Almost three
years after UK citizens voted to leave the European Union the day has arrived
when Brexit will take place, but the change is not likely to have an immediate
direct impact on that nation’s cybersecurity situation.

Two factors
will help the cyber status quo be maintained. First there is a transition
period in place until December 2020 with the possibility of it being extended
upon agreement from both sides. During this time most agreements currently in
place will remain so, with the most visible change being the UK will lose its
membership of the EU’s political institutions, including the European
Parliament and European Commission the day the transition period begins.
However, it will have to follow EU rules and regulations.

The most obvious issue at hand is GDPR, but UK firms, like those around the world, will have to work within its framework if they are doing business with firms or customers located in the EU.

There are
some non-security issues that UK business and its tech sector that Brexit could
impact, said Ritam Gandhi, director and founder of Studio Graphene. His
concerns mainly pertain to the ability of these institutions to hire staff.

“After all,
69 percent of tech start-ups fear that Brexit will hinder their ability to hire
the staff they need to help their business grow, according to Studio Graphene.
So, as the UK and EU try to make sense of their new relationship, tech
businesses must take steps to future-proof their strategies,” he said.

Such
corrective steps include opening a new office abroad or upskilling existing
employees.