Belfast hosts new cyber security centre

A new centre has been opened in Belfast to help tackle cyber crime throughout the UK and to ensure the security of data stored electronically by homes and businesses.

The Centre for Secure Information Technologies (CSIT) cost £30 million to establish at Queen's University and is set to create 80 new jobs, while it is a response to the fact that the vast majority of businesses now use the internet to operate.

Improving cyber security throughout the UK could encourage more people to use VoIP solutions and other IT applications with reduced concern about potential security breaches.

Professor Peter Gregson, vice-chancellor at Queen's University, said: "Cyber security is a global issue that affects us all - 97 per cent of business in the UK now relies on the internet and other IT systems. CSIT will become a vital reference point for all businesses working in this field and beyond."

The European Commission recently unveiled new rules to regulate the role of state funding in the development of high-speed broadband networks across the continent.