Upload – Interview with David Higgins of the Norfolk and Suffolk Cybersecurity Cluster
12 December 2019
David Higgins, owner of IT and cyber security company 4ITSEC and founding member of the Norfolk and Suffolk Cybersecurity Cluster, joined Birketts to discuss the Cluster and all things cyber security.
Q1. Could you please tell us a little bit more about the Norfolk and Suffolk Cybersecurity Cluster, why was it formed and what it aims to achieve?
The Cluster originally started out about two years ago. It was set up to try to engage business really. Businesses had read about Talk Talk being hacked and various other news stories and we aimed to provide a greater understanding of those risks.
The aim is to be a networking group where everyone can share their experience of cyber security issues or attacks and, as a collective, we try to analyse what went wrong and how to prevent those attacks in future.
Q2. Who would you say is a ‘typical’ member of the Cluster and who would/should be interested in joining?
Anybody, truly anybody, who has any form of data. The Cluster is for anyone who has to understand the ramifications of what happens if they lose data or if they get hacked, but is really aimed at the SME market, and those businesses that do not have a huge budget.
Q3. How would someone join the Cluster? Is it possible to become a member?
Anyone can sign up to become a member of the Cluster. Currently, membership is free and by becoming a member you will get access to the meetings which we hold throughout the year as well as access to our technical expertise.
To sign up and become a member of the Norfolk and Suffolk Cybersecurity Cluster please visit our site.
Q4. You mentioned that there has been a relaunch, how do you see the Cluster developing and how would you like to see it growing?
There is a huge push at the moment for Norfolk and Suffolk to be working together. The Local Enterprise Partnerships (LEP) are making significant investments in terms of innovative project funding. We want Norfolk and Suffolk businesses to really understand what they have to do, with the help of some of us techie people, to keep the data which they hold safe and secure.
We would like to see the Cluster as a sensible part of LEP and the whole infrastructure push for Norfolk and Suffolk as a form of facilitator to provide and share knowledge around cyber security.
Q5. How did you become a data security specialist and what was your route into the industry?
I started a six month contract with the Foreign & Commonwealth Office (FCO) which became a career spanning almost 15 years. It was fantastic fun, although of course I couldn’t tell you a thing about where I went and what I did!
During this time however I worked with a group of highly skilled cyber security specialists, travelling to some fantastic countries and meeting lots of lovely people along the way.
I have a section on my website which talks about my journey. Following on from my work with the FCO I started my own company which I still run today.
Q6. Finally, what trends are you seeing in the cyber security space at the moment? What do you think the biggest risks are for companies and what might they need to focus on in terms of their cyber security?
One of the biggest risks is people. We are now seeing much more social engineering and it is a huge challenge. Individuals are gaining access to systems through very sophisticated ways in terms of pretending to be people they are not.
Phishing emails are possibly the most frequently used route for a hacker to gain access to a system. The hacker will have conducted substantial research on the company to the point of studying the way an individual types their emails, so these emails can look very genuine.
We would like to extend our thanks to David for speaking with us about the Norfolk and Suffolk Cybersecurity Cluster and the current risks and trends in the cyber security space.
This article is from the December 2019 issue of Upload, our newsletter for professional with an interest in technology. To download the latest issue, please visit the newsletter section of our website.
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The content of this article is for general information only. It is not, and should not be taken as, legal advice. If you require any further information in relation to this article please contact the author in the first instance. Law covered as at December 2019.