e2e-Assure Ltd: Unlocking the Power of SME Innovation. #techUKDigitalPS
techUK publishes results of seventh annual GovTech SME Survey #techUKDigitalPS
Today we are pleased to publish the results of our seventh annual GovTech SME Survey.
This year’s survey analysed the opinions of over 100 techUK SME members who work in or aspire to work in the public sector on a range of topics, from how effectively they feel the government has acted on its commitment to helping small businesses break into the public sector, to how they feel about addressing Social Value.
SMEs are vital to the UK economy, and in the tech sector they are a great source of innovation and ingenuity that the government should support and tap into. The GovTech Survey shows that there is still work to be done to capitalise on the benefits that working with SMEs can bring.
How Cyber Security SMEs Can Transform Public Sector Services.
Cyber security for all industries is of high priority, but for public sector services it is critical. The protection of intellectual property, physical assets and sensitive data is non-negotiable when it comes to security within the public domain. Many may see the power of large cyber enterprises critical for the protection of government and public services, but in reality, they suffer the same downfalls that many other large enterprises do. Due to their size, they can be undynamic and less innovative, which can result in them being inefficient and providing services that are behind the curve.
By nature, SMEs are innovative. They must be in order to survive and demand their space within any market, and this is especially true within the cyber security industry. Cyber security protection revolves around the need to reduce risk, and the risks are heightened when protecting public sector services. This leaves zero room for complacency, the lack of ‘brand name’ or ‘legacy image’ for an SME cyber security provider means they are constantly working and innovating to improve their offering, giving them an edge against their large enterprise competitors.
Why do public sector services need innovation in Cyber Security?
Adaptivity and innovation are crucial when it comes to protecting public sector services. The digital space is ever-evolving, threat actors are continually investing in new tactics utilising innovation in AI and machine learning to be more efficient and targeted with their attacks. Meaning the methods used to detect and respond to these threats need to be evolving at the same pace, ideally quicker.
Unfortunately, public sector services and large enterprises are alike when it comes to speed of innovation and adaptability. When slow meets slow, you get even slower. This is where the power of SMEs have the potential to transform the support and protection offered to public sector services.
What SMEs, such as e2e-assure, lack in 'legacy image’ they make up for in their drive and ambition to create cutting edge services that not only match their large enterprise competitor, but also outperform them. When public sector services work alongside an adaptive and innovative partner, they are encouraged to work more dynamically and implement improvements. In the world of cyber security, this results in reduced cyber security risk, faster response times and higher return on technological investment.
What does this innovation look like?
For us, this is evident down to the core of business functions, for example internal SME process. Traditional threat detection and response services focus on setting up alerts to track malicious behaviour. But at this point the network has already been compromised and the work is being put into reducing the impact of the attack.
This felt clunky to us, why put a lock on your front door if you’re going to leave the key in plain sight? So, we took a different approach, intelligence led threat detection and response. This focus shift means we look at detecting threats before they even enter the network. We’re putting police patrols down the road to catch the burglars before they get close to your house, forget spotting the key.
Forward thinking approaches such as this, give public sector services access to innovative tools and agile processes that can have a vital role to play in delivering transformative public services. By working with SMEs, public service providers can benefit from their innovation ecosystems and fresh perspective, leading to more effective and efficient services. By recognizing the innovative nature of SMEs and supporting their involvement in public service delivery, governments can unlock a wealth of potential.
This article was written by Emma Brooks, Content and Campaign Manager, e2e-Assure Ltd. Emma comes from a marketing and branding background with a passion for cyber security. Emma works closely with e2e's analysts and consultants to provide informative and compelling content about the cybersecurity industry and the wonderful work their team are engaged in. Learn more about this author, by connecting with Emma via LinkedIn.
To learn more about e2e-Assure, please visit their LinkedIn and Twitter.
SMEs are vital to the UK economy, and in the tech sector they are a great source of innovation and ingenuity that the government should support and tap into. The GovTech Survey shows that there is still work to be done to capitalise on the benefits that working with SMEs can bring.
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