The sign over the door on one of the conference rooms in the Stadium of Light, Sunderland Football club’s ground, said ‘Magic Moments Bar’. I’m not sure that it was referring to the latest #CyberFest event that was being held in the room next door yet it could well have done.
The fifth event in the the North East’s biggest cyber festival, was a public sector only event focussed on enabling safe business and supporting cyber resilient local public services.
Again, this is a hugely important issue for the region. The public sector is a major employer and HMRC and the DWP have a significant presence in the area. Add that to the local authorities, the blue light, health and the learning sectors and it all adds up to something a lot bigger than a hill of beans.
Public sector data processing is an area in which the North East can demonstrate expertise and is therefore an opportunity for business growth. Because of this is it is also an asset that must be protected from the threat of remote intervention. It is that opportunity through resilience theme again.
At one time I would have been attending this event as a matter of course. Indeed Graham and I have put on several enabling safe business conferences before. Now I have moved out of the public sector and back onto the private side things are a little different and so I dropped in to talk about what Dynamo is doing and popped back out again. Not that I was ever one for hanging around Sunderland Football Club.
It was an odd sensation standing in front of the audience in my new capacity.
The event was another success, well attended and with great speakers. Graham, as always had done a great job in bringing it all together.
September was a long yet fruitful month. Last stop Durham.
Thoughts from a Guerrilla Worker 