The inaugural Cyber Security NSW Summit, which provided a face-to-face professional development and networking opportunity for those working or interested in cyber security across NSW Government entities and NSW local councils, was held on 20 September 2023.
The theme of the summit was “connect, innovate, empower – stronger together”. Raising the level of awareness and understanding of cyber security amongst the public sector is critical to preventing cyber attacks and enabling rapid response and remediation when they do occur.
Cyber Security NSW is committed to continual cyber security uplift across the NSW Government, and professional development is a vital part of this. For this purpose, as announced at the summit, Cyber Security NSW is sponsoring 20 staff from across the NSW Government and local councils to complete TAFEcyber’s Australian Cyber Security Centre Essential Eight Assessment Course.
The summit also saw the agency launch its Cyber Security NSW Local Government Engagement Plan, which outlines its strategic approach to local government sector engagement, including its streams of engagement, expectations of local government entities, prioritisation strategy and challenges to consider.
In addition, Cyber Security NSW announced its build-an-exercise offering, which will allow NSW Government entities to design and deliver their own cyber incident response exercises internally, enabling easier testing and honing of response plans (reach out to info@cyber.nsw.gov.au for more information).
The plenary panel explored cyber security in today’s world and beyond. Speakers discussed: how to balance the drive to innovate with the need to maintain robust security measures; managing the security of supply chains to prevent cyber attacks in a world that’s increasingly connected; and empowering diverse voices to develop more comprehensive and effective cyber security strategies.
The summit also featured presentations from cyber security experts and leaders on: cyber security and the role of artificial intelligence; translating cyber to connect with executives in the language of business; managing cyber incidents with internal and external stakeholders; among a range of other cyber security areas. All speakers echoed the sentiment that cyber threats present a whole-of-business risk – cyber security can’t be the responsibility of IT teams alone.
Attendees learned about the future of cyber security awareness and training, and communicating cyber security effectively within an organisation, with speakers noting that communication is the lifeline between cyber security and effective execution.
The summit also provided case study examples of how organisations such as Westpac, Shoalhaven City Council, Wollongong Council, Australian Department of Home Affairs, Australian Security Intelligence Organisation and Joint Cyber Security Centre are approaching cyber security.
Cyber Security NSW is proud that there was equal gender representation across speakers, and would like to thank all the esteemed presenters who shared their knowledge and experiences at the summit.
Please reach out to info@cyber.nsw.gov.au if you would like to find out more about how Cyber Security NSW supports a cyber-secure NSW Government.