Welsh Government announces Cyber Action Plan

The Welsh Government has announced a Cyber Action Plan for Wales to protect the country from cyber attacks and grow the cyber sector.

The new plan has four priorities: growing the cyber sector, building a talent pipeline, boosting resilience, and protecting public services.

The plan sets out a vision for cyber in Wales and how the Welsh Government will work collaboratively across sectors. In security and resilience, the plan is to ensure businesses, organisations and public services take steps to reduce the risks and to prepare for, deal with and recover from cyber incidents.

Across the economy, it is anticipated that cyber can support the growth of the Welsh economy, with high-quality jobs within careers that allow young people to plan ambitious futures in Wales in an essential industry of the future.

The plan intends to ensure Wales has the right talent to support businesses and public services with the cyber skills they need.

The government has also said that Wales is home to global players in the cyber industry and is leading some of the most innovative work on cyber, with one of the biggest cyber ecosystems in the UK.

Announcing the plan, economy minister, Vaughan Gething said: "Cyber is already a great strength for Wales, and we boast one of the strongest cyber ‘eco-systems’ in the UK.  We are excited about cyber’s potential to offer careers for young people from all backgrounds who can plan their future in Wales with real ambition.

"The Cyber Action Plan I am launching today builds on the success we’ve seen already and sets out how we will work with our partners to grow the sector even further.  We are committed to shaping a more diverse sector that is driven by talent and not held back by glass ceilings and Wales already sets a strong example with one of the most active ‘Women in Cyber clusters’ in the UK.

"The innovation across our sector makes Wales an attractive offer for those working in cyber and a great place to build businesses in the industry. As well as creating opportunities and jobs, it stimulates the development of cyber skills which in turn makes our businesses and public services more resilient to cyber threats.

"By uniting around the priority areas of the Cyber Action Plan, we can win a more prosperous future for Wales through resilience, talent and innovation."

Image by VIN JD from Pixabay