16.04.20
Barnsley Council publishes new Cyber Security strategy
A Barnsley Metropolitan Borough Council cabinet meeting yesterday (Apr 15) saw a new Cyber Security Strategy approved.
As local councils across the UK move a lot of their operations online, cyber security is more in important than ever, and sensitive data must be protected against new types of threats, risks and malware.
The new strategy sets out council plans for protecting and storing its information from unauthorised access, harm or misuse.
The strategy builds on existing work within the council on data protection and looking ahead to potential threats and taking advice from other councils and Central Government.
Cllr Alan Gardiner, Cabinet Spokesperson for Core Services, said:
“This is the first time Barnsley Council has had a dedicated Cyber Security Strategy. It is part of the work that the council has been undertaking over the last few years, to move from a reactive service to a proactive one, looking for emerging threats and trends and trying to protect itself from them before they become prevalent.
“It supports the delivery of the #DigitalFirst Programme and is essential to the efficient running and evolution of a future Barnsley.”
It comes after a recent LGA report stating that “The UK cyber security threat landscape presents high risks for ‘UK PLC’, government, businesses and councils, requiring all actors to adopt and implement up-to-date protection in line with best practices”.
The Council is using an increasing range of technology, from agile working with mobile phones and portable laptop / tablet devices, on premise hosting of applications, cloud-based applications and mobile apps.
To mitigate the threats, actions included in the strategy include a risk management framework, ensuring users understand how to identify and manage risks, Cyber Awareness Training and application of NCSC controls.