A competition for next generation cyber security professionals has been launched in response to the lack of online security experts in the UK. 

The Cyber Security Challenge consists of three competitions, which aim to find talented individuals who are capable of defending organisations against cyber attacks. The public and private funded programme has the support of the government, the Open University and industry suppliers like EADS.

The winners of the three competitions will be announced next year and prizes include bursaries for electronics and security related university courses and memberships to professional online security bodies.

Kevin Streater, from the Open University, said the UK needed to tempt more people into computer security, see his comments in the full article.

Extreme weather, tube strikes, G20 protests, postal disruption: recent events have highlighted the need for all small businesses to be able to work away from the office. Imerja’s Mark Evans looks back at an eventful year for small firms.

Driving down cost is at the centre of most business decisions these days. Innovative firms have looked to implement flexible benefits to replace bonuses and help retain key employees. At the same time, a recent catalogue of man-made and natural crises has seen the mobile working revolution gather momentum. Businesses are increasingly recognising tangible benefits from working away from the office and have begun to see it as an essential part of an overall business continuity strategy.

A YouGov survey revealed that the recent extreme weather affected over 70% of workers in the UK and over a hundred million working hours have been lost by staff not being able to make it into the office or having a much longer commute than normal. The recent heavy snow has merely served to highlight the need for businesses to have flexible working in place; many events last year also demonstrated this very same point.

Anyone using the UK motorway infrastructure on a regular basis will have experienced gridlock, and probably frustration at being unproductive for long periods as the chaos clears. Although we may reluctantly accept the daily inconvenience of travel disruption and delay as part of working life, there is a direct cost to business.

Read full article online

A HORWICH company is urging consumers to take care to avoid fraudsters when they shop online.

According to a recent report, cyber criminals have stolen around £8 billion from Christmas shoppers over the last two years.

Now IT and security specialist Imerja is urging customers to be vigilant when shopping online this Christmas.

Matt Hampton, chief technical officer, said: “Doing your Christmas shopping online is a great alternative to battling through crowded high streets. However, it’s crucial that internet shoppers keep their wits about them. Chip and Pin technology means that shopping in high street stores is much safer today than it used to be, but online shoppers should be careful when entering financial details on a web page.

“They should check to ensure the seller is legitimate and the site secure, you can never be sure who might access your financial information if you do not take some basic steps to shopping safely online.

“People should take time to check their security when internet shopping to avoid ruining their Christmas through a moment of carelessness.”

Imerja advises shoppers to ensure that their anti-virus software is up to date and to only confirm purchases when they can be sure that the website is secure — signalled by a padlock or a broken key symbol on the toolbar.

It is also important to keep records of all purchases and check bank statements regularly, contacting your bank immediately if you notice a suspicious transaction. Online shoppers should always remember to log out when they have finished shopping, and to close their web browser.

View article online at the Bolton News website