NHS Wales has reached an agreement with Thales for the free use of its technical threat analysis service during the coronavirus crisis.
The company said this will enable the NHS Wales Informatics Services (NWIS) team to protect vital systems from the surge in cyber attacks that has been reported during the pandemic.
The deal is giving NWIS access to the intelligence, identification, computer virus spread monitoring, threat analysis and rapid response skills within the Thales service.
Gareth Williams, VP secure communication and information systems for Thales UK, said: “In this highly unusual situation, we all need to work together to protect the vital services on which patients and NHS staff rely. France’s medical community has already made use of the threat intelligence service, and we’re proud to be working with our partners in the Welsh Government so that NHS Wales can share our cyber information flow.”
Minister for Economy, Transport and North Wales Ken Skates said: “Partnership working between the Welsh public sector and the private sector has never been so important as we all work together to slow the spread of coronavirus.
“Wales is playing a leading role in the rapidly expanding cyber security sector and the Welsh Government’s support for this vital area of work is evident, not least in our collaboration with Thales on the National Digital Exploitation Centre – our £20 million cyber centre in Ebbw Vale, which is working to deliver the next generation of cyber talent in Wales.
“The Welsh Government is calling on all businesses to respond to the huge challenges presented by this pandemic. I would like to thank Thales, and many companies like it, for their efforts which will help ease pressures on the NHS.”
Image by Kai Stachowiak, CC0 via Wikimedia Commons
