Scottish Digital Office for Local Government appoints chief information security officer

Cyber security padlock - Image credit: Holyrood

The Scottish Digital Office for Local Government has appointed a chief information security officer to help local authorities in Scotland protect themselves against cyber attacks.

Andy Grayland, a former information systems security professional in the Ministry of Defence, has been chosen to take up the newly created post.

His role will involve providing leadership to help local authorities carry out the requirements of the ‘Cyber Resilience Strategy for Scotland’, the UK ‘National Cyber Security Strategy’ and the Scottish Government’s recent ‘Action Plan on Cyber Resilience’.

Grayland will work with council chief executives and management teams to ensure cyber security is proactively managed at the highest levels of local authorities.

He will also support IT managers, information security officers and data protection officers to review cyber security controls and develop collaborative actions plans for improving how security threats are managed across local government in Scotland.

Cyber security is a key programme within the ‘Digital Foundations’ workstream for the Local Government Digital Office.

As well as ensuring that councils are ready for the EU General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR), which comes into force in May, the programme aims to improve current cyber security defences and provide a platform for digital transformation.

Martyn Wallace, Chief Digital Officer for Scotland, said: “In the current climate of ever more sophisticated cyber-attacks that private and public sector experience day-to-day, Andy and his experience is a great asset for the digital partnership to accelerate and enhance our cyber credentials.”

Grayland said: “Scotland has a long history of innovation and being at the leading edge of new technologies on a global stage.

“I return to Scotland, and this new role, with the goal of ensuring that we can continue this trend.

“The Scottish Government's mission to create a “safe, secure and prosperous” digital nation must be laid upon the solid foundations of cyber security.

“Scottish local authorities have already begun to lead by example, demonstrating a wealth of talent and experience across the board.

“Together, we will show that we are stronger standing shoulder to shoulder against a common threat than as individuals tackling the same issues.”