Communications

Coventry’s Leading Digital Inclusion Program: COV Connects

Laura Waller, the Digital Services and Inclusion Lead for Coventry City Council, joined us at our Digital Inclusion Conference 2024. Laura spearheads the COV Connects program which has made significant strides in addressing digital exclusion in Coventry.

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Protecting SMEs from Cybercrime: PCC Collaboration with the NEBRC

We welcomed Joy Allen, Police and Crime Commissioner for Durham, at the Digital Policing Conference 2024, who highlighted the pivotal role of collaborative efforts in protecting small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) from the growing threat of cybercrime. Her presentation focused on the innovative initiatives undertaken by the Northeast Business Resilience Centre (NEBRC), a key player within the National Cyber Resilience Centre network.

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The Growing Cyber Threat Landscape for UK Police Forces

Cybersecurity is a critical concern for law enforcement agencies worldwide. With the increasing prevalence of cyber threats, the UK police have significantly enhanced their capabilities to combat cybercrime and ensure the safety of digital infrastructures. Police forces have been dealing with an estimated 7.78 million cybercrimes in the last year (GOV).

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Preparing Students to be the Next Generation of Cyber Professionals

As the digital landscape evolves, the UK faces an urgent need to cultivate a new generation of cyber professionals. The public sector has a crucial role to play in this endeavour, particularly by engaging school students early on and preparing them for careers in cybersecurity and related STEM fields. This strategy is essential not just for filling the existing skills gap, but also for ensuring the nation's security and technological leadership in the coming decades.

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The NCA’s Central Role in Fighting Cybercrime & Ransomware

Cybercrime has emerged as a Tier One national security threat, with ransomware identified as one of the most significant and pervasive dangers facing nations and organisations alike. The UK has seen a substantial rise in ransomware incidents, with recorded attacks increasing by 55% in 2023, and continuing into 2024. The majority of these attacks have targeted critical sectors, including healthcare and manufacturing, which have become prime targets due to their reliance on essential services​.

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EU AI Act Article 10: New Implications for HR Managers

The HR recruitment market has been revolutionised by AI technologies, enhancing efficiency and candidate-job matching. However, issues such as algorithmic bias and transparency have raised concerns, leading to regulatory interventions like the EU AI Act. According to a report by PwC, 38% of organisations are already using AI in their HR functions, with an additional 62% expected to follow suit in the next few years

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CrowdStrike: 6 Crisis Management Lessons for the Public Sector

The CrowdStrike outage in July 2024 involved a significant disruption in their cybersecurity services, impacting various sectors reliant on their technology, including finance, healthcare, and government. This included 8.5 million Windows devices. This incident highlighted the critical need for thorough testing, robust crisis management, and effective communication to maintain trust and continuity in essential services. This article identifies key areas for public sector authorities to protect in their systems.

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Supporting Digital Inclusion: A Local Government Mandate

The UK ranks fourth in Europe and 17th in the World for its online population. Championing digital inclusion is an essential strategy for fostering economic growth, enhancing public services, and improving the overall quality of life for their residents. This article explains how local authorities can support the digital inclusion transition in communities.

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Online Safety in Education: Safeguarding in the Digital Age

As technology becomes an integral part of education, ensuring online safety for students is increasingly important. The digital age offers vast educational opportunities, but it also poses significant risks, including cyberbullying, data breaches, and exposure to inappropriate content.

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Implementing Digital Tools to Improve Resident Engagement

In 2022, 65% of complaints brought to the Housing Ombudsman were found to have maladministration. In this video, Jane Porter, Chief Operating Officer of Optivo discusses the benefit of digital tools in housing association and how reviewing their complaints services has improved the engagement they have from residents.

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Outlining the Long-term Effects of Image-based Abuse and its Impact on Victim’s Lives

Between 2020 and 2022, over 60,000 pieces of sexual content were reported to the Revenge Porn Helpline. In this video Folami Prehaye, Founder of Victims of Image Based Crime shares her own experiences of image based abuse and highlights both long and short term impacts on victims to illustrate how organisations can provide trauma-informed support.

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Co-Producing Direct Payments that Work for Everyone in Adult Social Care

With £5.4 billion of revenue from the new Health and Social Care Levy going towards social care reforms, there is renewed funding for local authorities to meet demands in adult social care. Kirklees Council share how they have implemented co-produced direct payments to support carers and those in care.

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