South Wales Cyber Security Cluster

A word from John Davies, cluster manager of South Wales Cyber Security Cluster & Co-founder of Cyber Wales

What are the main Objectives of the Cluster?

The aims of the Cluster are two-fold:

• To support the members of the cluster by communicating National and International initiatives and trade opportunities, providing a networking platform to share ideas and best practice, encouraging collaboration and identifying partnership opportunities so that small cyber security specialist businesses in Wales can find new ways to grow.
• To support the Welsh Government's commitment to Cyber Security (and UK Government's Cyber Security Strategy) by building cyber security knowledge, skills and capabilities in the Region, to make businesses more resilient to cyber attacks and the Region one of the most secure places in the world to do business.

 
What are the benefits that the Cluster is bringing to its members?

As an informal networking group, the Cluster provides a safe, relaxed environment for people to meet, exchange ideas and collaborate.  We have suppliers to cyber companies and consumers of cyber products & services in the Cluster as well as cyber companies themselves so everyone can help each other to secure and grow their businesses together.  We also provide information to the members about the latest news from the cyber world and about opportunities in the local area, across the UK and overseas through our relationships with Government entities, such as Business Development and International Trade teams, and Academic entities, such as Universities and Cyber Institutes.  
 
Why have we joined Cyberwatching?

Like most people in the cyber world, we are amazed by how much work is going on around the world to research, explore and articulate best practice and new approaches.  However, the reality is that there is too much going on.  It is impossible to even find out what is happening, let alone be able to determine whether it might fit together in any meaningful way.  The work that Cyberwatching is doing to find, classify and promote cyber research and activity is a huge help, providing its members with a single place to find a vast amount of information.  Keep up the good work!

John Davies

John Davies is the Co-founder and Chair of Cyber Wales, the largest cyber security ecosystem in the UK.  John has also chaired the Wales Cyber Resilience Board, a Welsh Government Steering Committee working with the National Cyber Security Centre to enhance cyber resilience across Welsh Public Sector organisations and providing policy and best practice advice for the Private Sector.  John has been a Sessional Lecturer on MBA courses and is committed to helping to close the skills gap in cyber security by participating on the Curriculum Advisory Boards of both Cardiff University and the University of South Wales where he regularly runs sessions for the National Cyber Security Academy.  John is a Welsh speaker who plays an active role helping military personnel and their families as Chairman of the Regional Employer Engagement Group for Wales.  For his day-job, he runs a Cardiff-based cyber security software vendor.