A Jisc-run community group for cyber security professionals at colleges, universities and research centres in the UK has just signed up its 1000th member.

Launched at the Jisc security conference in November 2021, the cyber security community group runs through a Microsoft Teams site hosted by Jisc.

It is designed to help Jisc members improve their security posture by providing helpful peer-to-peer support and meaningful content. In a relaxed environment, members can create and join discussions, share cyber security challenges and learn about best practice.

Members also have exclusive access to webinars and clinics run by Jisc experts that provide specific advice on current threats and cyber- security measures that help control those threats.  

Now run exclusively through the community, these events and workshops have become extremely popular. Recent events have included ‘Getting the most out of PingCastle’, which attracted more than 400 attendees, while the Cyber Essentials’ drop-in clinics regularly register 200 people or more.

David Batho, Jisc’s head of security, is delighted, but not surprised by the swift growth and popularity of the community and its activity. He explains:

“With connectivity and digital technology now underpinning nearly all aspects of running a university, college or research centre, cyber security has never been more important.

“This, coupled with the well-reported increase in ransomware attacks globally against education providers and other organisations has pushed cyber security up the priority list of senior leaders.

“As a result, we’re finding that IT and cyber security staff are, quite rightly, paying more attention to threats and keen to learn about current risks and how to combat them. The community group is proving a popular and valuable support platform for that.”

The community is for anyone working within the education and research sector who is interested in cyber security. Among those signed up are chief information security officers, chief technology officers, security analysts, IT and information security managers, security architects and penetration testers.

To join the community, visit the cyber security community page.

Further information

Sign up to receive personalised instructions on steps to improve security posture.

Find out more about Jisc’s cyber security services and support for members.