Information Security Management and Compliance: Bridging the Gap!

The Department for Business and Trade (DBT) has confirmed that the Minister has now approved a regional allocation of £1.2 million for the rollout of the Made Smarter Programme. This initiative aims to drive growth among the region’s manufacturing businesses and contribute to advancing the UK economy by fostering the development and adoption of cutting-edge technologies in the East of England. Announced in the Budget, the programme will support manufacturing companies in becoming more productive through the adoption of digital technologies. Hertfordshire, which has the second-largest manufacturing base in the East of England, is set to benefit from the programme’s launch in April 2025 (Hertfordshire Futures, 2024).

Hertfordshire is home to 1.2 million people and 61,060 businesses, contributing over £46 billion annually to the national economy. Our local economy is larger than that of many cities and combined local authority areas. Ideally located between London, Cambridge, and Oxford, our county hosts some of the UK’s leading businesses, including internationally renowned companies in creative media, advanced manufacturing, and life sciences. However, cybercrime poses a growing threat to Hertfordshire’s economy. In 2024 alone, the county lost £17.9 million to cybercrime. A total of 774 allegations of cybercrime were recorded in 2024—an alarming increase from 374 in 2023 (Our County of Opportunity 2022-2025, Hertfordshire County Council; Hertfordshire Growth Board; The Herts Advertiser).

According to Hertfordshire Economy Report – October 2024, Hertfordshire has a strong micro-business sector, comprising 55,190 micro-businesses, the vast majority of which employ between 0 to 4 people. This sector is particularly active in creative industries, tech startups, healthcare, and professional services. With businesses increasingly reliant on cloud services and digital operations, cybersecurity is now a critical concern. As a result, collaborative support initiatives offering low-resource intensive solutions are in high demand.

Bridging the knowledge and skills gap in Information Security Management and Compliance

In this talk, Dr. Deepthi Ratnayake will discuss her initiatives and outcomes of research, teaching, and professional collaborations aimed at bridging the knowledge and skills gap in Information Security Management and Compliance. She will explore how these initiatives help micro-businesses in Hertfordshire enhance their organisational cyber resilience.

Speaker Profile:

Dr. Deepthi Ratnayake BSc, MSc, PhD, FHEA, MBCS, CITP, MCS(SL), SLAF (Rtd.)
Cybersecurity and Computing Systems Research Group | Networks, Security and Systems Subject Group, School of Physics, Engineering and Computer Science (SPECS), University of Hertfordshire, UK
Committee Member, BCS-ISSG

Dr. Deepthi Ratnayake is a university academic, researcher, and author with nearly 40 years of experience across industry, defence, and academia. She specialises in cybersecurity, networking, and information systems management. Before transitioning into academia, she gained extensive expertise in managing large-scale office automation projects and networks in the industry and defence.

Currently, she is Principal Lecturer, and a member of the Security and Systems Subject Group as well as the Cybersecurity and Computing Systems Research Group and Networks at School of Physics, Engineering and Computer Science (SPECS), University of Hertfordshire.

Dr. Ratnayake earned her PhD in Probe Request Attack Detection in Wireless LANs using Intelligent Techniques. Her research interests include Intruder detection and prevention using intelligent techniques, Automation of Information Security Management and Compliance, Security in cloud computing and Software-Defined Networks (SDN).

She has delivered numerous academic and professional talks, published extensively in refereed national and international conferences, and authored high-impact journal articles. Dr. Ratnayake is also an Associate Editor of the Information Security Journal: A Global Perspective.

Recently, she secured a UK Research and Innovation (UKRI) grant to develop an intelligent security assessment tool tailored for SOHO/SME business owners. She also runs a series of funded workshops on cybersecurity compliance role-play (such as GDPR, CE, and PCI-DSS) and workshops on skill mapping aligned with the UK Government’s Cyber Security Strategy: 2022 to 2030. These initiatives are conducted in collaboration with local industry experts for students at the University of Hertfordshire and its partner colleges.

As a longstanding active member of the BCS Information Security Specialist Group (BCS-ISSG) committee, she has organised over 25 collaborative events to date, bringing together academics, students, professional bodies, industry leaders, and government agencies to bridge the gap between business needs, cybersecurity education, and cybercrime prevention. She also played a key role in establishing the BCS-London Metropolitan University and BCS-Hertfordshire Student Chapters. As a cybersecurity columnist for the British Computer Society’s (BCS) IT-Now, she has contributed insightful articles analysing major cybersecurity incidents, challenges, and lessons learned.

Dr. Ratnayake can be followed on: UH Profile |LinkedIn |Twitter

Timings

19:00 arrival   (light refreshments)
19:30 lecture commences
20:30 lecture finishes (optional Q&A afterwards)
21:00 event closes

Join our Live Webinar

https://us02web.zoom.us/j/82012335361?pwd=brlXONrCI9bBx8KjGClAAboRLz9Vbp.1

Location

College Lane Campus, University of Hertfordshire
A161, Lindop Building, College Lane Campus, University of Hertfordshire, AL10 9AB

Cost

Free for members and non-members

Booking

Get tickets: https://Hertfordshire030425.eventbrite.co.uk.

Last updated 28th March, 2025 at 12:10pm