Abbreviation IAAC Region served UK | Formation 2000 | |
Type Professional association Purpose Advancing Information Assurance to ensure the robustness, resilience and security of the United Kingdom Location 1st Floor Block D, North Star House, North Star Avenue, Swindon, Wiltshire, SN2 1FA | ||
The Information Assurance Advisory Council, informally known as IAAC, is a not-for-profit research organisation that brings together public, private, academic and other sectors in the United Kingdom.
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History
The Information Assurance Advisory Council was set up in 2000 by Baroness Neville-Jones who chaired the organisation until 2007. The current chairman, Lieutenant General Sir Edmund Burton, has remained in post since.
IAAC’s operating strategy calls for “recognition that no single UK sector can create a safe and secure information society by itself”. As such, a large proportion of the group’s activities are centred around bringing together Government, the private sector, academia, and others.
As of 2016, IAAC was funded almost entirely through sponsorship by major UK and international organisations. These include defence companies Northrop Grumman, Raytheon, Fortinet, Nexor, Dtex Systems, Ultra Electronics, and Sopra Steria; as well as major national infrastructure companies including British Telecom, O2; and large employers such as GlaxoSmithKline.
Membership
Its corporate members aside, The Information Assurance Advisory Council houses two liaison groups that aim to improve the flow of information between sectors, and organisations within sectors.
IAAC’s government liaison panel consists of the British Foreign Office, Ministry of Defence, National Crime Agency, BIS, CESG, CPNI, and Office of Cyber Security and Information Assurance (OCSIA).
IAAC’s academic liaison panel comprises some 40 British universities, including the University of Cambridge, Oxford University’s Oxford Internet Institute, King’s College London, Imperial College London, the London School of Economics and Political Science, the Defence College for Communications and Information Systems, and Cranfield University.
Annual conference
The 2013 conference focused on new horizons in Information Assurance. The 2014 conference examined developing available opportunities in the sector. The organisation's 2015 conference looked at the role of individuals in the growing Internet of Things. 2016's conference was entitled "Addressing the boundary issues: managing security in an interdependent and international context".
Original research
Both independently and alongside partners such as RAND Corporation, the Information Assurance Advisory Council has conducted and published research on a variety of subject areas related to matters of information assurance. The organisation's programmes featured in the UK Government's 2010-2015 Cyber Security Strategy. They have also received coverage in national and international mainstream media.
IAAC Access
In 2016, IAAC launched its Access Group to provide a home for early-stage professionals working in information assurance and related disciplines in the UK. According to the IAAC website, it hosts events on topics of relevance to information assurance and facilitates networking between members and sponsors, aiming to promote the status and importance of information assurance in society.
Public outreach
As part of its attempts to improve understanding and the quality of debate around information assurance practices in the UK, the organisation has at times taken a more direct role, addressing relevant current affairs issues in news media, and actively engaging the public.