3D Repo Wins European Funding for Cyber Security System

3D Repo is to play a key role in protecting industry from cyber attacks after winning a major research grant as part of a European Commission-funded project.  Backed by a project fund of five million Euros, 3D Repo joins a consortium of eleven leading IT and communications organisations led by CNR, Italy’s National Research Council.  Other members include Hewlett Packard Italiana, British Telecommunications and SAP.  The aim of the project (http://cordis.europa.eu/project/rcn/202687_it) is to define a collaborative and confidential information sharing, analysis and protection framework as a service for cyber security management.

A survey by the European Union Agency for Network and Information Security (ENISA) revealed that three quarters of businesses have seen cyber security as a concern for some time, and most believed their business had been a victim of a targeted attack. In the UK alone, cyber crime’s annual cost is estimated at £27 billion, of which £21 billion involves companies.

3D Repo was chosen as one of the best three SMEs from across Europe to participate due to its unrivalled technical skills and market traction. 3D Repo is a pioneer in the development of technology for collaborative working over the Internet, providing solutions to major organisations such as Arup, HOK, Balfour Beatty, Crossrail, Canary Wharf Group and Skanska.

With the growth of digital information and Building Information Modelling (BIM), the cloud is the obvious platform for collaboration between multiple parties involved in construction and infrastructure projects.

With architects, developers, consultants and contractors sharing sensitive information such as detailed 3D building models, 3D Repo’s focus will be on developing ways in which SMEs can share information about cyber attacks effectively over the Internet to best address security concerns and create an optimum Software as a Service (SaaS) environment.

3D Repo has been involved in a number of cyber security projects, including participation in the Trusted Cloud High Impact Initiative funded by the European Institute for Innovation and Technology over the past two years, in collaboration with British Telecom, Digital Catapult, F-Secure and Telecom Italia among others.

“Our clients in the construction industry are acutely aware of the threats posed by cyber crime, and security is paramount, not only where projects involve major infrastructure, public buildings and major city developments, but also private property,” said Tim Scully, CTO of 3D Repo. “The industry also understands that, increasingly, the cloud and collaboration go hand in hand and, as the experts in this area, we took the initiative a few years ago to put ourselves at the forefront of innovation in cyber crime prevention.”