BAE acts to tackle the threat of cyber crime

Now, the growing threat of cyber crime has driven defence giant BAE Systems to invest in its subsidiary Detica, a provider of security and intelligence products and services.

Today, BAE Systems said that of the 293 graduates and trainees being recruited by the company in the UK in 2013, more than 44 per cent of them will join Detica, which is headquartered in Guildford, Surrey and runs offices in London and Leeds.

Overall, Detica told the Yorkshire Post it will take on around 40 people at its Leeds site this year, where it currently employs 120. Among these will be three new graduates, as well as six apprentices.

BAE Systems said that more and more companies are looking to shore up their defences against the growing threat of cyber crime, representing “a clear market opportunity for companies such as Detica that can provide much needed cyber skills and expertise”.

David Cameron told an international cyberspace conference in London in 2011 that international cyber security is “a real and pressing concern”, adding: “Every day we see attempts on an industrial scale to steal government secrets – information of interest to nation states, not just commercial organisations.”

BAE Systems said that its recruitment plans for Detica reflect the nation’s growing need for cyber security and the cost of cyber crime to the UK, which is currently estimated to be between £18bn and £27bn annually, according to the National Audit Office.

Martin Sutherland, managing director of Detica, which serves both government and commercial customers, said: “Detica has over 2,600 staff globally, but we’re planning on recruiting 600 people this year of whom 130 will be graduates based in the UK.

“Our growth reflects a huge demand for technologies which defend against cyber attack, combat fraud and help businesses effectively manage the sometimes overwhelming amounts of data available to them.

“We are recruiting IT, engineering, maths and physics graduates and offer an excellent training and development programme giving our recruits the chance to work on some of the most exciting and cutting edge IT challenges in the world.”

Training the next generation of skilled cyber security engineers was recently identified by the Institute of Engineering and Technology as “vital in order to protect the UK’s critical infrastructure”.

Jo Leggett, head of the Detica UK Delivery Centre, which is based in Leeds, said: “Being able to attract, recruit and retain exceptionally talented young people is vital to the long-term future of BAE Systems Detica and the UK Delivery Centre (UKDC) in Leeds.

“The UKDC works to develop some of Detica’s core products and supports some of our largest customers. Its main focus is on service support, project delivery and analytics. By investing in young people we’re investing in the future of the company. We’re supporting their skills development and offering an invaluable work environment.”

David Garfield, managing director, cyber security, director for Europe, BAE Systems Detica, said that successful cyber attacks are taking place on businesses every day, and as tactics employed by cyber criminals become more and more sophisticated, high profile cyber incidents are going to become more and more common.

He added: “As a consequence, there’s a lot of nervousness amongst businesses on the front line.

“Any organisation which possesses valuable intellectual property or sensitive commercial information – in other words, most businesses – could be vulnerable to a breach on their network.

“As UK companies learn more about the potential impact of these threats – both commercially as well as reputationally – we’re seeing a ripple effect of increased awareness across the private sector, with growing numbers of organisations looking for new ways to keep their networks secure from intruders.”

Earlier this year, BAE Systems and mobile phone operator Vodafone unveiled a five-year deal to work together on cyber security solutions.

It said the companies were to offer a range of communications security products and services for mobile phones and tablet devices initially.

In February, BAE Systems posted a smaller than expected fall in underlying profits and cheered investors with a dividend boost and £1bn share buyback plan due to the strength of its overseas arms sales.

The company said growth in 2013 would likely come from outside its home markets in Britain and the United States, where it said the overall outlook was “constrained”.

It reported a 6.4 per cent fall in earnings before interest, tax and amortisation (EBITA) to £1.895bn in 2012, whereas most analysts had expected a result of around £1.85-£1.87bn.

The fall in profits was led by reduced business in its US division, which accounted for 40 per cent of its 2012 sales, due to defence budget pressures and reduced activity in support of deployed operations in Iraq and Afghanis- tan.

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