Jisc makes cybersecurity self-assessment easier for UK tertiary education and research organisations

New survey tool will help Jisc members benchmark their cyber posture, meet compliance requirements and build robust security strategies for a safer digital future.

Jisc announces a new way to help UK tertiary education and research organisations better position themselves to deal with the evolving threat of cyber attacks.

By completing the latest cyber security self-assessment survey, all Jisc members and customers will be able to easily benchmark their cyber posture while also fulfilling the requirement for an annual internal self-assessment review as part of their connection to the Janet Network.

The survey tool has been developed with the help of the National Cyber Security Centre (NCSC) and uses questions based on their established Cyber Assessment Framework (CAF), which defines what good cyber security looks like in practice. From the responses, Jisc will produce an overview of cyber security postures throughout the UK’s universities and colleges that will allow individual institutions to benchmark themselves within the sector. Sharing the responses on a non-commercial basis with the NCSC will also, for the first time, enable benchmarking against other sectors.

David Batho, Jisc’s director of cyber security, explains why this data is important:

“Since 2017, we’ve been inspired by our members’ and customers’ dedication to enhancing their cyber security. We’ve seen a continuous trend of improvement in technical measures, processes and skills. Yet, as the cyber landscape shifts and new threats emerge, our commitment to vigilance and growth must remain unwavering.

“So, in response to requests for cyber benchmarking within the sector, we’re utilising a tool developed with the NCSC that not only supports self-assessment, but also enables benchmarking while at the same time offering compliance with the Janet security policy.

“This year’s survey – which should take cyber security and technology leaders about 20 minutes to complete online – will help institutions build more robust cyber security strategies. By identifying strengths and areas where improvements are needed, it will help leaders adopt a more informed approach to their cyber security. It will also steer Jisc’s future direction in terms of technologies and defence capabilities to protect the sector – now and in the future.

“Together, we can stay ahead and keep building a safer digital future.”