"New Lancaster University Program Will Enable Businesses to Get Ahead on Cyber Security"
A new initiative has been launched to help leaders of UK small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) protect their businesses from cyberattacks and to avoid the potentially disastrous consequences of a data breach. According to the Cyber Security Breaches Survey 2022, 39 percent of UK small businesses and 30 percent of charities had identified at least one breach or attack in the previous 12 months. Every day, an estimated 65,000 cyberattacks on SMEs are attempted globally. Given that most breaches occur through employees' user accounts, a consistent lesson has been the importance of staff vigilance. Delivered by Lancaster University's Management School and School of Computing and Communications, the Cyber Strategy Program will help SMEs address challenges associated with digital attacks, such as managing threats and risks. Lancaster University approaches cybersecurity in a holistic manner that goes beyond developing technological solutions. The institution investigates the sociological, psychological, economic, political, and technological aspects of cybersecurity by bringing together experts from various academic disciplines. Beginning on November 16, the program will be delivered over a five-month period. Sessions will be highly interactive, with real-life case studies and hacking attack demonstrations to increase leaders' knowledge and awareness of the risk environment and potential challenges for businesses. They will talk to leading cyber and leadership experts, get a toolkit of resources to use as their business evolves, and receive peer-to-peer support from other business leaders in the area. This article continues to discuss Lancaster University's Cyber Strategy Program aimed at helping SMEs improve their cybersecurity.