In a significant move to enhance cybersecurity across Scotland’s local government sector, a new £13 million procurement framework for Security Operations Centre (SOC) services is being developed.
This initiative, spearheaded by the Digital Office for Scottish Local Government in collaboration with Scotland Excel, aims to provide robust cyber protection for councils that may struggle with the increasing threat of cyber-attacks.
The Digital Office is working closely with Scotland Excel, the Centre of Procurement Expertise for the local government sector, to create a single supplier framework for SOC services.
This partnership leverages Scotland Excel’s procurement expertise to ensure the most effective and value-driven solutions for councils.
A Security Operations Centre is considered one of the best ways for an organisation to bolster its cyber security. It provides round-the-clock monitoring of council systems and can take immediate action when incidents are detected or escalate issues to designated points of contact.
The importance of such a service cannot be overstated, especially given the rising frequency and sophistication of cyber threats. As the Digital Office explains, “Cyber attacks can happen at any time, and cyber criminals often choose times when they know staff will be thin on the ground, with bank holidays being a popular target for this reason.”
The SOC framework will offer several key benefits to participating councils:
- Improved cyber security posture and resilience
- Enhanced compliance with legal and regulatory obligations
- Reduced downtime and disruption caused by cyber incidents
- Improved delivery of secure digital services to citizens
- Protection of sensitive data and privacy
Furthermore, the framework will be open to councils and other public sector organisations, fostering collaboration and knowledge sharing.
“A community of framework users will be created, so learning and experience can be shared,” the Digital Office stated. This initiative aligns with broader efforts to strengthen Scotland’s cyber resilience.
In September 2024, the Scottish Government published strategic plans for the Scottish Cyber Coordination Centre (SC3), which aims to be a focal point for cybersecurity and digital resilience in the public sector.
The SC3, first announced in 2022 with £1.5 million in funding, is designed to boost Scotland’s ability to prevent and combat growing cyber threats. It will work alongside the UK Government’s National Cyber Security Centre and the CyberScotland Portal to respond to new technologies and adopt evolving defence strategies specific to Scotland.
As Scotland continues to embrace digital transformation, the cyber threat landscape evolves accordingly. The Scottish Government acknowledges this challenge, stating, “As Scotland embraces and benefits from digital transformation, it also faces a serious and evolving cyber threat and risk landscape as a result.”
The development of the SOC framework represents a proactive step towards addressing these challenges. As the project moves forward, the Digital Office and Scotland Excel will convene a User Intelligence Group to develop the specification and advance the project to its next stage. This £13 million investment in a Security Operations Centre framework demonstrates Scotland’s commitment to protecting its digital infrastructure and ensuring the resilience of its local government services in the face of ever-growing cyber threats.