The UK’s National Cyber Security Centre (NCSC) is working with Microsoft to support the “Cyber Accelerator”. This is a programme that supports the development of new cyber companies that aim to bring new, better, faster and cheaper security products to market, as well as finding and developing new businesses that can make the UK the safest place to live and work online.
The seventh program in the series will run from January to March 2021, and NCSC will partner with Microsoft to encourage more companies to apply and provide more experience and knowledge to participants. Participating companies are selected through an open competition, using technical challenges provided by NCSC. These challenges identify areas of cybersecuritywhere new products are needed.
During the programme, start-ups receive commercial development opportunities and unique access to world-class NCSC and Government Communications Headquarters (GCHQ) technologies to facilitate the development of their products. The programme is a collaboration between the Department for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport (DCMS), the NCSC and Wayra (part of Telefonica).
As reported by Infosecurity Magazine, Microsoft will provide access to its own accelerator alumni network, cybersecurity and cloud, as well as access to powerful technology such as the Azure cloud platform and GitHub Enterprise. The program will focus on smart cities and cyber risks related to the following:
- Data intelligence – solutions that enable secure data use and are operationally viable in a “smart” city
- Situational awareness – tools capable of identifying non-traditional devices such as IoT from a range of different vendors, all with their own security risk profile
- Critical National Infrastructure (CNI) Interconnection – solutions to shape NCSC guidance in the emerging landscape of “smart” technologies interacting with CNI
- Manufacturing and Robotics – given the mobile nature of robotic systems in uncontrolled and semi-controlled environments, NCSC is looking for innovative ways to scale or adapt existing mitigations that provide assurance of the proper operation of robots to avoid damage, accident, or malicious performance degradation
Amali de Alwis, CEO of Microsoft Startups in the UK, said: “We are excited to be working with the NCSC to support UK-based companies developing innovative technology solutions to help us build better smart cities.” Chris Ensor, Deputy Director of Cyber Skills and Growth at the NCSC, added: “We are grateful to Microsoft for their participation in the Cyber Accelerator programme and for helping us to foster innovation in cybersecurity.
Ensor recommends that all UK cybersecurity companies take a look at the “Cyber Accelerator” programme and consider applying. Successful candidates will receive support from our world-class experts, who will provide them with the most advanced security solutions of the future.
