8 October 2009 – VEGA Consulting Services Ltd (VEGA), a Finmeccanica company, is proposing the adoption of a UK Information Sharing Strategy, as part of its sponsorship of the RUSI/Intellect Cyber Security Conference.

The conference, in Whitehall from 21-22 October, aims to help senior policy makers, companies with an interest in the sector, and other stakeholders, discuss how the UK's public and private responses to new threats and new policy can best be enabled. It will also explore the national perspective provided by the Cyber Security Strategy, considering its interactions with the National Security Strategy, protection of the critical national infrastructure, and criminal/sub-state factors.

VEGA is a professional services company that delivers technology-enabled change in complex environments, often where security and resilience are key. We offer independent expert advice and pragmatic solutions to help our clients meet their transformation challenges with confidence. The company has a wealth of experience advising government and the military on how best to ensure the integrity of information and facilitate data sharing.

Steve Coles, VEGA’s Head of Security Strategy and a leading strategist in this area of information security, will be contributing to the conference programme as an industry representative. He will be speaking about the UK’s requirement for an Information Sharing Strategy and its role in addressing the growing challenges set out in the Cyber Security Strategy. As a member of Intellect’s Security and Resilience Group management committee, Steve represents the trade association on RISC, where he is the industry Chair of the RISC ICT IAG

“The UK Government’s publication of its National Security, Cyber Security and Counter Terrorist strategies all highlight the ability to share information electronically across Government, securely and on demand, as an essential capability that underlines the UK’s security and resilience planning,” explains Steve.

“At the conference, I will be considering the need for the UK to adopt its own National Information Sharing Strategy, and examining how such an approach, already adopted by some of the UK’s closest allies, can help resolve the challenges associated with the increased demand to securely share information across a range of government departments and agencies.”