28 August 2018

BAE Systems is spearheading an industry initiative to engage, unite and activate a global community of security professionals and industry influencers in their fight against cyber crime.

Founding members of The Intelligence Network include Andrzej Kawalec at Vodafone, Jonathan Luff at CyLon and James Sulivan at independent think tank RUSI (Royal United Services Institute).

BAE Systems and its partners have signed a manifesto promising to bring about critical changes in leadership, culture, behaviour and processes to tackle evolving cyber threats. Julian Cracknell, MD, BAE Systems Applied Intelligence, says the manifesto establishes a framework for creating a safer society by 2025, and hopes that The Intelligence Network will kickstart conversations about the future of cyber defence. 

“It has been conceived as a result of the latest input from the community on what needs to change, both in terms of the emerging issues that represent the greatest threat to society in a digital age, but also the way we work together to tackle these issues head on as one collective. Our call to the industry is this: be part of the change you want to see.”

The manifesto focuses on three areas of transformation: collaboration, simplicity and certainty. It sets out a number of aims to be achieved over the next seven years, such as intelligence sharing to ensure coordinated action in response to new threats, technology to be secure by default – both on purchase and through its life, security to be managed through standard corporate risk management structures in the same way as health and safety, amongst others.

The Intelligence Network itself will be led by a steering committee comprising industry influencers and those most passionate about driving change in the security sector, but will be open to anyone to join. The community will meet both physically and in the virtual world to share ideas, intelligence and wisdom and support campaigns to drive positive change in understanding, attitudes and processes.