network technologies.
Gigabit, for those unfamiliar, means speeds of 1000 megabits per second or one gigabit, the kinds of speeds typically only achieved in cities through ‘full fibre’ networks.
WhiteHaul’s novel spectrum aggregation technology enables high speed long-distance ‘backhaul’ links that cannot currently be commercially achieved by existing fibre or wireless technologies.
Currently, long distance performance suffers due to high levels of radio interference affecting existing wireless technologies.
WhiteHaul’s technology, however, manages these radio interferences, resulting in reliable network connectivity.
The technology was developed as part of Dr Mohamed Kassem’s PhD at the University of Edinburgh’s School of Informatics, supervised by Professor Mahesh Marina, and the team is being supported to spin out by Edinburgh Innovations, the University’s commercialisation service.
Professor Marina said: “WhiteHaul will play an important role in supporting the UK Government’s ambition to bring gigabit-capable coverage to 85% of the UK by 2025, and close to 100% as soon as possible thereafter. We have seen from previous work the vital importance of rural connectivity for agriculture, businesses, healthcare and education.”
Dr Kassem, chief technology officer, said: “In addition, as a home-grown company, WhiteHaul will help diversify the telecommunications network supply chain – another key policy objective. And by reducing the need to travel to work, and the associated carbon emissions, gigabit broadband in rural areas also supports the transition to net zero.”
The funding, from the Scottish Enterprise High Growth Spin-Out Programme (HGSP), will be used to enhance the performance of WhiteHaul’s hardware and software platform and to speed up the commercialisation of the technology.
Other users for the technology – including connecting offshore windfarms and enabling connected farms and the Internet of Things – are also being investigated.
Jane Martin, Scottish Enterprise managing director of innovation and investment, said: “Our high growth spin out programme continues to support exciting and ambitious new companies from the innovation that exists across Scotland’s universities through start-up advice, investment and commercialisation.
“WhiteHaul has created a novel solution for connecting rural areas with the potential to bring benefits across Scotland and boost rural economies and it will be exciting to see the team take the company to the next stage as it spins out from Edinburgh Innovations.”
Led by interim CEO Iqbal Bedi Singh of Intelligens Consulting, WhiteHaul’s future focus will be on attracting seed investment, building its customer pipeline, and developing the operational strategy to take it forward into manufacturing.
Cybersecurity experts at National Cyber Security Centre (NCSC) have launched two new flagship services designed to help millions of UK small businesses stay secure online and protect their livelihoods.
The NCSC – a part of the GCHQ – unveiled the services to coincide with the latest phase of its Cyber Aware campaign, which aims to raise awareness of cybersecurity among the country’s small businesses, microbusinesses, and organisations and sole traders.
With official statistics showing that more than a third of small businesses suffered a cyber-attack just last year, the NCSC urged them to make use of its Cyber Action Plan and Check Your Cyber Security tools
Martin McTague, National Chair of the Federation of Small Businesses (FSB) said: “A fifth of small businesses see cybercrime as the most impactful crime in terms of both cost and disruption to their operations.
“Equipping small firms with the right tools and tailor-made guidance could enable them to be more cyber resilient and in turn reduce costs in real life.”
The Cyber Action Plan can be completed online in under five minutes, resulting in tailored advice for businesses on how they can better improve their cyber security.
Check your Cyber Security – which is accessible via the Action Plan – can be used by any small organisation including schools and charities, and enables non-tech users to identify and fix cyber security issues within their businesses.
Small businesses are a common target for cyber criminals – the Government’s last Cyber Breaches Survey revealed that 38% of the UK’s small businesses suffered a cyber incident over a 12-month period.
The range of attacks can vary widely, from business email compromise to denial of service and ransomware attacks.
Lindy Cameron, NCSC CEO said: “Small businesses are the backbone of the UK, but we know that cyber criminals continue to view them as targets.
“That’s why the NCSC has created the Cyber Action Plan and Check Your Cyber Security to help them boost their online defences in a matter of minutes.
“I strongly encourage all small businesses to use these tools today to keep the cyber criminals out and their operations on track.”
Both the new tools are among the services within the NCSC’s Active Cyber Defence programme, which help to protect the UK from millions of cyber attacks each year.
Further, the NCSC has its own Small Business Guide, providing a wide range of products, services, and guidance to SMEs.
Ransomware has emerged as one of the top concerns for just about every organisation in recent years – regardless of industry or business model.
After year-on-year increases in attack figures, competing sources have provoked debate on whether ransomware rose or fell as a risk in 2022.
From one perspective, there is a growing consensus and evidence to suggest that total attack rates may have lessened, substantiated by falling reported cryptocurrency revenues for threat actors.
Conversely, the narrative of exponential growth which has accompanied ransomware since 2019/2020 still carries significant momentum, with announcements that 2022 was the breakout year for ransomware, despite evidence that the year saw a less dramatic rise in activity.
While JUMPSEC‘s global 2022 data showed attacker reported ransomware rates experienced diminished growth compared to previous years, the UK saw attacks increased by a further 17% in 2022.
In the UK at least, statements about the diminished threat of ransomware should be met with a degree of caution, especially since early data for 2023 shows signs of an uptake in UK ransomware activity.
According to the report, new and emerging vulnerabilities are likely to increase the damage ransomware groups can inflict on organisations following discovery and exploitation.
While new vulernabilites like Spring4Shell, Follina, and ProxyNotShell were exploited in 2022, they were not taken advantage of to the degree as Log4j late in 2021.
Further, at no point in 2022 did total attack rates reach November/December 2021’s record high of 20 attacks over two weeks, largely due to the Log4j vulnerability.
Who are the Major Threat Actors?
Following the supposed disbandment of ransomware groups such as Conti and REvil, some of the largest ransomware players in 2021, new threat actors have gained prominence in the ransomware space.
While attacks fell in May after the decline of Conti, the major resurgence of LockBit saw attacks rise in Autumn.
Since their resurrection, LockBit have taken the mantel as the largest ransomware threat globally and in the UK, claiming over 52% of reported global ransomware attacks.
In just two weeks in September, LockBit registered 291 total attacks alone, the most recorded since ransomware started making waves in 2019.
Groups like Karakurt and BlackCat have also gained recognition as more prevalent threats in 2022, while Vice Society has maintained itself as a consistent threat.
Influencing Factors
Global trends have a massive influence on ransomware activities – the invasion of Ukraine by Russia saw an onslaught of Russian-backed hacktivist groups conducting DDoS attacks on global organisations.
For example, Killnet, a pro-Russian group, threatened action against the UK’s provision of anti-air missiles for Ukraine.
Payments have also transformed – Chainanalysis showed that total payments decreased in 2022, but this does not necessarily equate to less damage from attackers.
Victim organisations in 2022 were found to have lost revenue and customers as a result of a ransomware attack.
Investment into cybersecurity could also be impacting ransomware activities – the UK Cyber security sectoral analysis 2022 report shows organisations are making security a priority, with total annual UK revenue within the sector reaching £10.1 billion in 2022, an increase in 14% from the prior year.
Despite a problematic skills shortage, the industry also saw an increase in 6,000 security employee jobs.
Action from law enforcement had a major impact in previous years with the shutdown on Conti after a bounty was set, as well as a disruption operation against Hive ransomware.
Education was the most targeted sector of 2022, with over 20% of ransomware attacks.
Legal services faced just over 10% of all attacks, followed by Retail and Wholesale Trade with 10%.
Whats in Store for 2023?
While JUMPSEC’s report showed an uptick in UK attacks, these numbers are expected to fluctuate throughout the year.
Vulnerabilities will continue to be exploited, with early indicators that vulnerabilities affecting VMware ESXI servers are being actively exploited by groups.
Stricter insurance terms may restrict the ability of threat actors to extort organisations and insurers limit their exposer and financial support to victims.
Already, Hardbit ransomware have begun to request insurance details from victims so ransom demand can be adjusted to fall within the policy, according to the report.
Further, restrictions may be put into place on making payments – the UK have already explained that making a ransomware payment may be in breach of financial sanctions.
Cyber attacks may also continue to be a ‘grey-zone’ tactic for militaries seeking to interrupt state organisations without overt war.
Four female company founders have been recognised for their innovative businesses as winners of the AccelerateHER Awards 2023.
The winners, from the awards’ four specific categories of Technology, Environment, Culture, and Health, were unveiled at Thursday’s finals event which was held at the new Barclays campus in Glasgow.
Elizabeth Pirrie, CEO of AccelerateHER said: “Huge congratulations to this year’s winners as well as the dozens of other inspirational women-led businesses who entered the AccelerateHER Awards 2023. We’re delighted to support these businesses and provide them with a much-valued platform for recognition and potential investment opportunities to help them flourish.”
Supported by CodeBase, the technology category awarded Stella Smith, founder of prikx, an online platform which increases accessibility to vital wellbeing benefits.
Taking the awards in the Environment category was Beena Sharma, founder of Carbon Capture Utilisation International (CCU). Her company’s technology captures CO2 from industrial emissions, purifies it, and transforms it into other revenue-generating resources.
Meanwhile, the Culture category winner was Katherine Gunderson of Grand Bequest, a BCorp certified business focused on getting empty buildings back into use.
The final category of Health was won by Caroline Laurenson of TL Tech. Her company’s mission is to empower people regardless of age, technical ability or finances to adopt digital solutions and transformative technology by creating a unique, caring, and entertaining home environment.
Last month, Penelope Carruthers of patented waterwheel developers Carruthers Renewables was announced as this year’s Rising Star, a category recognising a female founder with a great early-stage business idea.
Now in their eighth year, the AccelerateHER Awards provide global networking opportunities, offering opportunities to connect and build growth.
Pirrie commented: “Over these last eight years, we are proud to have supported hundreds of female-led companies across Scotland and beyond connecting them to our global network of angel investors, commercial advisers, and other successful business people. During that period, the AccelerateHER programme has helped secure more than £50 million in external investment for female-founded companies.”
Award winners benefit from a prize package that includes a six-month mentoring programme from Investing Women Angels, Scotland’s first all-female business angel group.
Katherine Morgan, Head of High Growth & Entrepreneurs at Barclays said, offered her congratulations, adding: “Once again, this programme has provided an ideal platform to recognise and promote aspirational female-founded businesses. We are passionate in our support of these companies and through our close partnership with AccelerateHER, we are delighted to provide mentoring and support to the exceptional women behind these innovative companies.”
Adding to the compliments, Leah Pape, Head of High Growth Services at Scottish Enterprise, said: “Congratulations to all the winners in what was a highly competitive field. It has been great to work with the shortlisted finalists in the run-up to the awards, and we look forward to following all of their success stories as well as potentially working with them again in future.
“We know many of the fastest-growing and most successful Scottish businesses are those delivering solutions to major global challenges, so it’s especially pleasing that this year’s AccelerateHER awards focused on women entrepreneurs whose innovative companies are ‘forces for good’. The winners are fantastic ambassadors for Scotland.”
The funding, which was announced in the Spring Budget, will go to continued progress for the Glasgow Innovation Accelerator (IA) project to address local economic challenges as well as national and global societal and environmental issues.
A local partnership of business, public sector and academic institutions led on selecting the project proposals to go forward, working closely with Innovate UK.
With the project selection phase now completed, the IA Programme projects will formally commence this Spring once they have undergone Innovate UK’s normal due diligence checks ahead of formal grant offer letters being issued. (See notes for summary project list).
Speaking on behalf of the eight local councils, Susan Aitken, Chair of the Glasgow City Region Cabinet and Glasgow City Council Leader said: “The scale of Glasgow City Region’s innovation economy already ranks it as a location of Scottish, UK and international significance. And our recent selection by the UK Government to be one of three UK pilot Innovation Accelerators is affirmation of this.
“The IA programme will support the Region’s key economic aims of increasing productivity, delivering inclusive growth and achieving net zero. It will create new jobs at all levels and grow the number of successful businesses. Vitally, through leveraging extensive private sector investment and building on our growing international profile it can turbo charge our innovation economy to the next level.”
The pilot UK Innovation Accelerator Programme will provide funding shared across three UK city regions to support a range of transformative Research and Development projects and accelerate the growth of the three innovation clusters around Glasgow, Manchester and West Midlands.
UK Government Minister for Scotland, Malcolm Offord, said: “The Chancellor has announced that two exciting quantum projects, one with the University of Glasgow and another with M-Squared Lasers Limited, are among the 11 R&D projects that will help to supercharge the region’s economy. Glasgow is one of three areas sharing in £100 million UK Government Innovation Accelerator funding, and we are investing £2.3 billion to level up across Scotland.”
John Howie, Chief Corporate Affairs Officer at Babcock International Group and Chair of the Glasgow City Region Innovation Accelerator Partnership said: “The Innovation Accelerator programme will generate extensive private sector investment for Glasgow City Region on the back of public funding, focused in key growth innovation sectors including advanced manufacturing, space, and precision medicine.
“I’m proud of the strong partnership we have in the Region which shows how collaboration between industry, our world-leading universities and a supportive public sector can maximise growth in our innovation and entrepreneurial economy. This is good news for Glasgow City Region and we will be delivering further good news for Scotland and the UK throughout this programme.”
Professor Sir Jim McDonald, Principal and Vice-Chancellor of the University of Strathclyde, said:“The Glasgow City Region has been transformed by research and innovation in recent years and this substantial funding package through the Glasgow Innovation Accelerator will support a portfolio of projects in a range of key industrial sectors across the region.
“These projects will provide a further boost to growing jobs, skills and the economy helping to ensure that the Glasgow City Region delivers inclusive opportunities for our citizens and that Glasgow remains Scotland’s economic powerhouse and one of the most important centres of research, development and innovation in the UK.”
Uzma Khan, Vice Principal – Economic Development and Innovation at the University of Glasgow, said: “I’m delighted that the UK Government has chosen to invest in Glasgow to support innovation and R&D. A significant amount of this investment will be linked to the University of Glasgow.
“It’s an exciting development which builds on previous successes from the University in attracting investment to the city of Glasgow. Those include the ongoing development of our campus in the west end of the city, which has built cutting-edge teaching, research and community facilities, and our expansion into the south side with the Glasgow Riverside Innovation District, or GRID, where some of the newly-funded projects will be based.
“The innovation projects, funded through the Innovation Accelerator pilot and matched by funding from a wide range of partners across industry and academia, will use our world-leading strengths in research and innovation to deliver job creation, wealth and the skills pipeline needed to create productive and thriving places.”
Further details on the programme and projects will be released when the programme formally kicks off in mid-May.
Ofcom, the market regulator, has delayed their official decision about the Openreach FTTP offer of Equinox 2, causing the offer to be delayed past its official launch date.
Previously, Ofcom had decided to allow Openreach to go forward with the new offering, which brought on a raft of criticism from competitors and anti-monopoly advocates.
Equinox 2 would introduce a new set of broadband deals from the BT-owned broadband provider. While the offerings would make getting fibre optic broadband cheaper for consumers, alternative networks – which have currently been able to compete with BT and Virgin Media – could be pushed out.
In order to reach national benchmarks for providing fibre optic broadband across the country, alternative network providers have popped up in the market, able to compete with larger, established companies like Openreach by offering competitive pricing.
However, Equinox 1, and now Equinox 2, have introduced lower prices that alt networks would struggle to match.
These claim the move is anti-competitive, to the degree that Ofcom has reconsidered their previous position.
Openreach’s prices would have many obvious benefits for consumers – lower prices from a wide-reaching broadband provider would be a boon to many.
But the new offerings could also squeeze out competition from the successful alt networks that have so far aided the UK in reaching their connectivity goals.
Previously, Ofcom’s decision was in favour of wider-broadband coverage over maintaining fairer market competition.
Outcry from competitor networks, and perhaps even BT CEO’s own commentary in a Financial Times piece, may have lead to this new decision.
In their official release, which announced the delay of Equinox 2, Ofcom shared internal letters between BT Group CEO Philip Jansen and Chief Executive of OfCom, Melanie Dawes.
The letters were concerning an interview Jansen had with the Financial Times on 2 February concerning his thoughts on the broadband market.
Jansen insisted much of his quotes were taken out of context, such as when he said “there is only going to be one national network” and that the broadband race could “end in tears” for competitors.
Dawes said that, despite Jansen explaining his comments, the article raised “significant concern” amongst the regulator.
As Ofcom now says their final decision will not be ready in time for Equinox 2’s launch, which was due to 1 April, the offering will have to be delayed.
“We are considering issuing a Direction to Openreach, using our powers under the Communications Act 2003, to achieve this, unless Openreach voluntarily defers the launch of the offer,” the regulator communicated in their statement.
Ofcom has anticipated their decision will take a further two months of analysis than expected to come to a decision.
The CMA‘s initial investigation found the medtech deal between the data management systems supplier and the software supplier could dramatically reduce competition, leading to worse outcomes for the NHS.
These outcomes would ultimately fall upon patients who are already struggling with long wait times and delayed discharges, as well as being a potentially greater burden on taxpayers without any service improvements.
While the NHS is increasingly seeking digital and data-driven solutions to help improve the delivery of healthcare in the UK, the national service has been outsourcing its data management and software suppliers to two companies.
EMIS is a large and established supplier of data management systems to the NHS, according to the government, and supplies electronic patient record systems used by the majority of NHS GPs in the UK.
Optom, part of the US healthcare giant UnitedHealth, currently supplies software used by GPs when prescribing medicines, as well as data analytics and advisory services that the NHS uses to help improve overall healthcare and health service provision through population health management.
As part of its Phase 1 investigation, the CMA looked into these services and how UnitedHealth’s purchase of EMIS may impact competition and develop and supply digital and data analytics products to the NHS.
The investigation found competition could be substantially reduced specifically in the Population Health Management and medicine optimisation software markets, which enable the safe and effective use of medicines.
The CMA is concerned the deal could impact services provided by Optum’s competitors, as they both rely on digital connections to the data that EMIS holds, and integrations with EMIS’s elecronic patient record system.
If the goes went ahead as planned, Optum could choose to limit these connections, a move the CMA believes could unfairly undermine competing businesses.
The NHS, as the customer of these products, would therefore face fewer options and higher prices or lower quality offerings.
Sorcha O’Carroll, Senior Mergers Director at the CMA, said: “The NHS and the millions of patients under its care depend on critical behind-the-scenes technology to ensure people are looked after and receive the treatment needed to get better.
“This deal could see the NHS lose out on the benefits of competition, including innovation in these products and services and getting better value for money. UnitedHealth has the opportunity to address our concerns, otherwise it will progress to a more in-depth investigation.”
UnitedHealth and EMIS have been offered five working days to provide legally binding proposals to the CMA to address these concerns, after which the CMA would have a further five working days to consider if their response is proportionate or if further proceedings must take place.
Edinburgh-based technology firm Holoxica – which specialises in 3D holographic tech – has entered liquidation, citing cashflow challenges.
Though its tech had garnered international interest, CEO Wendy Lamin said that the company could not continue on its current trajectory without a significant investment injection.
Accountancy and business advisory firm Henderson Loggie is to take charge, with insolvency partner Shona Campbell at the helm of the liquidation. Campbell cited Brexit and the pandemic as reasons the company faced cashflow challenges.
Holoxica’s IP and tech will now be put on the market, with liquidators hoping it will attract interest.
Holoxica CEO Wendy Lamin said: “I am very proud of our technology and the many successes we have achieved but it’s been a tough environment for small businesses and, despite grant funding and great support from Scottish Government, Scottish Enterprise and small investors, Holoxica can’t continue in its present form.
“We have attracted global interest in our technology. It has potential to change the face of medical consultations and teaching at scale, reduce waiting lists and costs for the NHS and has proven applications in commerce, telecom and defence.
“We have shown that there is a more natural and collaborative way to do 3D, holograms and the metaverse besides using virtual reality and augmented reality headsets, but we have been just ahead of the times. We don’t have the huge marketing budgets of Google, Microsoft, Facebook and others and scale up investment is required.”
The company was founded in 2008, and specialises in holographic 3D visualisation technologists including holograms, holographic video displays, and proprietary software.
At COP26, the company premiered their 5G to 5G 3D videoconferencing demo and a 3D telepresence demo.
Holoxica has developed their tech for several fields, including advances in medical holographic consultation systems, defence systems by digitally twinning a human, and engineering.
Growing concerns around the cost of living crisis, the skills shortage, and increased cyber threats have impacted the digital transformation of UK SMEs, according to the report.
IONOS polled 1,0004 UK SMEs in a partnership with YouGov to discern the key factors and challenges affecting digitisation.
While businesses recognise the importance of digital transformation, growing economic concerns are often holding them back.
79% of UK SMEs consider digitalisation important for the future viability of their business.
Top benefits of transformation they noted include presence and ease of discovery of the internet (78%), creating a modern image (76%), and the ability to win new customers (72%).
Despite the recognised vitality of digitalisation, 42% of respondents stated that the declining economy coupled with the threat of recession presents a high or very high risk to their company.
Further, 34% noted the increasing prices of energy and raw materials as high or very high risk to growth. 28% also found inflation to be a major barrier to further digitalisation.
The survey also found SMEs are heavily impacted by the skill shortage – over a quarter of SMEs (29%) said the ongoing shortage of skilled workers poses a high risk or very high risk to their company.
Additionally, a lack of technical know-how represented a major or very major barrier to digitalisation efforts for 31% of businesses.
Other barriers noted included cost (45%), a lack of time (45%), a lack of interest (21%), and uncertainty around security and data protection (24%).
Security should be a major concern for SMEs trying to increase digitalisation – only 16% of SMEs believe they are very well protected when it comes to cybersecurity, 31% consider themselves positioned averagely against threats, while 7% are not taking any protective measures at all.
“Those who don’t firmly anchor their business strategy in digitalisation will have a hard time surviving in the market in the future,” commented Achim Weiß, CEO of IONOS. “Of course, know-how must be built up first and resources invested, which isn’t always easy, especially for small companies. However, what they gain from digitalisation far outweighs that initial outlay: more security, new business models and greater resilience to crises.”
The survey also explored how UK SMEs compare to their counterparts in France, Germany, Spain and the US. Interestingly, the results found that while a third of UK SMEs are feeling the impact of energy and raw materials increasing in price, the situation is worse in France and Spain where half of SMEs consider the rising costs as high or very high risk to business. Respondents in all countries rated the shortage of skilled workers as high to very high risk for their business, however the US came out highest with 44%.
While digitalisation may be seen as costly, the 2023 Spring Budget will allow all new purchases of IT technology to be written off as a tax credit for eligible businesses, creating an incentive for companies to continue digital transformation efforts.
Further, the commentary from recruiters have found a silver lining in the mass tech layoffs from tech giants – talented tech workers have now been released back into the hiring pool, and SMEs could benefit greatly by snapping up newly free workers.
Challenges of securing access to corporate networks have never been more critical – increasing sophistication coupled with expensive consequences have made cyber attacks a catastrophic global issue.
In order to better understand the nature of these attacks, IS Decisions looked into eight years of open source data to build awareness of the methods and motives behind these attacks.
Countries
While the UK did not have the most cyber attacks over the past eight years, they came in second place.
The UK suffered from 605 cyber attacks, experiencing 6% of attacks overall. The US took the top spot, with a whopping 4,870 cyber attacks over the past eight years, equalling just over 49% of overall attacks.
Based on the data, the UK’s year-to-year cyber attacks decreased by 32% from 2021 to 2022. Russia saw the largest increase in cyber attacks between 2021 to 2022, increasing by 950%.
The data also reveals that even though crime has dropped, the UK experienced the highest number of cybercrime victims per million internet users of 2022, at 4,783.
François Amigorena, CEO at IS Decisions commented: “Our research has shown that the prevalence of specific motives and the type of attack methods can change year on year. Most notably over the past year, we can see the largest increases in the number of attacks on Russia and Ukraine, which are up by 950% and 400% respectively. The analysis also highlights spikes in attacks with a financial motive during years of economic uncertainty, such as the Covid-19 pandemic.”
Motives
Financially motivated cyber attacks have increased by 686% over the past eight years, and are the only motive in the study which saw year on year growth. Those attacks peaked in 2022 at 1,155.
Unsurprisingly, the biggest increase in financially motivated attacks were in 2019, an increase of 76% in just a year, as many organisations have to adapt to remote working overnight, exposing many vulnerabilities.
A recent study by Deloitte, which revealed that during the pandemic 35% of cyber attacks used previously unseen malware or methods. These new methods included phishing attacks using SMS and vishing, ransomware attacks which combined data leakage to persuade victims to pay ransoms, and phishing campaigns which used news about vaccine developments.
These unseen methods could therefore be a key factor behind the significant increase in successful cyber attacks from 2019 to 2020.
Protest motivated attacks peaked in 2022 at 193, likely impacted by the Russian invasion of Ukraine, as cyber attacks against each country grew by 950% and 400% respectively. Protest was the most common motive in Russia.
Interestingly, political espionage fell year by year from 2019 to 2022 despite growing concerns from governments about the use of cyber attacks during global conflicts – this pattern counters the increase in protest cyber attacks.
Amigorena explained: “Financial gain is a major motive for criminals and data breaches can be devastating for organizations, especially for SMBs who may have smaller financial safety nets. Another consideration is that for many organizations cyber attacks can create a loss of trust in their customer or client base which can lead to further financial losses.”
The exploitation of application servers was the most common method across the different motives.
69% of industrial-espionage attacks used this methods, as well as 42% of financial attacks, 41% of political espionage attacks, and 46% of personal attacks.
Data attacks, such as manipulating, destroying or encrypting a victim’s data through various attack types, are also one of the most common methods that threat actors use. This method was used in 34% of attacks with a sabotage motive and 35% of attacks with a financial motive.
External denial of service attacks, such as DDoS, were most commonly used to create disruption to support a military operation (33%), protest (27%), and sabotage (20%). In February of 2022, the Ukrainian defense ministry was hit by a DDoS attack and two Ukrainian banks lost access to their online banking services.
2023’s Spring Budget did not leave many surprises for the tech industry, which was already anticipating continued interest announcement of investment zones across the country.
Here, we’ll run through some highlights affecting the tech world from the statement, as well as some reactions from major players in the Scottish tech ecosystem.
Taxes
Digital transformation efforts are seeing a significant tax reduction as any money invested into IT equipment, plant or machinery can be deducted from a company’s taxable profits.
Nick Stapleton, Managing Director, ETB Technologies, said: “The benefit of deducting this expense in full from taxable profits will encourage more businesses to invest in their IT equipment.
“However, with a broader focus on technology within the budget, one cannot ignore the value of refurbished IT equipment and the value it brings to the circular economy. As such, we would urge inclusion of refurbished equipment within this tax credit.”
Further, SMEs are due to receive a credit for R&D expenditures: if a qualifying SME spends 40% or more of their total expenditure on R&D, they will be able to claim a credit of £27 for every £100 they spend.
David Ovens, Joint Managing Director of Archangels, commented: “We welcome the UK Government’s decision to reverse cuts to the R&D tax credit regime for small businesses. These credits will continue to play an important role as a source of cash for early stage, often loss making, companies, particularly in the technology and life science sectors.”
Finally, over the next three years – and for potentially longer – corporation tax will be cut by £9 billion a year “to give us the best investment incentives of any advanced economy,” the Chancellor insisted.
Catherine McWilliam, Nations Director – Scotland at IoD Scotland, said: “Economic uncertainty has held businesses back from committing to investment in recent years, and so “full expensing”, in which every pound a company invests in IT equipment, plant or machinery can be deducted in full and immediately from taxable profits will be welcomed by business leaders. It simplifies the system, removes confusion about whether digital investments count as capital and crucially incentivises investment by reducing the up-front cashflow risk.
“As a nation, Scotland has a rich history of innovation, and so the partial reversal of cuts to R&D tax credits is also very positive – however there is still a gap in policy around incentivising smaller companies to meet net zero targets, which we hope will come sooner rather than later.”
Adding further commentary, Vishal Chopra, Scotland Head of Tax at KPMG UK, said: “In terms of business taxes, the planned increase to the mainline Corporation Tax rate to 25% is going ahead despite concerns over the impact that this may have on UK competitiveness and investment.
“The big news in corporate taxation focused on capital expenditure where full expensing for qualifying spend on plant and machinery for the next three years has been introduced, as well as an enhanced tax credit in the R&D regime for certain small and medium sized enterprises.”
Nuclear
Addressing net-zero initiatives — and in an effort to create a more self-sustaining British energy supply — the Chancellor also announced a continued investment into nuclear energy.
Nuclear power will now be classed as ‘environmentally sustainable’ in the UK’s green taxonomy. Nuclear energy will now have access to the same investment incentives as other renewable energy sources.
Furthering previous initiatives announced in the Autumn Budget, the Chancellor is also launching Great British Nuclear in an effort to bring down costs and provide opportunities across the supply chain. This is with an aim of having nuclear energy provide up to a quarter of UK electricity by 2050.
Next, a competition for Small Modular Reactors will also begin to venture into the potential of this technology.
MedTech
Remarking on the quick pace of the UK’s development and approval of Covid-19 vaccines, the chancellor is also set to take advantage of the UK’s single market by creating a different model for the approval of new medicines.
By 2024, the model will allow for a rapid approval for medical technologies and medicines that are already approved by other similar regulators in Europe, the US, and Japan.
Artificial Intelligence (AI)
The Chancellor gave special recognition to AI in his speech, announcing £900m of funding to provide horsepower for AI technology. The funding will be implemented according to recommendations in the Future of Compute Review for an Exascale supercomputer.
Brian Hills, CEO, The Data Lab, the Scotland’s AI and data innovation centre, said: “The inclusion of and investment in AI in today’s budget are hugely welcomed. We see every day how AI can benefit all sectors – from health to construction.
“The recognition of that today is significant, particularly as we have seen a rise in generative AI tools come to the market of late. As anyone who works in or with AI will know, IP ownership is notoriously tricky to define – clarity around this will benefit the UK’s innovation sector as a whole.”
Further, quantum computing will also receiving funding totalling £2.4b by 2033 for the quantum strategy in order to set out the UK’s “vision to be a world leading quantum enabled economy,” the Chancellor said.
Gerard Gech, CEO of Tech Nation commented: “As a nation uniquely positioned between two economic powerhouses, the US and the EU, we must harness innovative regulation that will enable us to propel ourselves as an international hub and leader for AI, Quantum Computing, and Deep Tech.
“This is a critical step towards creating a distinctive, value-driven tech ecosystem in the UK, setting us apart from other tech hubs.”
In addition to this, the Chancellor announced a new price of £1m for groundbreaking AI research in Britain, titled the Manchester Award.
Malcolm Seagrave, Chief Growth Officer at xDesign, said: “Today’s Budget underlines how technology investment remains core to the government’s growth plans – from the £1m annual Manchester Award for ground-breaking AI research to investment in a supercomputer – and how it is now leaning on the sector to lead the country’s economic recovery.”
Workforce
The Chancellor announced many broad reaching initiatives he already mentioned in his Bloomberg statement to get more people back to work in Britain.
Hunt is particularly targeting over 50s, announcing apprenticeships to retrain and reskill older generations to encourage them to rejoin the workforce after many retired after Covid.
To encourage those with disabilities back to work, the Chancellor also announced a grant scheme to help those with disabilities find appropriate work if they so choose.
More importantly, the Work Capability Assessment will be abolished, and benefit entitlement will be separated from an individual’s ability to work, potentially opening up thousands of Brits to work without fear of losing their financial support.
Addressing a major barrier for many people – especially women – from entering and staying in the workforce, the chancellor turned to childcare. He announced several different aids for childcare, including incentives for childminders, funding afterschool care initiatives, as well as providing free childcare for eligible working households with children over the age of 9 months.
Helena Di Biase, Managing Partner at Raising Partners, a Glasgow-based company that specialises in securing funding for early-stage companies, said: “The additional childcare provision for children aged one and two is probably the single biggest thing that will improve the number of women working across all sectors, but particularly the ability of those to enter entrepreneurship.”
Since its launch in June 2020, the service has been supporting Health Boards across the country, reporting over 200,00 exams, providing faster diagnosis for patients and saving NHS Scotland more than £1.5 million over the last 18 months.
Based at NHS Golden Jubilee, the unique service allows consultant radiologists to remotely report on diagnostic images, such as CT scans, from anywhere in the country.
Providing faster diagnosis for patients means health boards can determine the right course of treatment as early as possible which could lead to significantly improved outcomes.
The first of its kind in Scotland, the SNRRS employs bank NHS consultant radiologists, rather than outsourcing reporting companies, cutting outsourcing costs significantly.
Consultant Radiologist and bank SNRRS Radiologist Simon McGurk said: “The SNRRS has transformed the way radiology reporting is done across Scottish NHS Boards. It’s really helped improve the way we provide these reporting services for patients.
“By reporting for SNRRS, I can work uninterrupted in my areas of expertise, maximising the support I am able to offer Boards around the country.”
Fellow Consultant Radiologist and bank SNRRS Radiologist Gordon Dewar said: “This service provides far more flexibility in my working schedule, and there is a real satisfaction in being able to provide improved, faster and more efficient reporting for remote areas such as Oban and the Islands.
“From a mental health point of view, carrying out this work remotely also takes away some of the pressures of working in a clinical environment. So it has significant benefits for both patients and the staff involved.”
The service uses an innovative cross-board radiology reporting solution called Share+, which means the way in which hospitals receive these reports is consistent across the whole of Scotland.
Caroline Handley, Deputy Director of National Elective Services at NHS Golden Jubilee, said: “The SNRRS is providing a consistent approach to improving radiology reporting to enable equality of care for patients regardless where they are based across Scotland.
“Moving forward we are looking to expand the service by growing reporting capacity and exploring new ways of increasing cross-board reporting to improve service provision for patients across the country.”
Greg Thomson, Programme Director for the Scottish Radiology Transformation Programme, said: “Sourcing reports from the existing NHS Scotland workforce and giving them the ability to report on patient examinations and access to patient exams from home has allowed much more flexibility and increased capacity of quality reporting within NHS Scotland.
“Radiology in Scotland is now better positioned to recover from the pandemic, respond to future challenges and improve the service we offer to patients in all areas.”
Across the UK’s major regions, Scotland saw the joint-biggest increase in broadband speed with 5G, according to new research by Opensignal.
Scotland’s speed improved by a ratio of 5.1, the same as Wales. To put that in perspective, London’s overall download speed only improved by 3.7.
Despite this, Scotland did not have the fastest 5G download speed overall, coming in with an average speed of 131.7 Mbps.
This means Scotland was outpaced by the West Midlands (151.4), North West region (150), Wales (137.8), Yorkshire and Humber (137.5) , as well as the East Midlands (133.6).
Delving a bit further into detail, Opensignal only included two Scottish cities in their top 15, Glasgow and Edinburgh.
Edinburgh saw the most improved speeds with 5G, with a download speed improvement of 5.2, coming in third overall after Reading (5.5), and Hull (5.3).
Glasgow on the other hand saw an improvement of only 4.2, but had a much faster download speed than Edinburgh. Glasgow’s came in at 146.6 Mbps, with Edinburgh only getting 141.6 Mbps.
Both major cities still had faster broadband speeds than the overall Scottish score.
Rural vs Urban
Opensignal’s research also dove into a hot topic for broadband expansion in the UK, the rural and urban divide.
They found that rural users were largely enjoying same speed uplift as urban users thanks to 5G, but were still behind in 5G availability.
Rural users saw an increase from 24.3 Mbps to 114.0 Mbps, and increasing by a factor or 4.7.
Their urban users saw their speeds increase by a factor of 4.5, from 30.1 Mbps under 4G to a 5G speed of 134.1 Mbps.
While the speeds in urban areas are still markedly higher, the increase is relatively on part with that in rural areas.
The larger difference is actually in the availability of 5G signals across different areas.
Urban Opensignal have an active 5G connected 9.6% of the time, where as rural users only have access 6.6%.
So, while users may be able to enjoy the increased speeds when connected to 5G, they often cannot even connect to 5G.
Similarly, this pattern plays out across the UK’s regions, with London coming out on top with their 5G availability score of 15.9%.
Scotland, on the other hand, only has a score of 7.9%, likely due to the higher proportion of rural and remote areas still waiting for 4G, let alone 5G broadband.
Work to Be Done
While Opensignal have exposed the rural and urban broadband divide yet again, there is ongoing work to address this issue.
The Shared Rural Network (SRN) programme, for instance, is aiming to increase 4G coverage across the most remote and rural areas across the country, though collaboration between the UK government and mobile network operators.
In a marked sign of progress, Ofcom has also estimated that full fibre broadband will reach over half of UK homes by March 2023.
Further, Ofcom has just confirmed that it will make millimetre wave (mmWave) spectrum across the 26 GHz and 40 GHz bands available for new mobile technology, including 5G services. This is set to improve wireless coverage and speeds.
However, earlier this year it was shown that Scotland is still lagging behind the rest of the UK in its full fibre broadband rollouts.
More and more organisations are failing to get the results that they expect from their investments in engagement technologies. For quite some time now, businesses have been under significant pressure to transform where and how they interact with consumers in order to remain competitive.
As most of us comfortably adopted the ‘new norm’ of hybrid lifestyles, where we shift constantly between physical and digital worlds, seamless experiences have become the expectation, forcing marketing leaders to rethink their interaction strategies and question how effective their technologies are in supporting them.
Wide scale digital transformation has changed the future
Demand is not the only force exacting pressure on marketing leadership, but supply too, with the number of solutions increasing by 24% since 2020, and 9,932 now pitching for attention and business across the eco-system.
The acceleration of wide scale digital transformation has led to an increase in the number of new entrants offering niche functionality and industry-specific products and services – at lower costs than their incumbents.
In particular, the significant growth of aggregators – systems that enable greater cohesion of technologies – is enabling more flexible and tailored technology stacks, providing opportunities to combine best-of-breed solutions that meet organisations’ needs more efficiently.
With reports of strong performance and ROIs being touted across business networks and social platforms, it’s easy to understand why marketing leaders are putting their existing investments under the spotlight.
Here, Murray Allan, practice director of customer strategy and engagement at Optima Partners, suggests three ways organisations can ensure their engagement technologies are efficiently delivering value for the business and the returns they expect.
A well-defined customer strategy
Poorly formulated customer strategy can often be a cause of an apparent failure of an engagement technology. Ultimately, even the best technologies will not deliver business value if they’re driving the wrong outcomes.
Effective customer strategies start with a deep understanding of the value opportunity and dynamics of the customer base, and how they change over time.
Allan insists on including: scale, reach, current and potential value, shared personas and behaviours, needs and interests, motivations and frustrations.
Next, you must clearly articulate how to unlock that value through key value drivers – the series of actions and behaviours that generate positive customer and business outcomes.
The fundamental inputs engagement technologies rely on are tactical, data-driven interactions – key value drivers become the objective for these. The more customer outcomes that drive positive business value, the greater the return on investment.
Thoroughly evaluate technology ahead of investment
When it comes to technology, sometimes it can be difficult to separate a bold promise from what is commercially viable. Many organisations find themselves swept up in the publicity and marketplace hype and invest in technologies before fully comprehending how they will be applied and supported in the business.
Before investing, evaluate all new technology against a well-defined set of capability requirements, and link these back to business objectives.
By avoiding scope creep and overinvestment in capabilities that are unnecessary, under-utilised, or too advanced for the business to support, the company can prevent wastage of resources.
Murray said: “Capability requirements should methodically capture not only technical business needs, but also establish how the technology will be used. Well-crafted requirements will support a more comprehensive vendor evaluation and make it easier to delineate between solutions, which is often the biggest challenge.
“Before committing and investing, decision-makers should construct a sound cost-benefit analysis to fully understand the levels of risk and reward, and to validate the commercial mechanics involved in how the technology will deliver value. Examine any tolerances in assumptions, inputs, and probabilities by modelling an array of outcomes and assess the envelope in which the business is willing to operate, making sure any thresholds are valid and realistic targets.”
Technology relies on an efficient operating model
Some organisations place immediate blame on their technologies when things aren’t going to plan, citing gaps or limitations in capability and compatibility as a key driving force for underperformance.
While this can be the case sometimes, in most situations businesses overlook how the technology is being applied, used and supported by the business. As a result, investment in engagement technologies can be cyclical, with ‘rip-and-replace’ an all-too-common solution that doesn’t actually treat the problem.
This behaviour consumes technical and business resources at great cost, and is likely to create significant technical debt. The cost of behavioural change is often underestimated.
In fact, technology is not always the issue, nor the answer. Any technology must be supported by an efficient operating model to be effective.
To ensure it is being optimally applied, fully utilised, and effectively governed within the business, you need to build the correct competencies, content, and workflows around it.
This takes time and must be carefully planned and managed by the right people, which is necessary with any operating model change.
Many organisations fail to understand the change required or that has yet to occur around their technologies. As a result, they try to do or expect too much too quickly from them.
For the process to be successful, you must invest time to define and plot a realistic capability roadmap to ensure technologies are properly embedded within an organisation’s operating model.
By unlocking those efficiencies, a successful implementation can ultimately drive an increased return on investment.
UK-based crypto startup Euler Labs has faced a cyber-attack where criminals were able to steal around £163 million from its lending platform.
Hackers were able to exploit a vulnerability in the system’s code, which supports a DeFi protocol on Ethereum.
Essentially, the vulnerability allowed users to artificially leverage their assets in both minting and depositing the same transaction, allowing the minting of tokens that exceeded available collateral.
Further, the donation mechanism offered by Euler Finance allows a user to donate the balance of their token, but does not perform a health check on the account.
According to analysis by Elliptic Connect, the crypto assets taken in the attack include USDC ($34.1M), Dai ($8.8M), and we well as Wrapped Bitcoin ($18.9M) and Staked Ether ($137.1M).
The flash loan attack relied on the vulnerability to take out the large uncollatoralised crypto loans, and the money is now currently being laundered via Tornado Cash.
According to Elliptic, the funds that were extracted came from a Monero wallet – the privacy coin does not have a clear public ledger of transactions but could be tracked by the analytics firm.
Euler Finance did say it took immediate action following the attack in an attempt to contain it, and engaged intelligence firms Chainalysis and TRM Labs.
The firm went as far to share information with UK and US law enforcement to alert them to the attack, as well as contacting the attackers, sending the message:
“We understand that you are responsible for this morning’s attack on the Euler platform. We are writing to see whether you would be open to speaking with us about any potential next steps.”
NatWest has announced limitations on crypto payments in an effort to protect customers against the scourge of crypto-related crime after £329m was lost by consumers last year.
Starting now, a daily limit of £1,000 and a 30-day payment limited of £5000 to cryptocurrency exchanges is being implemented to help protect customers losing life-changing sums of money.
Cryptocurrency investments are often made through legitimate exchange platforms. These websites let customers buy, sell or exchange cryptocurrencies for other digital currency or traditional currency.
According to NatWest, men over 35 are most at risk of crypto-crime as they are willing to take on risky investments.
The cost-of-living crisis is also having an impact with promises of high returns used by criminals to entice investors.
Cryptocurrency scams are often advertised online offering high returns on investments.
Criminals play on a lack of understanding of how cryptocurrency markets work and their unpredictability, to encourage investors to transfer money to exchanges, which are often set up in the customer’s own name by the criminal or by the victim, under duress from the criminal.
Stuart Skinner, Head of Fraud Protection NatWest, says: “You should always have sole control of your cryptocurrency wallet and nobody else should have access. If you didn’t set the wallet up yourself or can’t access the money then this is likely to be a scam.
“We have seen an increase in the number of scams using cryptocurrency exchanges and we are acting to protect our customers.”
Adding to the risk, cryptocurrency is not protected by the UK’s Financial Services Compensation Scheme and more are not regulated by the Financial Conduct Authority.
In fact, the FCA recently closed down a few UK cyrpto ATMs as none are currently under regulation and were therefore operating illegally.
NatWest has provided further guidance to help keep their customers save while pursuing crypto, including:
Never sharing the password of a crypto wallet with anyone, even if a crypto investor says they need it to deposit money.
Reading all information slowly and carefully when pursuing an investment – keeping an eye out for typos and grammatical mistakes can signal a website is dubious.
Be wary of giveaways – social media is awash with crypto criminals using fake messages from well known companies and celebrities promoting giveaways to fake accounts. Even responses within the advertisements are often faked.
Eden Scott, with offices in Edinburgh, Glasgow, and Aberdeen, is set to see record turnover for its 20th year in businesses.
Lessons learned during the 2008 recession put the recruiter in a confident position during the economic downturn due to the pandemic with early moves into new industries including fintech, semiconductors, and space.
Michelle Lownie, Eden Scott’s chief executive, said: “The Scottish jobs market remains extremely buoyant, and our growth over the past year or so shows the value companies place on effective talent acquisition.
“Sectors including energy, renewables, semiconductors, the space industry, and technology – particularly startups – are seeing significant investment and with that comes growth, and there is huge demand for talent to facilitate it.
The firm was set up in 2003 by founding directors Lownie, Guy Martin, and Chris Logue, and has since expanded into one of Scotland’s largest independent recruitment agencies, connecting tens of thousands of candidates with hundreds of clients including Skyscanner, The Bank of New York, and Glenmorangie across three separate decades.
Pre-tax profits are on track to reach £1m – a rise of 10% YOY – at the recruitment business, driven by a strong Scottish jobs market and growth in key industries including tech, renewables, healthcare, hospitality, life sciences, and even the nation’s burgeoning space industry.
Turnover is set to rise from £10.3m to £13.4m this financial year – an increase of more than 30% – despite challenging economic conditions caused by factors including the rising costs of doing business, the conflict in Ukraine, and the lasting impact of the Covid-19 pandemic.
Eden Scott has worked with names in more than 15 sectors during its 20 years in business, including financial services giant BlackRock; the NHS; whisky giant Glenmorangie; and Scottish tech enterprises such as Pufferfish and Skyscanner – both beneficiaries of Eden Scott’s Talent Spark start-up programme.
Speaking as Eden Scott prepares to mark its 20th anniversary in May this year, Lownie said overcoming difficult periods such as the Covid-19 pandemic and the 2008 economic crash has helped the firm navigate recent global challenges, leaving the company well positioned for further growth.
She said: “The pandemic accelerated the evolution of the company. It taught us that volume is not always the key to success, and we are more focused and determined, and keep a sharp eye on day-to-day operations with eyes on the future.”
Reflecting on 2008’s recession, whilst Eden Scott was able to recover, Lownie now considers the company was slow to react to the dramatic economic downturn.
“This time we have been far more agile, proactive, and forward thinking and identified sectors and industries likely to thrive and invested resources there,” she said. “We are well aligned with industries that have to grow, for example through government-mandated sustainability targets.
“Spotting which industries are likely to be affected by an economic downturn early and making contact with consultants to cement those relationships has also been important to prev
Looking to the future, Lownie said continued investment in tech and energy sectors, as well as Scotland’s thriving start-up community keep the outlook strong for the business and the market, adding Eden Scott will continue to support Scottish entrepreneurs through its Talent Spark programme.
She added: “We have supported the entrepreneurial economy to grow in this country and been there to support the accelerators at every stage of the journey and now support scaling companies to grow.
“Scotland has always been stable and entrepreneurial, with an abundance of owner managed businesses, and our success in supporting them through Talent Spark has been about beginning and maintaining those relationships as those businesses grow.
“Our aim will always be to connect great people with great organisations. We don’t want to be transactional recruiters. It’s why we stay away from high volume, low margin businesses. It’s more about putting key people into businesses. We may not compete on volume, but we excel on value.”
The shortlist of nominees for the 2023 ScotlandISDigital Tech Awards has been announced in anticipation of the 13th annual celebration.
ScotlandIS, the cluster management organisation for Scotland’s digital technology industry, will celebrate individuals and organisations across the length and breadth of the country in their awards, showcasing tech talent within the Scottish sector.
This year saw an unprecedented number of nominations for the Unsung Hero category, aiming to recognise those that give up their won time and resources to give back to the community but don’t usually get the credit they deserve.
Previous winners in this categories have been nominated for supporting teachers advance their digital skills for the classroom, running coding clubs, running workshops to encourage girls into STEM, and more.
Karen Meechan, ScotlandIS CEO, commented: “I am continually astounded by the quality of the entries we receive and some of the fantastic success stories we hear from across our industry.”
The theme of the awards this year is “The Magic of Tech,” reflecting the transformative nature of the industry for Scotland.
“This year’s shortlisted companies highlight Scotland as a true leader of innovation and talent, helping to drive the growth of the sector, and I am delighted to celebrate their achievements,” Meechan added.
The judging panel consisted of experts, champions, and influencers from across the digital technology industry.
The finalists for this year’s Digital Tech Awards are:
Tech for Good
Citizens Advice Scotland
Simul8
WelcoMe
Product/Service Innovation
BR-DGE
Farrpoint
IbisVision
Data Trailblazer
BRIM: Business Resilience International Management
Scottish Futures Trust
2i Testing
Best Wellbeing at Work
Calnex Solutions
The Apprentice Store
xDesign
Public Sector Innovation
Lenus Health
Matter of Focus
Scottish Futures Trust
Digital Tech Business of the Year: Start-Up
Blackwired
Frontier Digital
Proximo 3
Digital Tech Business of the Year: Scale-Up
Dayshape
MRM Global
QTV
Digital Tech Business of the Year: Enterprise
2i Testing
xDesign
Unsung Hero
Irina Preda, Dataify
Robbie Ross, Converged Communication Solutions
Tandy Nicole, Scottish Government
The awards will take place on Thursday 18 May at the Radisson Blu Hotel in Glasgow. Shortlisted companies are able to get tickets now – tickets will be available to the public from Tuesday 28 March.
The UK government has updated their Future of Compute report with 10 recommendations to strengthen the vital area of tech growth in the UK.
According to the report, compute requirements of the largest machine learning models have grown 10 billion times over the last 10 years. Further, the performance of the world’s fastest compute has grown by a factor of 626 since 2010.
In just over a decade, compute powers and requirements have radically transformed, but the report noted that the UK lacks a long-term vision to keep up with the exponentially evolving power that underlies almost all major technology.
As of November 2022, the UK had only 1.3% share of the global compute capacity, and did not have a single system in the top 25 of the Top 500 global systems.
Clearly, the UK is falling behind.
Experts have therefore presented ten recommendations to advance the UK’s compute strategy in an effort to bolster the UK’s overall global technology prowess.
1. A Strategic Vision
Firstly, the UK needs to set a roadmap for the next decade and beyond in order to maintain compute powers to keep up with ever-changing technological requirements.
A major part of this roadmap would be planning for long-term requirements from the get-go to keep up with future system changes and minimise technical debt.
2. Increasing Leadership and Coordination
To ensure the UK’s compute vision is delivered, the current fragmented public infrastructure will need to be revamped. Simplified and strong coordination with clear UK-wide leadership is vital to help both the private and public sectors navigate compute advancements and requirements.
Key to this would be implementing a national coordinating body to deliver and keep the compute roadmap on track.
3. Creating a Stronger Compute Ecosystem
Enabling an increased and broader use of compute by all users, both existing and potential, would be possible by creating a diverse, healthy, and integrated compute ecosystem.
To do this, the government would have to ensure users have access to the necessary hardware, software, and – importantly – skills to meet their usage requirements.
Building awareness, funding support, and skilled development programmes would stimulate demand and widen the use of compute to create a more varied and pulsating ecosystem.
4. Immediate Investments For Public Exascale Capability
Exascale capability – technology which makes it possible to process full fibre broadband as well as most AI systems – would be an ‘essential component’ to achieve the UK’s ambitions to be a tech superpower.
The report calls on the UK to deliver full exascale capability by 2026. Currently, the UK’s most powerful system ranks 28th globally.
Investments in this technology would be paired with initiatives to increase home-grown software and engineering skills to align them with advancing exascale capabilities.
5. Improving Public Access
Using cloud’s improved interoperability and procurement capabilities, the public could more readily access compute technology. Currently, public compute infrastructure is only using cloud services on a minimal basis, limiting access to facilities and resources and restricting the sharing of data.
Turning to cloud technology and improving interoperability – by continued UK involvement with the Open Clouds for Research Environments – would be key to enabling better public access to compute technology, allowing for the better use of data.
6. Increase Compute Capacity for AI Research
As part of some immediate action the UK can take now, the report recommends that the government significantly increases the compute capacity to improve AI research capabilities.
As soon as summer 2023, a UK AI Research Resource should be established for use by both academic and commercial AI developers.
Continuous, sustained investment in AI accelerators is also vital to keep the UK competitive in the global compute stage.
7. Manage Sustainability
Mastering the balancing act of the environmental impact of compute’s energy demand while balancing service deliver will be a difficult task without support.
Creating planning guidance to develop sustainable compute infrastructure will be vital in minimising the carbon footprints of technical advancements for both software and hardware.
Procurement targets should be ambitious to improve the longevity and sustainability of new compute tech, and training should be provided to promote sustainable practices.
Investing in attracting and retaining more world-class tech talent is vital to the UK’s ambitions for the industry.
Widening the pipeline of people with compute skills by supporting broader digital skills and talent as part of the Digital Strategy is a part of this vital recommendation.
Ensuring infrastructure investments are matched by having top talent and skilled staff to operate new facilities would be enabled by skill training programmes, as well as international collaboration for training and staff exchange.
9. Securing Compute
The government needs to ensure best practice is being followed to secure and protect the UK’s compute infrastructure.
New systems should be designed with the support of security principles developed by the National Cyber Security Centre.
10. International Collaboration
While the UK focuses on building and strengthening its own compute ecosystem, it should work with international partners to complement these domestic systems.
Exploring these international partnerships, including existing ones with the US, Japan, and the EU, could also lessen costs of procurements and lower technological risks.
Overall, within the next decade the UK should focus on becoming a global leader in compute as part of its ambitions to become a Science and Technology Superpower.
Last September, the data community came together to participate in DataConnect22, an online week-long data conference organised with the Central Digital and Data Office in Cabinet Office to celebrate data in the UK public sector.
The event saw massive growth in interest since DataConnect21, with over 9,000 sign-ups coming from over 500 organisations across government, academia, the public sector, and more.
More than 70 sessions were delivered across the week, with a great mix of topics ranging from data linkage, coding, quality assurance, to qualitative methods, best practice, and networking sessions.
This year, DataConnect23 will be running from 25-29 September, and sign-ups for presentations and attendance are open.
Alice Toms, a presenter for the ‘Quality in equals Quality Out’ session last year explained: “DataConnect is different as it provides an opportunity for members of the public to get involved.
“One of the best things about DataConnect is the wide range of people who seemed genuinely interested and eager to interact in every session. Clearly demonstrating a sense of community which is not always common at conferences.”
Similarly, Matt Thompson, presenter for the second year in a row, says his biggest takeaway is “the high levels of engagement throughout the sessions. The data community is so keen to talk and learn, it is fantastic to have more questions than possible to get through in one session.”
Many sessions from last year’s conference saw the benefits of a wide variety of professions attending, from data architects and scientists to data analysts and strategists, all sharing their passion for data.
For those who want to get involved, a launch event on 19 April will offer a sample of what DataConnect23 has in store, providing an opportunity for questions as well.
Presenter Becky Fry encourages all future aspiring presenters; “even if you think what you are doing is not super data-related there is still space for you. Do not feel restricted, every topic will be welcomed.”
IBM‘s global women in leadership study has found that the pipeline is being swiftly outpaced by perceptions of progress.
In reality, women are still struggling to enter leadership positions across the industry, and not enough companies are making the strive for equity enough of a priority for change to occur.
IBM’s and Chief’s study of 2,5000 organisations in 12 countries and 10 industries found a small increase overall in the number of women at the C-suite and board level, now 12% for both.
The report also found an increase to 40% representation of women in junior professional/specialist roles (37% in 2021).
However,the pipeline for top leadership positions still hasn’t recovered to pre-pandemic levels – 14% representation of women in senior vice president roles (18% in 2019) and 16% in vice president roles (19% in 2019).
In addition, fewer than half (45%) of organisations surveyed report they have made advancing more women into leadership roles a top, formal business priority.
“While we’re pleased to see slight progress in the representation of women at the C-suite and board levels, it’s imperative that companies do more to fill the pipeline that leads to these powerful positions,” said Lindsay Kaplan, Co-Founder and Chief Brand Officer of Chief.
She added: “Women are significantly underrepresented at nearly every level of the workforce. If companies prioritise gender diversity across their entire organisations through policies, investments, and a culture that meaningfully supports women, we’ll see a transformative impact — equity for everyone in the workplace and stronger, more resilient businesses.”
“Enabling equity and inclusion gives organisations a competitive edge, yet many companies donor act as if their success depends on it,” said Kelly Chambliss, Senior Vice President and COO, IBM Consulting.
She added: “To thrive in a rapidly changing world, organisations must prioritise advancing women – and all historically under-represented groups – and take action to challenge structural barriers and unconscious bias.”
While optimism is rising, industries appear disconnected from reality. Respondents estimated their industry will see gender parity in leadership in the next 10 years, compared to 2019 when the average industry estimate was 54 years.
But at this current rate of change based on the survey data, gender parity is decades away.
Further, structural barriers and unconscious bias continue to hinder the advancements of women.
While more organisations have implemented career development planning for women, diversity training, and the creation of women’s networking groups, bias persists.
For example, the report found that, when asked if women with dependent children are as dedicated to their jobs as women without children, the majority of respondents said yes, only 40% of male managers agreed.
Gender bias again permeates expectations on attributions – respondents shared that men are primarily valued for creativity and being results-oriented with integrity. Women, however, were expected to be strategic, bold, but also people-oriented.
Respondents said the pandemic was the most serious recent disruption to women, recognising the immense toll it has taken on them.
“The research data shows the hollowing out in the middle is real,” said Salima Lin, Sr. Partner and Vice President of Strategy, Transformation and Thought Leadership, IBM Consulting.
She adds: “Structural changes, including reimagining leadership tracks and role descriptions, improving pay transparency, and setting representation goals, can open new pathways for women to progress to more senior roles.”
The study did present a roadmap for sustainable progress in light of their findings.
Reframing women’s leadership advancement in the language of business results, such as quantifying the concrete economic gains that can accure from righting gender imbalances would be a vital step in strengthening perceptions around women leaders.
Setting measurable goals and timescales for women’s advancements in your organisation would give a gender strategy teeth, setting it apart from ineffective initiatives without proper benchmarks.
Changing this up is also encouraged, like enacting an action plan aimed at driving gender equity across the full leadership pipeline by going beyond awareness training, to instead use experimental learning techniques like role playing and reverse mentoring to help shift biases.
Re-designing roles to a core criteria of gender-neutral requirement is also advised by the study. This can range from simple changes in language to offering more flexible working hours.
WhatsApp has announced it would rather leave the UK market than have its end-to-end encryption messaging system undermined by the Online Safety Bill.
Will Cathcart, the company’s head, said it would not comply with the UK law if the bill weakened their encryption privacy methods.
This is the second instance of a major messaging company pushing back against the bill’s proposed encryption rules – Signal also claimed they would rather be banned than lessen their encryption.
The Online Safety Bill would not outright make it impossible to encrypt messages – however, the bill may force apps that use private encrypted-messaging to use certain technology to identify and remove child abuse material – therefore, messages would not be completely private.
While the UK government maintains that they can ensure privacy while protecting children, many critics remain unconvinced, saying the bill would give Ofcom too many regulatory powers and restrict the right to privacy.
According to OfCom, WhatsAPP is the most popular messaging app in the UK.
Further, Signal is often used by politicians, journalists, and celebrities specifically for its encryption and enhanced privacy assurances.
The Online Safety Bill has been through several trials and tribulations as it attempts to appease companies while protecting those most vulnerable in online spaces.
Most controversially, the Bill withdrew its more stringent ‘legal but harmful’ clause and replaced it with a triple shield system. More importantly, the change allowed companies to determine their own terms of service for they type of content they allow and prohibit, rather than the government or regulators restricting certain content across the board.
While Ofcom will still oversee companies to make sure they comply with their own terms of service or face heavy fines and even jail time, the bill allows companies to make their own rules- the specificity of which could allow for much legal flexibility.
Signal President Meredith Wittaker and Cathcart agreed on Twitter that they would need to work together to combat the bill’s encryption restrictions or walk away from the UK altogether.
“When a liberal democracy says, ‘Is it OK to scan everyone’s private communication for illegal content?’ that emboldens countries around the world that have very different definitions of illegal content to propose the same thing,” Mr Cathcart told the BBC.
Recently, the charity has also called against Meta encrypting its other messaging services on Instagram and Facebook, saying this would “make it impossible to identify grooming and the sharing of child sexual abuse images…”
“The Online Safety Bill should be seen as an opportunity to encourage companies to invest in technological solutions to end-to-end encryption that protect adult privacy and keep children safe,” the charity said.
Currently, messages would need to be scanned and viewed before the were encrypted in order to check for any harmful or illegal material, essentially negating the point of encryption in the first place.
With threats of major tech companies to walk from the UK, this may spell another major change for the language of the Online Safety Bill, and again brings to question how it is possible to regulate the online world at this late stage in its development.
Vodafone has announced that 57 rural locations across the UK are now also receiving 4G broadband coverage.
The arrival of Vodafone 4G at sites in locations from the Orkney Islands to Devon means residents, businesses and visitors are now enjoying faster and more reliable data speeds as well as better quality voice calls.
Scotland hosts the majority of sites benefiting from the new broadband, which is part of the SRN programme – a £1 billion joint initiative between the UK Government and the UK’s four mobile network operators.
The SRN initiatives uses mast sharing on existing sites in rural areas where one or more providers, but not all, have coverage. It will also build new shared masts to connect areas that currently have no coverage at all, resulting in a combined cross-operator network reach of 95% of the UK landmass by the end of 2025.
Across the four UK operators, Scotland will see 4G coverage rise to at least 74%. Northern Ireland will see a rise of at least 85%, with England rising to 90% and Wales set to rise to 80%.
Department for Science, Innovation & Technology Minister Julia Lopez said: “The £1 billion Shared Rural Network is a key part of our plan to make patchy mobile phone reception a thing of the past and give people great connectivity wherever they live. Vodafone is working tirelessly to boost 4G coverage in rural areas and it’s great to see the progress being made.
“We are making sure our countryside communities don’t miss out on the speed and efficiency of internet services on the go – from keeping in touch with family to running a business.”
The initiative is in an effort to lessen the rural technology divide, elevating rural and remote areas in the UK to a higher digital ability.
While rural areas are just now receiving 4G, half the UK is set to benefit from full fibre broadband as soon as this month, according to Ofcom.
In full fibre rollout, however, Scotland is lagging behind the rest of the UK.
Andrea Dona, UK Network and Development Director for Vodafone said: “Connectivity is vital for everyone, which is why we are continually investing in our network. But connecting rural and hard-to-reach parts of the UK can be difficult and restricted by cost.
“The Shared Rural Network initiative enables the UK network operators to work together, so people living and working in such areas have a choice of network, as well as the connectivity they need to support local businesses and ultimately the wider UK economy.”
Scottish locations due to benefit from 4G include: four sites across Tarbet, Argyll; four sites across Isle of Harris; three sites across Isle of Mull; Selkirk, Scottish Borders; Invergarry , Highland; Braemar, Aberdeenshire; Newton Stewart, Dumfriesshire; Lairg, Highland; Dalmally, Argyllshire; Alford, Abderdeenshire; Malaig, Highland; Cupar, Fife; Callander, Stirlingshire; Pitochry, Perth and Kinross; Invergarry, Highland; North Uist; Orkney Islands; Glenmoriston, Highland; Loch Dubh, Isle of Lewis; Invergarry, Highland; Buckie, Moray; Invergarry, Highland; Strathcarron, Highlands; Innerleithen, Scottish Borders; Balmacara, Kyle.
The activity builds on the multi-billion pound investment Vodafone has already made to bring 4G coverage to 99% of UK premises.
Vodafone is also exploring new mast technologies, such as OpenRAN, which is already starting to support delivery of coverage in a number of rural communities.
While the pandemic has prompted many more organisations to adopt hybrid working, it is clear that businesses and workers are still grappling with barriers to productivity.
“Work about work” – time spent on work coordination rather than the skilled, strategic jobs they want (and were hired) to do – remains how workers spend the majority of their day.
This is according to research conducted by GlobalWebIndex on behalf of Asana, Inc., which surveyed the behaviours and attitudes of more than 9,615 knowledge workers across the UK, US, Australia, France, Germany and Japan to understand the impact of cross-functional collaboration, including what’s working – and what’s not.
A New Tipping Point
Given the pressures and expectations ushered in by the current macroeconomic climate – with major tech layoffs off the back of the ‘great resignation’ – statistics around how workers spend their days are worrying signs for the workplace.
Improved processes are clearly needed; workers estimate they could save around 4.9 hours per week, over six weeks across the year, if their working day was more efficient and effective.
Unnecessary meetings are a time drain, sapping 3.6 hours per week from those in senior leadership roles and 2.8 hours per week for knowledge workers – a figure that has grown since last year.
Informal conversations may be more difficult to have with hybrid and remote working, but the classic ‘this meeting could have been an email’ seems to still be far too close to reality.
Executives were also 30% more likely to miss deadlines than the average worker because of too many video calls or meetings.
Without intervention, these challenges may only worsen. Across the board, more time is spent on audio, video, and in-person meetings than a year ago – with 32% of knowledge workers saying video calls are taking up more time and 22% saying the same for audio calls.
This is unsurprising given then number of apps organisations use – 8.8 for knowledge workers on average and 10 for director-level and above.
While this figure has barely shifted from last year’s average of 9 apps, it is concerning as more apps appears to equate to more missed work, with 15% of knowledge workers using 6-15 apps missing messages and actions, rising to 25% for those using 16 apps or more.
“Current economic uncertainty requires enterprises to re-imagine how teams collaborate to drive greater efficiency and growth,” says Anne Raimondi, Chief Operating Officer at Asana.
“Leaders have an out-sized impact on creating smarter, more productive, ways for their teams to collaborate. Instead of adding meetings and apps to already overloaded employees, they can choose to innovate and create intentional, asynchronous modes of collaboration and innovation–making the most of their employees time and talent and delivering better results for their customers.”
Essential Cross-Functional Collaboration
92% of workers at collaborative organisations say their work has value, versus just 50% of those at organisations with weak collaboration.
Cross-collaboration therefore presents a unique retention opportunity as organisations try to avoid company churn.
In an era of work where meaning and purpose are key employee motivators, collaboration has a critical role to play in worker achievement.
Further, cross-functional collaboration benefits the business itself, with 79% of workers at collaborative organisations saying they feel well-prepared to respond to challenges — a figure four times higher than those organisations with weak collaboration.
Given the current macroeconomic climate, building a resilient workforce should be a critical priority for businesses as they look to remain increasingly agile and effective, especially against cyber risks.
Growth is another major item on the agenda for businesses in this year and something that also benefits from effective cross-collaboration, with 55% of workers reporting revenue growth at collaborative organisations over the past three years — a hit rate almost double that of organisations with weak collaboration.
Seeking Clarity Amidst Chaos
Communicating clear, connected goals to their workers is essential for effective cross-collaboration in an organisation, or they could risk falling into an endless churn of demand and delivery.
It can prove a significant boost to employee retention, with 87% of workers with clear, connected goals saying they could see themselves working at their current company for the next year — more than double those who said their company had no clear, connected goals.
This doesn’t just come down to how workers conceive of their own role, but the business as a whole, with 70% of workers with clear, connected goals describing their organisation as ‘innovative’ – with only 12% of those without these goals saying the same.
“How are your people spending their time?” Carson Tate, Founder and Managing Partner at Working Simply, asks.
“Leaders should ensure collaboration is connected to a very specific goal. Goals make collaboration strategic in that they advance the objective of the team or the company. Strategic collaboration is intentional.
“When teams collaborate effectively, they are thoughtful about who is on the team, know what must be completed to achieve the goal, and understand why it matters to the team and the company.”
Given the forecasted economic challenges, this is an increasingly valuable perception for business leaders to cultivate, with 87% of workers who have clear, connected goals saying their business is well-prepared to meet customer expectations — a figure double that of those without such clarity.
Further, 73% of workers with clear, connected goals say their company is ready to achieve a competitive advantage — with just 23% of workers with no clear, connected goals saying the same.
