Inside CyBeer: Cybersecurity Insight Meets Craft Beer at Ashton Gate
On Friday 15th September 2023, cybersecurity and craft beer shared a stage.
CyBeer brought business leaders from across Bristol and the South West together at Ashton Gate Stadium for a day that mixed genuinely useful security insight with the kind of relaxed networking that’s hard to create in a typical conference setting. No jargon overload, just practical knowledge from people who deal with this daily, followed by an afternoon learning how great beer is actually made.
What the Day Covered
We brought together speakers from across the cybersecurity world, each tackling a different angle on the threats and challenges businesses are facing right now.
Leigh Cockell from ConnectWise opened with a look at the threat landscape at the time, and how risk is managed in practice. As Principal Cyber Engineer at ConnectWise and a Certified Information Security Manager with over 15 years in the industry, Leigh gave attendees a clear, current picture of what’s actually putting businesses at risk every day.
The South West Regional Cyber Crime Unit followed with a session on navigating the complex landscape of data privacy and compliance. As the team responsible for investigating cyber-dependent crime across the region, from network intrusions to ransomware and malware development — their frontline perspective gave the room a grounded, no-nonsense view of what’s really at stake.
Our own Chris Pottrell talked through how businesses can improve their cyber resilience. Drawing on 20 years of experience developing security solutions for SMEs, and as the creator of the Frontier Solution Stack, Chris focused on what resilience actually looks like for growing businesses. Not the enterprise version, the version that applies at SME scale.
Chris Clinton from Naq Cyber closed out the talks by demystifying compliance. What it actually is, why it matters, and how difficult it really is to get right. With over 10 years in the defence sector, Chris brought a perspective shaped by building cybersecurity solutions for some of the world’s most critical systems.
The Beer In CyBeer
Once the talks wrapped up, the team from Hop Union Brewery took the room through exactly how great beer is made, with samples along the way. A fitting way to close out a day of serious insight with something a little more relaxed.
Why We Run Events Like This
CyBeer reflects something we believe at Nebula, that the best way to help businesses get serious about cybersecurity isn’t through another dry webinar, but through genuine conversation, real expertise, and a setting people actually want to be in.
Bringing together voices from across the industry — vendors, law enforcement, compliance specialists and our own team, gave attendees a far more rounded picture of the relevant cybersecurity landscape than any single speaker could offer alone.
Want In On the Next One?
CyBeer was one of several events we run throughout the year for businesses across Bristol and the South West. Built around real, practical technology that makes a difference, not sales pitches dressed up as seminars.
Nebula IT is an NCSC Assured managed IT provider supporting SMEs, charities and regulated organisations across Bristol, the South West, and the UK.
