Our mission at BAE Systems is to secure and defend the connected world. This is a big challenge, and like all big challenges, it’s best to work with others who can bring different viewpoints, experience and expertise to the discussion.
To this point, we have a partnership with Cyber London (CyLon), Europe's first cybersecurity accelerator and incubator that offers cyber technology start-ups professional training and mentorship and access to the expertise of seasoned entrepreneurs, academics, government officials and other senior executives.
We are not alone. Technology companies like Microsoft, Google, Cisco and Intel actively work with the start-up community, running both accelerator schemes to support start-ups in their initial growth stage, and venture arms to provide the funding needed which can make an enormous difference in their growth trajectories.
So why do these massive enterprises bother? It’s all about diversity. Big businesses have their perspective on the world, problems, and solutions, and younger companies have theirs. Start-ups bring a personal passion and drive to share their technology with the world. They play by a different set of rules to the Goliaths of the world, allowing them to do things in a way that larger companies wouldn’t or can’t.
With technology changing so fast, it provides an eye on the long-term, ensuring that companies focusing on today’s business are ready for what the future brings. Technology innovation is and will continue to make a huge difference in areas like financial services, healthcare, artificial intelligence, transportation, agriculture and cybersecurity, and because of their nature, start-ups are in a better position to come up with new ways to solve universal problems.
The Importance of Cybersecurity Innovation
The banking sector has been heavily involved in fintech, as they invest in new technology that can enable their businesses and their customers. Barclays Bank for example, has worked with numerous security start-ups. It runs accelerator programs, finding companies it's interested in researching and developing, working with game-changing innovation such as blockchain, password replacement technology and advanced anti-virus solutions.
Every aspect of society depends on the internet, with global connectivity growing exponentially and wireless being the dominant means of access. The 'Internet of Things' will see many more devices connected and performing critical control functions. New and radical approaches are needed, and this is why innovation is so crucial. Cyber-criminals are constantly innovating and evolving with new ways to penetrate defenses. The good guys need to be doing the same on the defensive side.
It’s why accelerators like CyLon are so important, because they give start-ups the opportunity to innovate and come up with new and unique ideas to solve big technology problems. Our relationship with CyLon allows us to collaborate with start-ups and foster relationships to benefit the entire cyber industry, as well as the businesses that rely on our products and services.
For many observers, cybersecurity in the long-term needs new and radical approaches, as well as rethinking and re-engineering. This is tough for established organizations to take on board and put into practice, but it’s exactly what start-ups do best.
For start-ups looking for the training and mentorship that can help build a successful cybersecurity company, applications are currently open to apply for the next cohort at CyLon.