Chinese telecommunications equipment supplier Huawei has appointed a former U.K. government chief information officer to oversee the company's cyber security assurance system, a move that could help improve the company's reputation. Chinese telecommunications equipment supplier Huawei has appointed a former U.K. government chief information officer to oversee the company’s cyber security assurance system, a move that could help improve the company’s reputation. In terms of sales, Huawei is the world’s third largest vendor for networking equipment, behind Cisco and Ericsson. But the company has struggled to complete business deals in the U.S., where it has faced allegations of having links with the Chinese military. Part of the allegations stem from Huawei CEO’s Ren Zhengfei stint in China’s People Liberation Army as an engineer before starting the company. U.S. lawmakers have worried technology bought from Huawei could be secretly used by the Chinese military to disrupt or manipulate U.S. communications.Huawei has, however, stepped up its efforts to clear its reputation after a U.S. government panel requested the company to reverse a deal it made to acquire a U.S. startup. In February, Huawei released an open letter that stressed the company was employee-owned and has never invested in military technologies. The company has also contracted third-party security audits of its products to ensure there are no “back doors” to allow the Chinese government to gain access to Huawei equipment. On Monday, Huawei announced former UK government CIO John Suffolk would become the company’s global cyber security officer, effective on Oct. 1. Suffolk will develop the company’s cyber security assurance strategy, which will be implemented across all the company’s business groups. He will report directly to Huawei’s CEO.In a statement, Huawei said its cyber security assurance system operates to protect products involving cloud computing, telecommunication networks, devices and business processes. Suffolk served as the UK government CIO for close to five years, but resigned last year. The appointment of Suffolk to the position is a “positive step” for Huawei in its efforts to change perceptions of the company, said Matt Walker, a analyst with research firm Ovum. “I don’t believe it will have much impact on Huawei’s political challenges. However, it does help give Huawei’s existing customers a tangible data point to support their faith in the company,” he said. The appointment will also reassures potential customers as Huawei moves to expand further into enterprise markets. “Security is extremely important in these markets. Huawei — as a new entrant, essentially — will have a higher hurdle than its better known, established rivals,” Walker said. Related content news Multibillion-dollar cybersecurity training market fails to fix the supply-demand imbalance Despite money pouring into programs around the world, training organizations have not managed to ensure employment for professionals, while entry-level professionals are finding it hard to land a job By Samira Sarraf Oct 02, 2023 6 mins CSO and CISO CSO and CISO CSO and CISO news Royal family’s website suffers Russia-linked cyberattack Pro-Russian hacker group KillNet took responsibility for the attack days after King Charles condemned the invasion of Ukraine. By Michael Hill Oct 02, 2023 2 mins DDoS Cyberattacks feature 10 things you should know about navigating the dark web A lot can be found in the shadows of the internet from sensitive stolen data to attack tools for sale, the dark web is a trove of risks for enterprises. Here are a few things to know and navigate safely. By Rosalyn Page Oct 02, 2023 13 mins Cybercrime Security news ShadowSyndicate Cybercrime gang has used 7 ransomware families over the past year Researchers from Group-IB believe it's likely the group is an independent affiliate working for multiple ransomware-as-a-service operations By Lucian Constantin Oct 02, 2023 4 mins Hacker Groups Ransomware Cybercrime Podcasts Videos Resources Events SUBSCRIBE TO OUR NEWSLETTER From our editors straight to your inbox Get started by entering your email address below. Please enter a valid email address Subscribe