The SWCRC is a new not-for-profit, police-led venture which wants to provide local businesses and supply chains with the tools needed to avoid significant financial loss through cyber-attacks. It is also part of a national network of cyber resilience centres (CRCs) across the country.
Leonardo will be working with the SWCRC to help boost local business confidence in the South West region in tackling cyber crime, which has increased since the emergence of the pandemic in March 2020. As a result of criminals’ movements being restricted over the past 12 months, they have focused on moving their activities online, targeting businesses who may not be fully protected against cyber-attacks.
Leonardo is represented by Chris Oakley, VP Sales, Cyber Security Division, who said: “Leonardo is delighted to join the SWCRC as a founding Board Member. It was a natural fit to join an organisation whose mission, principles and values so closely align with our own and we are certain that the work undertaken by the centre will make a meaningful and lasting difference to the cyber resilience of the South West.
“Based in Bristol, the UK element of Leonardo’s cyber security business is fully committed to supporting the development of the SWCRC and engaging with regional businesses, the police and other agencies on a range of cyber security concerns, and enhancing our regional prosperity, driven by the underpinning principles of collaborative working.”
SWCRC Director, Mark Moore, added: “I am delighted to be welcoming such a prestigious and recognised partner to the table of our management board, as a founding partner. Leonardo Cyber Security’s expertise, combined with their position as an ambassador for the Institute for Collaborative Working, means that they have precisely the right background and ethos to help us make a success of our endeavour to support businesses and charities across the region.
“The cornerstone of the CRC concept is the formation of partnerships between policing and the private sector, and having such a credible, regionally-headquartered business on hand to offer guidance and counsel will be invaluable to us. Leonardo’s participation in the work of the CRC demonstrates a real commitment to SMEs and supply chains throughout the South West, and I am confident that this new, exciting collaboration will help us in our safeguarding efforts.”
