Spending on cyber defence is set to increase despite the coalition government announcing a further £11.5bn of cuts from Whitehall spending set out for 2015-2016.
The Treasury announced the decision following a series of phone calls between Chancellor George Osborne and other heads of government departments. The Ministry of Defence is among the departments required to lower its budget, but Osborne insists that won't this mean reductions on the frontlines of military or cyber conflict.
"There will not be a reduction in our military capability, we are not going to reduce the number of our sailors, soldiers and airmen. In fact we are going to be able to spend some more money on things like cyber, which is the new frontier in defence," said the Chancellor.
Ross Brewer, vice president and managing director for international markets for security solutions provider LogRhythm welcomed the proposed increase in spending on cyber security.
"Whenever the Chancellor makes announcements about spending cuts, IT security professionals brace themselves for disappointment. However, this time around, it is good to see that George Osborne and the rest of the Cabinet have now clearly understood what we are up against and vowed to plug more money into this critical area of defence," said Brewer.
"Public opinion has long held that the UK government is not doing enough to defend against cyber threats.
"Osborne's statement that cyber "is the new frontier in defence" suggests the government has realised the gravity of the situation and will continue taking steps to ensure national security on this modern battlefield," he added.
Experts have previously labelled the UK's investment in cyber security as "embarrassing".
