LONDON, October 18, 2016 /PRNewswire/ --

According to a survey by the UK Government, 2/3 of large businesses have experienced a cyber attack in the last year and another survey by ISACA International states only 38 percent of global organisations claim they are prepared to handle a sophisticated cyberattack.

With the chance of an attack increasingly likely, why are so few companies prepared?

One reason could be CISOs and Heads of Information Security being ignored or unable to highlight the importance of security to their organisation. Jemma Boon, conference producer at the Cyber Security Exchange for Financial Services, comments "Language is an important factor here. Specific security-based language can get confusing for others not in the field and CISOs need to ensure their organisation perceives cyber security more as a business matter than just as a technology issue!"

Having buy-in sooner rather than latter can ensure that comprehensive business continuity plans are designed and implemented. With the landscape becoming less "if" more "when" a cyber attack happens, it's important to be prepared for the worst case scenario.

Brand loyalty and customer perception are also areas that need to be protected and maintained. TalkTalk were open with their customers after the personal information of over 150,000 was stolen last October, but their recent fine of £400,000 by the ICO, loss of over 100,000 subscribers and an overall cost at around £42million highlights the need to have security measures.

With the financial services industry the most targeted sector by cyber crime, these are just some of the topics that will be covered at the Cyber Security Exchange for Financial Services, which will take place at the 5* resort, Luton Hoo, on January 31^st - 1^st February 2017.

The agenda will cover topics specifically aimed at the unique challenges facing financial services information security leaders, including developing efficient security awareness programmes for your staff, complying with the new EU privacy regulations, and ensuring you are executing the most effective strategies for Advanced Persistent Threats, Human Error, and Incident Response Management. Download the agenda here >> http://bit.ly/2dtrmKg <<

Some of Europe's most senior information security executives, including; Deputy Assistant Secretary General Emerging Security Threats, NATO and the Deputy CISO, Bank of England will be in attendance to share their knowledge. For more information or to request your invitation to attend the Exchange, call +44(0)207-368-9484 or email exchangeinfo@iqpc.com.

SOURCE IQPC Exchange - Cyber Security Exchange for Financial Services