Posted: 31st December 2014

A new global online resource for those working on building cybersecurity capacity launches this week, providing a wealth of essential information for policy-makers and anyone involved in delivering cybersecurity strategies at an international, national and major corporate level.  

The Cybersecurity Capacity Portal has been created by the Global Cyber Security Capacity Centre, based at the Oxford Martin School, University of Oxford, in partnership with Oxford’s Saïd Business School. It gives both policy-makers and those helping to deliver capacity building within the cyber security professional community information on a wide range of essential elements of cybersecurity - from national policies, regulation and protecting against cybercrime, to encouraging responsible cyber culture and building skills in the workforce and leadership – as well as technological developments to enable better cybersecurity.

The need for international efforts to protect cyberspace is clear: 81% of large corporations and 60% of small businesses suffered from cybercrime in 2014. The portal will help support decisions and investments that can significantly enhance safety and security in cyberspace, and help coordinate global efforts in cybersecurity through sharing of information and best practice.  

The portal also contains information on the work of the Centre, which works to understand how to deliver effective cyber security both within the UK and internationally. Organisations collaborating with the Centre in this work include the Organization of American States and the World Bank.

The Cabinet Office Minister responsible for Cyber Security, Rt Hon Francis Maude MP announced the new initiative this morning at an event marking the third anniversary of the UK Cyber Security Strategy.

Centre Director, Professor Sadie Creese, comments: “Building capacity in cybersecurity is essential to keeping our online environments, societies and economies safe and prosperous. This new portal will be a one-stop shop for essential information on what is already being done around the world and what we can learn from those experiences to enable us to better increase the scale, pace and quality of cybersecurity. "

The creation of the portal has also been supported by a network of experts in Oxford’s Department of Computer Science and Cyber Security Centre, Oxford Internet Institute, and in institutions worldwide.

Saïd Business School Professor David Upton said: “Cybersecurity needs a multi-pronged approach, and here at the Business School we’ve been focussing on education, leadership and skills. It’s increasingly clear that these risks need to be addressed at executive level, not just by the IT Department, and this portal will be a key source of information to help with this”. 

Anyone with an interest in cybersecurity can visit and view information on the site at: www.sbs.ox.ac.uk/cybersecurity-capacity