Professor Bill Buchanan was named Cyber Evangelist of the Year, and the university’s collaborative project with Police Scotland was another award winner.
University spin-out ZoneFox - digital investigation experts formed by Professor Buchanan with Dr Jamie Graves and Niladri Bose - was another big winner on a night which saw it honoured for its International Contribution to Cyber Security and also named Champion of Champions.
A total of 11 awards were handed out at the ceremony at Edinburgh’s Waldorf Astoria Hotel before a sell-out audience of nearly 200 professionals from business, academia and the public sector, underlining the expanding – and increasingly vital – importance of the cyber security industry in Scotland.
There was recognition for the important advancement of female expertise in the sector with Dr Natalie Coull’s success in the Outstanding Woman in Cyber category while Harry McLaren of ECS showcased the value of the new generation of security professionals by winning the Best New Cyber Talent award.
The awards, hosted by the Scottish Business Resilience Centre and supported by Scottish Enterprise and PwC, set out to mirror the excellent work of the IT sector in Scotland – with ground-breaking work taking place at major organisations, by individuals in the education sector, as well as within Scotland’s many fast-moving smaller firms.
Professor Bill Buchanan, from Edinburgh Napier’s School of Computing, was delighted to see the university’s cyber security work recognised.
He said: “The research team created The Cyber Academy and have made progress over the past few years in research, teaching and innovation, building an internationally-leading infrastructure, with three successful spinout companies and a number of patents.
“Their work addresses fundamental issues in cyber security, with high impacts in both economic and social terms. The Cyber Academy now works across Europe and collaborates with many companies, law enforcement agencies and academic partners, while working extensively with local SMEs on innovative projects.”
Derek Mackay, Cabinet Secretary for Finance and the Constitution, gave the introductory address in which he highlighted the importance of defending and educating the nation against cyber crime.
Chief Executive of the SBRC, Mandy Haeburn-Little, said: “The night was a superb showcase of talent in what is a growing and increasingly vital part of the Scottish economy as the threat of cyber crime impacts every single person.
“Scotland has a proud history of innovation and we are making great strides to continue this tradition by becoming an international leader in cyber resilience - and to seize the opportunities that being at the forefront of cyber security can bring to our nation.
“The launch of the first Scottish Cyber Awards was a perfect platform to showcase and celebrate the great work that is happening in Scotland.”