Is this the most remote cyber security company in the UK?

Those of you familiar with the Cyber Map, which shows the location of all the main players in the UK cyber security industry, may have noticed a remote marker standing out on its own in the far north of Scotland. So who does it belong to and what do they do? Clicking on the pin reveals the identity of Skaill Cyber Defence, who have been members of the Cyber Exchange since November 2015. Skaill is situated between John-o’-Groats and Dunnet Head, on the far north coast of Scotland. A beautiful part of the world, but perhaps not where you’d expect to find a cyber security company. Mike Spain, Operations Director at the Cyber Growth Partnership speaks to CEO and founder of Skaill Cyber Defence Professor Keith Nicholson to find out more. The first topic of conversation is the obvious one… why that location? The answer becomes more obvious when we compare views from our respective office windows: rugged, unspoilt coast with views of the Orkney Isles versus sprawling London office blocks. “I spent many years commuting long distances but found it more and more tiring. Breaking point came when I had one full weekend at home in 4 months when I realised I didn’t want to die travelling!” says Professor Nicholson. “Up here we have the ideal quality of life and I can achieve a work-life balance that works for me”. Geographical remoteness is balanced against business need with meeting rooms in Thurso and an Edinburgh office. In practice, however, as a consulting firm Skaill holds most client meetings on site. Keith Nicholson is an internationally respected scientist and professor. He achieved his doctorate in informatics in 1983, focussing on energy & the environment. This is still a subject close to his heart, though he also finds time for board membership of Revenue Scotland, the Scottish Environment Protection Agency and the Scottish Funding Council. His time working in academia coincided with some of the most rapid phases in the evolution of the web. This presented niche challenges in developing the commercialisation of virtual learning environments and e-commerce, and also in building embedded skills in web strategy and site development, analytics, transactional web services and content management systems. “After the release of the Data Protection Act in 1998, information security opportunities really started to increase especially around certification, audit and information management. Though it was still a slow burner in 2000 it has been gathering momentum ever since”. Professor Nicholson founded Skaill Cyber Defence in 2008 to deliver key strategic services to government, the wider public sector and industry. The core offer includes consultancy around information assurance, cyber strategy development, security improvement programmes, risk management and information management. Four full time members of staff are directly employed and there is a trusted associate network of 15. “We’ve built up an excellent reputation with our clients based on quality of delivery and discretion” explains Professor Nicholson. “This has led to steady growth over the last 5 years for us. We’re keen to expand our core public sector business in Scotland and grow our existing client base within the finance sector, specifically asset management organisations. Longer term we’re looking at breaking into the energy and renewables sector, although we’re waiting to see the impact of Brexit”. In the recent referendum, Scotland voted 62% to 38% to remain in the EU. “Business is still stabilising after the shock and it will be interesting to see the opportunities for Scotland”, says Professor Nicholson. “Encouragingly, we haven’t seen a negative impact on demand or a change in the market space. I’m confident that we’ll be able to continue working with EU nationals and retain the skills they bring. We’ll have to see how it pans out but people do now need certainty”. A quick check on the Cyber Exchange serves as a reminder that although 30 Scottish cyber companies are mapped in total only five have completed live profiles on the site. Naturally this is a figure we want to see grow. Professor Nicholson shares a similar vision and is a strong advocate of the benefits to cyber companies throughout the UK. To help Scottish companies, he has set up the not-for-profit Cyber Security Scotland, soft launched at Counter Fraud Conference in Edinburgh earlier this year. “The aim is to offer independent cyber security and digital strategy advice, guidance and training for the public sector and businesses large and small. We want to build awareness & understanding of cyber risks at board level to help management ensure that it knows what questions to ask during the procurement process for cyber services”. Although the project is still under construction there are big plans for the initiative. These include a trusted advisor scheme for Scottish cyber companies, a knowledge exchange portal and a marketplace to showcase Scottish cyber talent. With transport links improving and ever increasing connectivity through projects such as Highlands & Islands Superfast Broadband, areas that were previously digitally inaccessible are becoming fewer. For a wide range of professionals this is unlocking opportunities to work more flexibly in a location based on personal choice. This will be influenced by client base and individual selection criteria, but it is possible that one day Skaill Cyber Defence will only notionally be custodians of the title of the UK’s most remote cyber security company.

©Mike Spain, Cyber Growth Partnership, September 2016. If you would like your organisation considered for the Member Interview feature, please contact us.