The National Cyber Resilience Centre Group (NCRCG), a strategic collaboration between the Home Office, policing, academic and National Ambassador partners, has announced that SAS, a leader in artificial intelligence and analytics, has joined as a new national ambassador. With the United Kingdom economy estimated to experience £27 billion in annual losses due to cybercrime, this partnership reinforces the commitment to strengthen the nation's cyber resilience, especially among small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs).
SAS is the latest addition to a prestigious group of National Ambassador partners, which includes notable companies such as Aviva, CGI, Chainalysis, KPMG, Mastercard, Microsoft, NatWest Group, SANS Institute, and The Very Group. These organisations partner with the UK government and policing authorities to consolidate the cyber resilience of SMEs.
Caroline Barnett, Principal Industry Consultant (Intelligence, Defence and Law Enforcement) at SAS UK, emphasised that while the rapid adoption of emerging technologies like artificial intelligence provides significant capabilities for cybersecurity defenders, it also presents persistent threats. As tactics evolve and become harder to detect, cyber attacks likely will increase in both volume and impact, becoming more accessible to a greater number of malicious actors.
"There is much happening across industry, academia and government to strengthen the resilience of the UK's digital economy," Barnett says.
"The UK Government has initiated a consultation on a Cyber Governance Code of Practice intended to support directors to drive greater cyber resilience across their businesses," she stresses.
The NCRCG is a critical component of this commitment to bolster cyber resilience across the United Kingdom's SME community, educating, supporting and improving defenses against cyber-attacks.
Detective Superintendent Ian Kirby, CEO at NCRCG, expressed his delight at welcoming SAS to the platform. Their wealth of expertise in analytics, AI and data management is viewed as being significant in helping to advance the Group’s work at a faster pace. "Our National Ambassador programme is key to ensuring we can support our nation's SMEs in strengthening their cyber resilience," Kirby said. "Not only do our National Ambassadors provide us with significant insights into their experience and management of cyber threats, but they are a conduit through which we and our network of regional Cyber Resilience Centres can benefit thousands more SMEs."
In this joint effort, the collective expertise of the National Ambassador partners will aid the NCRCG's mission and continue to combat the growing challenge of cybercrime, ultimately helping to secure a cyber resilient economy for the UK.