Earlier this week, Global Advantage’s CEO, Dave Watters, attended the 2019 Ottawa Conference on Security and Defence hosted by the Conference of Defence Associations Institute. The CDA Institute is a charitable non-partisan research organization that champions informed public debate on national security and defence issues by publishing articles, blogs, and research papers, as well as organizing events and awards in the field [1]. The conference featured an array of expert panelists who spoke about traditional defence and security issues, such as border security and NORAD/NATO relationships, as well as the growing role of cybersecurity in Canada’s defence and security ecosystem.
Cyber security is one of the most underserved areas of security and defence in Canada. It has a highly fragmented ecosystem, which has led to a critical lack of collaboration and coordination between actors. Our research indicates that there are a variety of factors compromising the safety of Canada’s digital networks. Only half of Canadian provinces have a cybersecurity strategy, while there exists a glaring lack of a central agency facilitating meaningful private and public collaboration. There is also a massive gap in the number of qualified cybersecurity professionals; Deloitte estimated in 2016 that one quarter of Canadian executives expected their cyber teams to grow by more than 25% in the next 3-5 years [2].
Global Advantage recognizes the critical nature of cybersecurity in a world that is evolving to be increasingly digital. The first step towards keeping Canadians safe and secure is understanding the context of these threats, captured in our insightful, comprehensive ecosystem maps. To date, we have completed two maps on cybersecurity: one for the Canadian Association of Defence and Security Industries, and one for Cyber New Brunswick. In attending the 2019 Ottawa Conference on Security and Defence, Mr. Watters demonstrated Global Advantage’s ongoing commitment to providing the most cutting-edge expertise possible to clients. Security and defence, and particularly cyber security, are areas of constant innovation, and our company excels at understanding and communicating the implications of these changes.
