Homeland security: U.K. perspective // by Terry Shear, MBE

its infrastructure and has therefore reacted and developed accordingly with sophistication and expertise in the sector.

The United Kingdom has the world security standard for IT Network security with the U.K.’s BS7799 security standard being adopted as the global ISO standard (ISO17799) and the network security sector is enjoying some of its highest growth rates to date. Adoption of public key infrastructure (PKI) and advances in encryption technologies — particularly quantum encryption — are offering end-users realistic and affordable IT security options. The KeyNote Report estimated that firewalls were the largest sub-sector of IT security products and the fastest growing subsectors were firewalls, content security, intrusion detection, and PKI.

The EU’s 23 million SMEs account for 99 percent of all businesses and contribute up to 80 percent of employment in some industrial sectors. European security is a precondition for prosperity and freedom. The need for a comprehensive security strategy encompassing both civil and defense security measures must be addressed. EU will invest 1.3 billion Euros (2007-13) in knowledge and development further technologies in order to protect citizens from threats such as terrorism, natural disasters, and crime while respecting privacy and safeguarding fundamental rights. Security research will reinforce the competitiveness of the European security industry by stimulating the co-operation of providers and users for civil security solutions. It will also draw the best intellectual and technological skills across Europe through the active involvement of SMEs

U.K. organisations recently formed such as RISC (Resilience Industry Suppliers Council), SITC (Security Innovation and Technology Consortium), and IACG (Information Assurance Collaboration Group) are important factors and offer insights into U.K. security companies, expertise, and U.K. and EU government direction in this important sector.

Unlike most of its competitors, the United Kingdom is not just an investment destination: It is an investment multiplier, a springboard to international growth that upgrades the value of a company’s investment — companies choose the United Kingdom to take advantage of a prosperous economy and also to extend their global footprint.

The U.K. economy’s strength is underpinned by large investments in public services and infrastructure. Key U.K. security players include QinetiQ, BT Security Research Center, Symantec, VeriSign (U.K.), McAfee, Trend CheckPoint, Becrypt Ltd, Autonomy, Omni Perception, Smart Card Solutions, Identix, TSSI, 3Bview,Cybersafe, Accenture (U.K.), Harris Systems (U.K.), Optic Vision, Aralia Systems, and many more.

As a leader in the global fight against terrorism, the United Kingdom has a pioneering role to play to ensure that the main arteries of world trade are safe and well. In the ports sector, the United Kingdom is drawing on decades of experience in the development of transport security solutions. U.K. companies play a vital role in protecting ports around the world, with a range of specialist companies offering products from high technology tracing and monitoring equipment, through to access control systems and security planning. U.K. companies such as Hart Security, which pioneered the fist corporate Supply Chain Security Management system to gain the ISO 28000:2007 International Standard, and Exis Technologies, which assist customers manage dangerous and hazardous cargo with the aid of its specialist Hazcheck systems, are leading the way in securing ports worldwide. Other leading providers in port security are Olive Group and QinetiQ.

The United Kingdom has developed dynamic innovative clusters in a wide range of technologies and many overseas companies have established Research & Development centers in the United Kingdom to capitalize on this open innovation “ecosystem” In fact, around 45 percent of all business R&D undertaken in the United Kingdom is funded by overseas-owned companies. R&D security related centers of excellence include: University of Kent & Canterbury (Biometrics), Royal Holloway, University of Leeds School of Computer Studies, Cambridge University, University of Cranfield, Rutherford Appleton Labs (imaging technologies), Southampton University (optronics), “Secure South East” Egham, South West (biosecurity). Most of the South East enterprise hubs have a security interest.

U.K. expertise in the security sector is well recognized in the United States. U.K. companies are working with U.S. companies to provide the best possible solutions and U.K./U.S. governments are working collaboratively, sharing knowledge and expertise and this is a great partnership at government and industry level. U.K. companies such as QinetiQ, BAE Systems, and Smiths Detection have well established facilities in the United States, and we are very keen to expand U.K. security expertise and exports to the United States. We need to continue the dialogue between our two countries as we have everything to gain from this collaborative approach: The U.K./U.S. partnership — government and industry — is vital as we tackle international terrorism.

Terry Shear, MBE, is Vice Consul Trade & Investment and Homeland Security Sector Specialist at the British Embassy, Washington, D.C.