The Commonwealth Telecommunications Organisation (CTO) Monday entered into an agreement with the International Cyber Security Protection Alliance (ICSPA) to work together to strengthen cybersecurity for Commonwealth member countries.
The CTO promotes ICT development in the organization's member countries, formerly part of the British empire. Cybersecurity is one of the six focus areas of CTO's work under its strategic plan for 2012-16, in view of the importance of the safety, security and resiliency of online communications for socio-economic development.
The ICSPA is a not-for-profit alliance with members and partners from business, government, law enforcement and academia that seeks to enhance the online safety and security of business communities. The CTO's work with the ICSPA will begin with Commonwealth countries carrying out cybercrime assessments to determine the nature and scope of attacks against both private and public sector entities.
"Following this assessment, a gap analysis conducted across government departments and critical national infrastructures, will help build the business case by which governments can decide precisely how to implement their cyber resilience strategies -- in what priority, at what cost and over what period of time" according to a CTO statement.
Many countries in the Commonwealth face significant challenges in the field of cybercrime and security, according to ICSPA Chief Executive John Lyons.
"By combining the expertise, knowledge, skills and experience of the CTO and ICSPA's members, I believe that we are well placed to help Commonwealth nations realize the enormous advantages Cyberspace can bring to their economies, to their business communities and most importantly, to their citizens," Lyons said.