A recent survey has suggested the United Kingdom is a global leader in ‘cyber power’ for its ability to deal with cyber-attacks and deploying the necessary digital infrastructure for a productive and secure economy.
It is suggested that the hundreds of thousands of IT contractors in the UK are the driving force to the UK’s rise as one of the front runners in the G20 for digital infrastructure and quality of the IT workforce.
The Cyber Power Index, developed by the Economist Intelligence Unit, was aimed to measure the success of digital adoption and cyber security by the G20 nations. The index was measured on four areas
1) Legal and regulatory framework – Government policies and national plans
2) Economic and social context - cyber environment measure through education and skills
3) Technology Infrastructure – infrastructure and investment in IT
4) Industry Application - IT depth across different sectors
The UK was given the highest overall index rating just ahead of the United States and Australia, and was one of only four nations to not have a weakness in the index. The UK scored highly in the ‘Legal and Regulatory Framework’ and ‘Technology Infrastructure’ categories due to its continued commitment to cyber development and accessibility, quality and investment in ICT.
However, there are concerns as the UK was seen to be only average when it came to IT education levels and the technical skills of the ICT workforce. This may suggest that contractors, present and future, may need to continue learning beyond their current skillset to stay ahead of the competition.