Cyber Security Challenge winner embarks on work placement at Cassidian

Dec. 21, 2012 - PRLog -- • Placement is part of Cassidian’s commitment to supporting future cyber talent and ensuring it attracts high calibre staff

The winner of a prestigious national competition backed by Government Communications Headquarters (GCHQ) to find the cyber experts of the future has marked his victory by completing a two week secondment with Cassidian.

Second-year Cambridge computer science student Jonathan Millican was crowned as the UK’s cyber security champion in Bristol in March. He fended off competition from 30 finalists to be crowned the overall winner. Since his victory, he has been courted by a number of companies wanting to utilise his expertise – not least competition sponsors Cassidian CyberSecurity. Jonathan joined the company at its UK headquarters in Newport, South Wales, working alongside its cyber experts on the latest cutting edge solutions.

Cassidian was recently named as one of four commercial cyber security companies chosen to work with the UK National Authorities on a new Cyber Incident Response Scheme.  It has been working for more than ten years to deliver information assurance and cyber support to the UK Government and the Ministry of Defence and it has a proven track record in providing incident response and remediation support services.

During his placement, Jonathan saw at first hand the expertise that Cassidian has developed in helping organisations mitigate the effects of Advanced Persistent Threat (APT) attacks on their networks. Cassidian CyberSecurity offers a full Incident Response and Remediation support service to help organisations recover from cyber attacks, including, where it is possible, identifying stolen data and compromised assets.  

He was also tasked with working on the practical challenge for the 2013 Cyber Security Challenge final as well as getting a glimpse of current cyber research being conducted at EADS Innovation Works – the research arm of the global company that also has a base at Newport.

Speaking about his placement, Jonathan said: “When I entered the competition, I had no idea just how much interest I would generate from the industry. I am pleased I spent my placement with Cassidian as it’s given me an appreciation of the current cyber challenges and a fascinating insight into how Cassidian cyber experts are addressing these challenges in a really innovative way.”

Michael Stevens, CEO Cassidian UK, said: “We are ardent supporters of the Cyber Security Challenge as we recognize how vital it is to identify and encourage future Cyber talent. At Cassidian we are keen to foster innovation and attract the highest calibre of recruits to join our business. Jonathan made a great impact during his placement and we are certain he has a bright future ahead of him.”

About CASSIDIAN (www.cassidian.com)

Cassidian, an EADS company, is a worldwide leader in global security solutions and systems, providing Lead Systems Integration and value-added products and services to civil and military customers around the globe: air systems (aircraft and unmanned aerial systems), land, naval and joint systems, intelligence and surveillance, cyber security, secure communications, test systems, missiles, services and support solutions. In 2011, Cassidian – with around 28,000 employees – achieved revenues of €5.8 billion. EADS is a global leader in aerospace, defence and related services. In 2011, the Group – comprising Airbus, Astrium, Cassidian and Eurocopter – generated revenues of €49.1 billion and employed a workforce of more than 133,000.

About CASSIDIAN CyberSecurity

Cassidian CyberSecurity, a 100% Cassidian company, is entirely devoted to addressing the cyber security market across Europe and the Middle East, with an offering aimed at protecting governments, national agencies, strategic industries and critical infrastructure from increasingly sophisticated threats. Operating in the UK, France and Germany - under the umbrella of a global cyber security organisation aligned to meet national Cyber Security needs - Cassidian CyberSecurity’s expertise includes cyber incident response, network security monitoring, risk assessment & audit and cryptographic solutions.

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