The Australian Cyber Security Strategy 2023-2030

The anticipated Cyber Strategy launch took place this week, with industry professionals gathered to hear the unveiling of the new $583M Cyber Strategy for Australia. They've been working on this for a while with Minister of Home Affairs, Clare O'Neil promising a lot.

As someone who doesn't have a Cyber background, I found this easy to read and very straightforward. 64 pages are manageable and there's no fine print, or jargon to confuse... also, the wee shields are just the best. It's overall just a really nice document and I feel at any level or understanding of Cyber, you'll understand.

If you haven't yet had a chance to look at the strategy then I've linked it here, and I do genuinely think it's worth a skim through.

It goes over the genuine need for the strategy, and the escalating nature of cyber threats for Australia.

Rather than regurgitating the entire strategy, let's focus on some standout aspects that caught my eye:

Support for Small and Medium Businesses (SMBs): The action plan makes strides in aiding SMBs that lack the financial backing for dedicated cyber resources.

Cyber Awareness Initiatives: I find this is often overlooked, Cyber Awareness. Having this as one of the shields reconfirms how critical this is. It's easy to come up with technical solutions, however, we always say that the weakest link is the 'employee' hence dedicating resources to Awareness professionals and creating cyber programs will be hugely beneficial I feel.

Shield 5 (my personal favourite) This initiative aims to address the global workforce gap in cybersecurity, estimated at 4 million workers, with Australia facing a gap of 17,000 to 30,000. 'The Gap' we are constantly hearing about is real, and evident across the globe. I'm excited to see the plan for this and the opportunities that will present. I think we'll see professionals from other industries jumping over to Cyber in the coming years.

My 2 cents...

I think if this had just been a 'strategy' we'd of all shook our heads, but the fact that this comes with a plan, holds hope that it's not all smoke and mirrors.

In a nutshell, Australia's cybersecurity is set for a transformative journey in the next seven years. It's refreshing to witness the government's commitment to being a leader in this space, and one can only hope that industry players will rise to the occasion. The unveiling of the six cyber shields, designed to create a cohesive and planned national response, signals a proactive approach to protecting businesses, organisations, and citizens.

As long as funding permits, I see this being a step in the right direction for Australia.