The GovWare Conference and Exhibition, held between 17th-19th October at the Sands Expo and Convention Centre, attracts around 10,000 participants from 65 countries each year. The conference provides cybersecurity experts with a platform to share knowledge, insights and new technologies.
This year’s theme, ‘Fostering Trust Through Collaboration in the New Digital Reality’, addresses the key role that digital trust plays in enhancing today’s cyber security practices.
Nominet attended the conference as part of Singapore Cyber Security Week 2023, where the Singapore and UK governments expressed their intentions to jointly build and enhance cyber skills. Here are our key takeaways from the week.
Singapore and the UK announce strategic partnership
The GovWare conference kicked off as the CSA announced a strategic partnership between Singapore and the UK to ‘jointly build and develop a cyber security professional that is clearly-defined and future-proofed’.
Both Singapore and the UK have committed to championing cyber security professions and addressing the cyber skills gap. The two nations recognise the importance of the issue and agree that a collaborative approach will help to reduce the cyber risk to citizens and organisations across our economies, as well as supporting the sector’s workforce growth in the coming years.
Specifically, both countries have agreed to align their respective cyber knowledge bases, potentially including a joint research project to align the UK Cyber Security Body of Knowledge (CyBOK) and Singapore’s Information Security Body of Knowledge (IS-BOK).
Further initiatives include aligning cyber security qualifications and certifications, opening the UK Cyber Security Council professional chartership to cyber practitioners in Singapore, and facilitating a cyber skills dialogue to improve the size, diversity and quality of both national cyber workforces.
A united front for cyber security
Cyber security cooperation between Singapore and the UK is important for three reasons:
- We’re stronger together – and it’s vital that nations share our experiences and best practice, so that we can learn from each other.
- It builds trust between states in an increasingly uncertain geopolitical environment, paving the way for greater cooperation in future.
- It increases the connection between states who have shared values and who share a common vision for an open, free and democratic internet.
The themes discussed during Singapore Cybersecurity Week 2023 echoed those happening across UK Government. On 9th September 2023, the UK Government announced a broader strategic partnership with Singapore to help grow the UK’s economy and improve shared security.
The agreement will steer the UK and Singapore’s relationship for the next decade and leverage joint expertise in areas such as technology and clean energy. The partnership will also play a key role in creating jobs in high demand areas such as cyber security and AI, both in the UK and in Singapore
Working towards a shared cyber security future
At Nominet, we want to play our small part in developing cyber skills to boost the UK’s resilience to threats. Our cyber workforce is global in nature, operating across continents, and we champion sharing knowledge, expertise, and common ways of working for the greater good of all those who depend on the public services that we protect.