Awen Joins CyberFirst

Awen Collective are proud to support the NCSC CyberFirst scheme.

CyberFirst is a NCSC programme that is bringing the world of Cyber Security to the next generation of professionals. It works with young people aged 11+, developing their passion for tech through bursaries, courses and competitions which all seek to improve skills and further their experience and exposure to cyber security in today’s world.

We are looking forward to continuing to build our relationship with the NCSC, and inspiring, supporting and developing the next generation of cyber security professionals.

Press Release: Awen Collective begins MoD-funded Industrial Cyber Security project

Date: 13th December 2019
Email: hello@awencollective.com
Location: Caerphilly, Wales, UK

Announcement: Awen Collective begins MoD-funded Industrial Cyber Security project

The Defence and Security Accelerator (DASA) of the UK Ministry of Defence (MoD) has awarded innovation funding to innovative Welsh cyber security software company Awen Collective to undertake an industrial cyber security project entitled “Project DOMINO”. The funding was awarded as part of the DASA Open Call that seeks to discover innovative technologies from non traditional defence suppliers.

“As a small start-up company, the funding and support from the Ministry of Defence will help us to rapidly gear-up and provide innovative, valuable and proven industrial cyber security software to the various parts of the MoD reducing the possible disruption to military capability caused by large scale or targeted cyber-attacks. In addition it will advance the reach of our solutions into other sectors of critical national infrastructure (CNI) and advanced manufacturing, all facing challenges in the face of rapidly increasing cyber threats.– Daniel Lewis, CEO of Awen Collective

The project, based on Dot software by Awen Collective, has arisen from a need not just in the MoD, but across society, where cyber-attacks on critical infrastructure such as energy, water and transportation could have catastrophic effects on people’s day-to-day lives.

The project commenced on the 1st November 2019, and will run for 12 months, culminating in an MoD evaluation of the demonstrated concept. This will lead to further exploitation within the MoD, its supply chain and Industry providers involved with CNI. Awen are being assisted by BAR Associates, a specialist consultancy able to support innovators with capabilities of interest to the UK defence and security sectors. They are adding experienced support to the project in respect of requirement elicitation, test and evaluation, market exploitation, project management and domain expertise.

“BAR Associates are delighted to have helped Awen to secure this project and are excited to be able to support the acceleration of their innovation into the defence sector” - Robin King, CEO of BAR Associates.

This not only provides validation of the solutions provided by Awen Collective, but is also a benefit to the Welsh economy in that these funds will directly create and retain jobs in South Wales. This software, made in Wales, will then continue to be developed and sold from Wales, creating further jobs in the future.

Press Contact: hello@awencollective.com
Awen Collective Ltd is open to questions from the press, and queries from potential clients and partners.

Awen Collective Ltd

Awen Collective Ltd is an ambitious industrial cyber security software company founded in Wales in 2017. The Awen mission is to reduce the cost of cyber threats to critical infrastructure, advanced manufacturing and their supply chains leading to society.

Awen has released two products:

• Profile – a compliance checking software product for Critical National Infrastructure providers and their supply chains, assisting them to adhere to the Europe-wide NIS Directive.

• Dot – an asset & vulnerability discovery software system for the Operational Technologies (OT) found in industrial environments. Reducing industrial cyber risks by enhancing visibility.

Further information about Awen Collective can be found through the website: https://www.awencollective.com/

BAR Associates

BAR Associates is a specialist consultancy helping innovative companies realise strategic value from within the defence and security sector.

We are transforming market access for technology based SME's and the nature and provision of business growth expertise.

Focussed on the defence and security markets in the UK we are supporting strategic growth for those that are committing to it, in parallel with providing access to new market opportunity.

We are matching capability with opportunity within a market ecosystem comprised of SME providers, end users, integrators, contractors and investors who are seeking certainty and alignment.

Our services are based on tangible outputs linking to revenue and value increase.

Further information about BAR Associates can be found through the website: https://www.barassociates.co.uk/

Awen Collective are now GlobalWelsh Pioneers

We are pleased to announce that we have become GlobalWelsh Pioneers. GlobalWelsh is a Community Interest Company which aims to connect Welsh people & friends of Wales internationally for business, sport and social reasons. To be a Pioneer means to truly support the ambitions of GlobalWelsh, and we do so with enthusiasm.

Awen Collective was proudly founded in Wales in 2017, and we continue to lovingly develop our software here in Wales. When we visit exhibitions and clients internationally we do what we can to not only promote Awen Collective, but to also fly the flag for Wales, particularly evangelising the Welsh business and academia ecosystems.

For those wishing to see our GlobalWelsh profile, you can look us up by our pioneer membership number #1212.

Our cyber security software for Critical National Infrastructure (energy, water, transport etc) and manufacturing is applicable in Wales, across the United Kingdom, into Europe and worldwide. We have internationalised solutions to global problems. Please see our pages on Profile and Dot for further information.

Diolch yn fawr iawn i GlobalWelsh a chi’n bawb

Tech Nation Cyber 1.0 : Complete

What an amazing 6 months we’ve had as part of the Tech Nation Cyber 1.0 programme!

We have had one or two workshops/events per month organised by Tech Nation since the beginning of May 2019. We have heard from well-known cyber security business owners such as Darktrace and Digital Shadows. We’ve thought about PR, Marketing and Sales, with the likes of Eskenzi PR, Tessian and F-Secure/MWR Countercept. We discussed investment with very well-known and well-respected investors, and with businesses that have gone through investment and acquisition.

Our CEO, Daniel, went on the Tech Nation Cyber trip to Northern Ireland to attend DigitalDNA 2019 and to learn about the initiatives at the CSIT of Queen’s University Belfast.

Our CTO, Jules, went on the Tech Nation Cyber trip to the USA to attend the Billington Conference 2019 and to mingle with prospective clients and investors in New York and Washington DC.

We also shared experiences on well-being and on corporate structures.

At the end of October we gathered together for a Finale Dinner, a brilliant opportunity to reflect back on the excellent journey so far.

Tech Nation Cyber 1.0 Cohort @ the Finale Dinner, October 2019

It has been a great experience, and we wish to thank Ollie, Lydia, Rebecca, Suzy and the whole team at Tech Nation for organising such a wonderful programme. It has helped us continue to evolve and progress our business, and firms up our foundation for future success.

We look forward to exploring further opportunities with Tech Nation and the rest of the Cyber cohort!

Digital Outcomes and Specialists 4 - UK Government Framework

We have the pleasure to announce that we are an Official Supplier in the UK Government Crown Commercial Services (CCS) Digital Outcomes and Specialists 4 (#DOS4) Framework.

This means that we are able to provide our software and our expertise in cyber security and digital forensics & incident response to the UK public sector through the Digital Marketplace.

Our software has applicability to the British public sector

• Profile can be used by critical infrastructure regulators in the UK to ensure NIS Directive compliance

• Dot is not only applicable to critical national infrastructure and advanced manufacturing, but is also applicable to building automation & control systems - and so can be used for everything from HVAC (Heating, Ventilation, Air Conditioning) through to key card enabled physical access systems

We also offer our wider expertise in cyber security and digital forensics & incident response as a consultancy service, and through other bespoke services.

So, if you are reading this from any part of the British public sector and want to work with us through the DOS4 framework, then we would be delighted to speak with you to investigate possibilities. Visit the Digital Marketplace and contact us directly today.

If you are from a non-British public sector organisation, or from private sector business, and believe that our software and services might be able to benefit you then please do contact us directly. We are happy to explore possibilities, with no upfront obligation.

Awen Collective wins a place on the Tech Nation Cyber programme

The 1st Cohort for the Tech Nation Cyber programme has been announced and consists of the 20 leading Cyber-Security companies across the United Kingdom. We have the pleasure to announce that Awen Collective is in this wonderful scale-up programme.

We are very excited about this opportunity, which will help us to build on the fantastic work that our team at Awen Collective have done so far, and to assist with scaling and growth, marketing and international expansion. This programme will help us to address Digital Forensics & Incident Response within Critical Infrastructure & Manufacturing, not just within the UK and EU, but across the whole world.

We are looking forward to the launch event in the Cotswolds at the beginning of May, where we will connect and re-connect with the other companies in this inaugural cohort, as well as the cyber-security leaders who will be assisting with the workshops and events.

We are looking forward to working with all of the cohort members, which include our fellow South Wales Cyber Cluster member Fortium Technologies, and the company that won the NCSC/DCMS Cyber Dragons Den the year before we did iProov.

The announcement has been made on the Tech Nation blog, and has also been published on Information Age. Plus you can follow the news on Twitter with the hashtag #TechNationCyber.

To learn more about the products and services at Awen Collective please visit the rest of our website. Or contact us directly by emailing hello@awencollective.com, we would love to hear from you.

““We are delighted to have been chosen for the first cohort of the Tech Nation Cyber programme. We are excited to get started and continue to grow with the support from this wonderful programme and we look forward to establishing new business alongside our fellow cohort members.””

— Daniel Lewis, CEO and Cofounder, Awen Collective

““Cyber security represents an increasingly important part of our daily lives, and Wales already plays a leading role in keeping our data and systems safe while training up the next generation of experts. This programme will initially support two Welsh companies in Caerphilly and Cardiff in developing their potential and I look forward to seeing other companies from across Wales getting involved in the future.””

— Kevin Foster MP, UK Government Minister for Wales

““In recent years the success for a handful of UK Cyber Security innovators is more than could be imagined. They have enhanced the nation’s reputation for producing world-class technology, while also helping to pave the way for many more startups hoping to follow suit. Concurrently the market for cyber security is continuing to grow at a rapid pace and this conspires to make our cohort of scaleups exciting ones to watch.””

— Ollie Bone, Cyber Programme Lead at Tech Nation

Follow the news about the programme on Twitter through #TechNationCyber