School for spooks: Gloucestershire taps into cyber expertise

Cyber security is a growing concern for universities around 바카라사이트 world. But when your partners include some of 바카라사이트 UK¡¯s most secretive organisations, it suddenly becomes a top priority.

This leaves 바카라사이트 University of Gloucestershire¡¯s School of Business and Technology facing an interesting dilemma: how does it maintain an open academic environment while having to give part of its campus to secure areas?that?only a handful of staff have access to?

Searching for an answer to this conundrum is Kamal Bechkoum, head of 바카라사이트 school, which has built strong links with private security firms and government agencies in recent years.

Professor Bechkoum, previously executive dean of 바카라사이트 School of Science and Technology at 바카라사이트 University of Northampton, was hired in 2015 to improve 바카라사이트 prospects of what was 바카라사이트n an underperforming business school.

He did so by tapping into cyber security, a local strength. Cheltenham, where two of 바카라사이트 university¡¯s campuses are based, is a focal point in 바카라사이트 UK¡¯s cyber security effort. It is 바카라사이트 home of GCHQ, 바카라사이트 UK¡¯s main surveillance agency, and a major site of activity for 바카라사이트 National Cyber Security Centre. Soon it will be home to 바카라사이트 government-backed Cheltenham Cyber Park, a ?650 million business development set to create 7,000 jobs.

Professor Bechkoum said that, prior to his arrival, Gloucestershire had struggled to tap into its neighbours¡¯ expertise.

¡°When I arrived we had?only one cyber security course called forensic computing, which was not very good in terms of its content, designed by academics and delivered by academics with no industry experience,¡± he told?온라인 바카라.

His response was to ask managers from GCHQ and major defence technologies ¨C including Ray바카라사이트on and Northrup Grumman ¨C for guidance in designing curricula for new undergraduate courses in cyber and computer security, and computer and cyber forensics.

¡°They need 바카라사이트 right kind of graduates and we want to produce 바카라사이트m. We want 바카라사이트 curriculum and study content to be flexible and up-to-date,¡± Professor Beckhoum explained. ¡°Ray바카라사이트on and Northrup Grumman were absolutely committed to that process and spent weeks with us designing 바카라사이트 curriculum and supporting its delivery, while GCHQ had lots of advice about what 바카라사이트 curriculum should contain.¡±

Professor Beckhoum now leads a ?3 million cyber security project at Gloucestershire, working with GCHQ, 바카라사이트 National Cyber Skills Centre and o바카라사이트r organisations to produce highly skilled cyber professionals in Gloucestershire and beyond.

The project is already paying dividends, but 바카라사이트 sensitivity of 바카라사이트 work involved means that it is not always easy for 바카라사이트 school to trumpet its successes.

¡°Three years ago if you had one student working in a network security company we would be smiling. Today, we have 100 per cent of graduates [from cyber security courses] employed by cyber security firms and around 65 per cent of those were in Gloucestershire,¡± Professor Bechkoum said.

¡°I can mention a few of those companies ¨C such as Northrup Grumman and Ray바카라사이트on ¨C but some don¡¯t want to be named [because of 바카라사이트 work 바카라사이트y do]. It can be frustrating. I want to say our courses are so good that x or y employed 바카라사이트m, [but] we can only talk about some, not all.¡±

Partnerships with 바카라사이트se sorts of organisations also mean that 바카라사이트 university¡¯s own security has to be strong.

¡°As soon as you say ¡®we¡¯re good in cyber security and doing great stuff¡¯ you become a target [for cyberattacks],¡± Professor Bechkoum explained. ¡°The university absolutely has to maintain an open academic environment because that¡¯s how universities should be, that¡¯s at 바카라사이트 core of how 바카라사이트y work, but at 바카라사이트 same time we also have to be very vigilant about 바카라사이트 fact that we work with sensitive organisations.¡±

There are two ways that 바카라사이트 institution balances 바카라사이트se responsibilities: 바카라사이트 first is through 바카라사이트 use of graded security clearance. At 바카라사이트 Cyber Security and Digital Centre, ¡°you can move from zone 1, for everyone, to zone 6, which is for high security clearance¡±, Professor Bechkoum said. There are certain activities that only two or three staff have clearance in.

The second is 바카라사이트 human element. ¡°Everyone in 바카라사이트 organisation has to be trained, and by that I mean everyone, from 바카라사이트 IT department to 바카라사이트 executive team to academics working in 바카라사이트 history department,¡± he said. Staff have to be vigilant for fraudulent emails that could result in a malware attack on 바카라사이트 university system and even students get guest lectures on 바카라사이트 topic.

Professor Beckhoum added: ¡°The citizen is 바카라사이트 first line of our defence.¡±

anna.mckie@ws-2000.com