In 2021, two out of five charities in the UK were hit by some form of cyber-attack – a rise of 13%, compared to the previous year. Cyber-attacks are becoming increasingly frequent, diverse, and intelligent, and charity and non-profit organisations can be identified as ‘easy targets’ due to their lower levels of budget provision towards IT security. Cyber-attacks are, therefore, fast becoming one of the key risks facing housing associations and co-operatives.

However, SFHA has teamed up with Scottish Business Resilience Centre, leaders in providing support and services to the Scottish third and public sector in cyber resilience, so you can learn about a range of ways that you, your staff, and board members can strengthen your organisation’s cyber resilience levels.

Together, we’ll be holding a virtual conference, ‘Cyber security in Housing’, on Wednesday 8 June from 09.30–12:40.  

By attending the conference, you’ll hear about different methods and practical actions to implement in order to quickly improve and increase your cyber resilience.

You can view the full programme here.

To ensure as many members have the chance to join the event, I have setup a 20% discount code for bookings, simply use the code Cyber20 when booking on the SFHA website.

There is more information on the website about each session, including the list of speakers.

At a glance: Cyber Security in housing – conference programme

This event is for:

• A member of staff who has been tasked with cyber security as part of a wider role
• Senior leaders who wish to know about the associated risk to their business
• IT managers and officers
• Board members with an interest in governance risk

Event agenda:

The programme has been created to allow attendees to find actionable takeaways that they can use operationally and at a strategic level. With a range of cyber experts from both the commercial and third sector taking part in the sessions:

09:30: Opening remarks

09:35: Plenary one: Get your cyber security house in order now – quick security wins!

Patching systems, improving access controls, and enabling multi-factor authentication. An in-depth breakdown and roadmap of the key things your housing association should be doing right now to bolster and strength the defences of your digital and IT infrastructure to limit critical risk. The session will include current examples of SFHA members’ practice.

• David Paine, Technical Services Director, Kick IT
• Ian Davis, Account Director, Kick IT

10:15: Break

10:20: Plenary two: Creating and implementing an effective incident response plan

What happens if your organisation or systems are compromised by a cyber-attack? Does your organisation have a plan for how to react and deal with the consequences? Does everyone in your organisation know the protocols to follow? How up to date is your plan, if you have one? Hear practical tips and guidance on how to create or update a cyber incident response plan.

• Craig Archdeacon, Head of Cyber Assurance, Waterston's

11:10: Break

11:20: Plenary three: Building up your online defences – avert future risk

Build a route map to help you, your staff and your board to understand what is involved in creating a safe and secure environment for everyone to work in. Minimise strategic risk, maximise cultural awareness and practices to ensure long-term stability of all your data, services and operations connected to digital and IT infrastructure.

• Andy Deacon, Senior Manager of Cyber Security Thought Leadership, Vodafone Business

12:00: Final session with SBRC – what’s the worst that could happen?

Learn about past cyber breach incidents and the implications it has had for other third sector organisations. This session will involve a discussion with a range of experts from the housing, IT and wider sectors who will share their experiences and help you to understand the level of importance that cyber security should have in your organisation and day-to-day operations.

• Ethical hackers team, SBRC
• Gary Dickson, Digital and Design Manager, SFHA