GLOUCESTERSHIRE UNIVERSITY CELEBRATES FIRST YEAR OF GERMAN CYBER PARTNERSHIP

The University of Gloucestershire celebrated the first anniversary of its cyber partnership with the FHM University of Applied Sciences and Düren Landraat in Germany by welcoming delegates to its campus to see the university’s Business School and find out more about its cyber and digital programmes.

These range from short digital skills bootcamps to full Masters programmes, delivered by the University of Gloucestershire in partnership with the Institute for Cyber Security and Digital Innovation (ICDI) in Düren, Germany.

The ICDI is a collaboration with the University of Applied Sciences Fachhochschule des Mittelstands (FHM) and the Düren Landraat (District Council).

Recognising the need for the North Rhine Westphalia region to lead on digital innovation and cyber skills, Düren Council invested €4.23 million over five years to establish a new facility.

Replicating the technologies accessed by students at the University of Gloucestershire, the multi-university facility features a cyber attack and defence room and digital lab.

Student enrolment targets for both the BSc (Hons) Cyber and Computer Security and MSc Cyber Security programmes delivered by the University of Gloucestershire in the ICDI have been exceeded, and a highquality team of academic and business professionals are supporting the ICDI development.

The delegates also learned more about Cheltenham’s Golden Valley cyber development and the work of CyNam – a cyber cluster involving 4,000 people from more than 150 regional cyber companies.

University of Gloucestershire ViceChancellor, Stephen Marston, said: “Gloucestershire has the greatest concentration of cyber tech firms outside of London. Both in Gloucestershire and Düren we can all see that cyber and digital will be foundational skills for innovative, successful businesses in the future.”

Professor Dr Volker Wittberg, Vice-Rector for Research and Development at the FHM University and head of the new institute said: “This innovative partnership builds on our international digital outreach all over the world, and provides new opportunities for learning, research and knowledge exchange that will give a brighter future to SMEs and young people in our region.

Cheltenham-based healthcare IoT and medical device cybersecurity specialist Cylera has formed its first Advisory Council, bringing together world leaders in cybersecurity to help tackle security challenges facing today’s rapidly digitalising healthcare sector.

As a critical infrastructure, healthcare remains a top target for cybercriminals with access to rich patient data and a potential to cause significant damage and disruption to patient care.

Sixty-five per cent of UK healthcare organisations admitted that a cyber attack could increase patient mortality rates.

Timur Ozekcin, CEO of Cylera, said: “Healthcare is undergoing a particularly dramatic digital transformation. Already medical devices account for more than 30 per cent of connected endpoints at hospitals with devices ranging from X-Rays and CT machines, mobile ultrasound machines, radiotherapy and chemotherapy devices plus online building systems and CCTVs.”

“Also, the number of remotely monitored patients has risen sharply in the past couple years.

“Remote user access, unsegmented and potentially unmanaged networks, legacy operating systems and limited visibility into IoT device risks are just some of the security challenges keeping healthcare leaders awake at night,” added Timur.

The Cylera Cybersecurity Advisory Council is made up of senior technology and information officers from major healthcare providers and hospitals, along with private sector companies.