Page 17 - Yearbook issue try out
P. 17
The entire civic team joined in; the only problem
was that they – along with the 150 WCIT members
and guests – all arrived at the same time and
needed to be let in.
“It was probably the first time the Lord Mayor has
had to queue to get into the Mansion House,” Alan
admits, wryly.
Alan Simpson: the man behind the tech
From this, WCIT’s fame spread rapidly across the
City, with calls for help arriving from all quarters: Moore as an Honorary Member of the Guild of
“So many I’ve lost count,” Alan says. The Master Freeman, the highest honour it can bestow.
Salter (the first woman to hold that office in 900
years) needed help with Zoom; the Wax Chandlers Supporting others is clearly good for WCIT’s profile,
wanted a series of podcasts to support their but has fostered the belief that the Company
“Pollinate London” programme; and the Air Pilots enjoys state-of-the-art IT. “If only they knew,” says
needed an online booking system, as did St Paul’s Alan.
Cathedral – but with bells on.
And it wasn’t all Zoom and bookings. Alan and “Suddenly it was critical that staff
Steve Smith were called upon for advice on were set up for remote working,
broadcasting the investiture of Captain Sir Tom
and I was hugely grateful to all
those members who ensured the IT
infrastructure was put in place for
home would be a tough ask – but it also proved to
be an opportunity. this,” says the Clerk. “Even the Lord
Mayor has highlighted the benefits
Many workers had to use laptops on the kitchen of the panel’s activities.”
table; the lucky ones could repurpose rooms as
home offices. Many needed to get new equipment
– or at least to get it working. Some collided two documents, along with advice on the use of
headlong with their nearest and dearest, unhappy Microsoft Teams and Zoom, using case studies to
that the family wi-fi had been commandeered for identify which should be used and under what
business purposes. This raised concerns over the circumstances. The panel produced two further
security of operating in this environment, notably guidance documents relating to security and to
the explosion in video conferencing and team- working in a hybrid home/office environment. In
based applications. every case, WCIT highlighted the need for extra care
in terms of safety and security.
There would be many criminal opportunities
during lockdown; the “newly vulnerable” would be Another small team, led by Dr John McCarthy, ran
most at risk. a series of briefing sessions to raise awareness and
understanding of future cyber-enabled crime. This
The Security Panel was keen to help both WCIT and team worked in collaboration with the Financial
our individual members in this new world, and that Services Group to support organisations (including
help was rapidly extended to a wider audience. the City of London Police’s Cyber Griffin Team) with
We produced two guidance documents: one to topics including Blockchain, AI and Quantum.
support a small business or charity, and one for
individuals working from home. WCIT continues to collaborate with Home Office
policy departments and the UCL Dawes Centre to
A group led by Liveryman Gary Bilkus compiled the reach a wider audience within government and the
guidance provided by panel members into these charitable sector.
14
