Archives for 2023

Meet the Directors: Phil Jackman

Phil Jackman was interviewed on 18th May 2023

As cyber continues to grow and pop up on the radar of businesses and organisations across the nation, we spoke with Phil Jackman, Treasurer and Director of UK Cyber Cluster collaboration (UKC3). 

Phil Jackman is a strategic thinker, occasional maverick and over-achiever with an interest in culture change, creative opportunities and regional development. With experience of working in both the private and public sectors, Phil also leads the CyberNorth cyber cluster including the delivery of #CyberFest, this interview hopes to give you a closer insight into the minds that help run UKC3.

What is your role within UKC3?

Primarily I look after process, procedures and the money.

Why is cyber security so important on a national and international level?

Firstly we see that it is, or rather the lack of it is a huge threat to the way that the world works, affecting everyone from individuals and small businesses up to nation states. Secondly, with threat comes opportunity and it offers enormous growth potential.

What would you say is a major issue the UK is facing in the cyber sector?

To me, cyber security is a people issue and we focus too much on the technical. All cyber attacks are initiated by people and require others to do something, or not do something, to have their effect. Improved resilience requires a focus on the human aspects.

What benefits does UKC3 provide on a regional level to help tackle cyber security issues?

Cyber security is such a global issue that individual companies are going to struggle to be effective. By coming together to work in collaboration and in a community, businesses and other stakeholders can combine their resources. UKC3 helps local clusters to develop and have a national presence.

How have clusters been impacted by UKC3 services? Is it through skills? Innovation? Ecosystem growth?

All of the above but for CyberNorth, UKC3 has provided the resources to transform the company from a passion project into a viable business.

What opportunities are important for clusters with UKC3?

Whilst each cluster is different, they are focussed on achieving similar things. The main benefit of uniting the clusters is to work together to share experiences, gain learning opportunities and collaborate to achieve these common aims. 

What would you like to see UKC3 accomplish in the future?

Before UKC3 can achieve anything, it needs to be financially sustainable and cut its cloth accordingly. Having achieved this, its pivotal position at the heart of the clusters allows it to represent the sector at a national level, raising the profile with other trade bodies and governments. Its position should also encourage closer collaboration between clusters to maximise opportunities available to them.

Last week, we had the pleasure of exhibiting at the National Cyber Security Show in Birmingham at the NEC!

The event was focused on bringing together the UK’s industry expertise to tackle cyber threats and protect  our digital world. UK Cyber Cluster Collaboration (UKC3), along with members from our regional cyber cluster network attended to help encourage the knowledge sharing across the private, public and academic sectors.

As a super connector, UKC3 and its 13 officially recognised clusters host events that educate and encourage networking across Scotland, England, Wales, and Northern Ireland. Our members share the clusters’ determination in encouraging ecosystem development, community innovation, and cyber security growth.

Firstly, The National Cyber Security Show offered attendees the chance to attend live demonstrations and workshops. Our very own Linda Smith, Chair and Director of UKC3, gave an insightful talk on the importance of UKC3 and why the UK cyber security sector needs a super connector. In the rapidly-evolving world of cyber, where new threats surface constantly, staying up-to-date with the latest risks and countermeasures is essential. This necessitates collaboration and knowledge-sharing among industry players. With cyber being a fast-paced, ever-changing sector, working together becomes even more critical to staying ahead of the curve. By giving members of the private, academic, and public sectors a chance to network and collaborate, UKC3 encourages growth in knowledge across the UK.

The Birmingham event was a fantastic example of the importance of networking and being a part of the greater cyber ecosystem, regardless of where you are in your career. As the cyber security industry continues to advance, the conference program provided an opportunity to engage with the leading themes in the industry, learn about advancing innovations, and discover the initiatives being developed to combat cyber threats

Attending the National Cyber Security Show is an absolute must if you want to stay on top of the latest cyber security products, solutions and services and understand where the market is heading. It’s the pulse of the industry, and we encourage everyone to be a part of it.

We hope you enjoyed learning about our experience at the National Cyber Security Show in Birmingham. We’re excited to continue connecting with those who attended our stand and those who are attending the rest of this year’s conferences across the UK – Infosecurity Europe is up next!

If you’re interested in getting more involved in our cluster events or staying up-to-date with our latest news and updates, be sure to subscribe to our newsletter or contact us using the information below.

We can’t wait to hear from you soon!

CYBERUK is the UK’s most prestigious national cyber conference and exhibition ! Every year the event moves to different national locations with 2023 being hosted at the ICC in Belfast, Northern Ireland. For the second time since launch UKC3 – United Kingdom Cluster Collaboration is excited to share their involvement and exhibit at this important event.

As an organisation set up eighteen months ago to provide funding and support for sector growth into new and emerging regional Cyber Clusters across the UK, UKC3’s ecosystem is dedicated to growing and assisting start ups, small and medium businesses, along with skills providers and stakeholders to capture and capitalise on the immense opportunity cybertech offers. UKC3’s  mission is to encourage greater collaboration across regions and nations, and what better opportunity than to represent the network at CYBERUK 23!

This year’s conference theme is “Securing an Open and ResilientDigital Future for the UK,” and it’s happening in the prime location – Belfast, home of the internationally renowned Queen’s University Belfast and an increasingly developing vibrant cybersecurity sector. The conference will have strong ties to the Centre for Secure Information Technology as well as the NI Cyber cluster and NI Cyber Security Centre.

According to Simon Whittaker, the NI Cyber Chair, “Our commitment to innovation and excellence in this field is evident, and this is a fantastic opportunity for us to showcase our leadership in the field, and to learn from other industry leaders as we work towards a safer and more secure digital world.”

UKC3 fully supports this statement from this years host cluster, and they’re honoured to be representing the thirteen clusters at CYBERUK 23 with the ongoing support of the Department of Science, Innovation, and Technology.  We will also be sponsoring a number of events throughout the conference.

Here are some events you won’t want to miss:

• As more people use AI every day, from ChatGTP to Face Detection and recognition on your phone, it’s time to talk about AI & Cyber. NI Cyber and Allstate Alliance are hosting a panel session on the first day of CYBERUK 23 at 8 am and runs until 9:30 am at Allstate Northern Ireland.

• To end the first day on a high note, the UK Cyber Meetup will bring attendees together to encourage collaboration and discussions over food and drinks. This evening event will be hosted by CyNam, the cluster covering the Cheltenham region.

• As we work to acknowledge the issues women face in the techworld, Women in Cyber Wales will be holding a session to offer an opportunity to network and discuss. Clare Johnson will be hosting their breakfast sessions for their second year running on 20th April at 8:30 am.

UKC3 is committed to helping make the UK a cyber-superpower through the core three themes of Innovations, Skills and Ecosystem throughout the country via the cluster community. If you’re interested in meeting a UKC3 representative to learn more about making connections to your local network  you can secure a five minute meeting at CYBERUK below.

We hope to see you at CYBERUK 23!

Midlands Cyber is one of the fourteen officially recognised regional cyber clusters under UKC3, driving cyber sector growth throughout the UK, that’s currently supported by DSIT.

The Midlands boasts many regional opportunities in Cyber/Digital Security that span across a range of sectors: Advanced Manufacturing, Security by Design, Industry 4.0, Automotive, Rail, Aerospace, Fintech & Potential Quantum Tech applications.

Midlands Cyber belongs to the ‘Cyber Valley’, a Herefordshire, Worcestershire, and Malvern networking community. The valley is home to the highest concentration of cyber businesses in the UK outside of London – a statistic that is only set to grow with the continued innovation bought by one of the UK’s first 5G testbeds.

Midlands Cyber is dedicated to providing a platform in order to access new markets, discover new partnerships, strengthen international connections, connect with academics to engage with new technologies and promote the skills agenda needed for this sector to flourish in our region.

They are looking for a Cluster Manager to join the team and be part of our journey to accelerate the ecosystem for the Midlands Region. Your key role would be to project manage and deliver the Midlands Cyber project with support from 2 industry directors, a strategic advisor and WLEP CEO.

For more information and details about how to apply go to: Job details

On Tuesday, 14th March, we held our UK Bi-Annual Cyber Cluster Collaboration (UKC3) Pan Cluster event at the Midland Hotel in Manchester. Driven by our mission to support regional cyber clusters, we were delighted to have representatives from all 13 clusters in one room. From discussions on the numerous opportunities that UKC3 and the cyber security clusters can offer to local UK communities to the future of cyber security, the day was full of educational talks, plans for the future, opportunities to connect, and even an escape room exercise!

We started the day by discussing UKC3’s future as an umbrella organisation from data collected by KADA Research. Our chair, Linda Smith, highlighted the importance of approaching cyber security awareness from not just a regional level but also national in order to have clear transparency and growth across the country. By setting clear strategies, UKC3 aims to enable our clusters to further inform and assist UK cyber clusters. KADA Research was able to provide more of an insight into how each region working collaboratively can deliver globally inspiring strategies

“Since launching in 2021 UKC3’s Cluster network continues to develop. Representing the regional and national breadth and depth of cyber capability, innovation and skills in the UK. We aim to increase the cluster numbers and collectively represent the UK’s excellence in this sector.”

– Linda Smith, Chair of UKC3

With special guest speakers such as Ulrich Seldeslachts from LSEC – Leaders in Security and Ed Greig from Deloitte Digital, the clusters were able to connect and learn how best we can all dedicate ourselves to building successful and innovative cyber communities naturally. 

We ended the day with a fun, and competitive, exercise led by the North Wales Police Cyber crime unit in which cluster representatives teamed up against each other to help prove innocence to a fictional police commissioner. Although a gentle reminder for strong password protection and to be aware of what we as individuals are publishing online, it was just another example of how cyber skills can be taught in a new and innovative way.

Plans are already in place for future UKC3 Pan Clusters in which we’ll be further discussing connections, learning opportunities, networks, and the resources available to participating clusters. 

If you are interested in joining one of our clusters- please feel free to connect with us here.