​The current political climate has left many institutions questioning the integrity of their Information Security Infrastructure. An increase in attempted cyber-attacks, on both a national and organisational level, means that having a structure capable of adapting to and mitigating security risk is more important than ever. Having noticed a significant buoyancy in the recruitment market recently, it’s clear that the North East of England is attracting a plethora of well-qualified candidates for roles within its exploding tech, digital and cyber security organisations.

The migration of this top IT talent to the region, evidenced at the recent NTCA Digital Growth and Innovation Programme, has the industry poised to make significant strides to protecting businesses from potential threats nationwide. Ultimately, the role the region has to play in the UK’s future IT infrastructure could prove massive because of this.

More and more businesses are moving their technical headquarters to the North. Thus, more candidates are drawn here for work. Far from being just a smart business move, it’s a beautiful part of the world, is filled with very friendly locals, has maintained consistent economic growth, and contains many top universities. The region has never been so attractive to tech-minded individuals.

I’ve found there are several Senior Information Security Managers, GRC professionals, CISO’s and CIO’s currently looking for work in the region, hoping to push businesses to make the ever-present cyber threat more of a priority. These candidates are either based here, willing to relocate or, thanks to Covid, are willing to work remotely. The rise of remote and flexible working has helped the region to attract new talent as the appeal for commuting and office-based roles diminishes.

This all comes at a time when government investment to further boost the appeal of the region through the “levelling up” initiative is starting to pay dividends. The focus has shifted to enabling the expansion of the North East tech job market to a point where it not only coexists with London but outdoes it. Over the next few years, we will see, on a much larger scale, the same flood of talent into the cyber security/IT industry I’ve noticed at NRG recently.

It remains to be seen what will happen in the nation’s tech sector, but what is clear is that the North East is positioning itself at the forefront of the UK’s IT and cyber infrastructure, and it could play a pivotal role in building a formidable information security network for the future.

Peter Reed is part of NRG’s Tech & Digital team, specialising in recruiting software developers and cyber security professionals throughout the UK.