A new report has revealed that 63% of organisations have a designated cyber security lead and 60% say they have stricter controls in place than previously with regard to monitoring, handling and processing data.
Public and third sectors are investing in cyber security
The survey, which was compiled by Delta eSourcing’s parent company BiP Solutions, ran during September and October 2018 and 124 organisations took part, representing local government, central government, education, healthcare, housing associations and charities.
The statistics are no surprise after recent high-profile attacks such as Wannacry, where NHS trusts were targeted by ransomware hackers.
According to the National Audit Office, in the aftermath of this attack “thousands of appointments and operations were cancelled.”
Cyber security and procurement
In contrast to the other results, only 28% of participants stated that cyber security forms part of their procurement strategy. The report highlights that:
“Given recent high-profile attacks, the areas that participants are most concerned about with regard to procurement are loss of sensitive data followed by potential damage to an organisation’s reputation and financial repercussions.”
That said, cyber security should be high on the public sector agenda, as organisations have been warned about the possibility of a major cyber attack in the UK in the near future.
Learn more about cyber security
It is important for the public sector to implement cyber security into its procurement strategy as the public sector holds large quantities of sensitive data, some which is shared throughout its supply chain.
Moving forward, in the current climate all public sector bodies possess the knowledge and ability to defend themselves against cyber threats. If you would like to learn more about cyber security, visit our Cyber Essentials page.
If you would like to gain access to a copy of the “Challenges and Opportunities for Local Government Procurement in a Digital World” report, click here.
