As we trudge through yet another disappointingly dreary Scottish summer, it’s easy to let the vitamin D deficiency affect your mood. But it’s not just the weather that’s feeling a little gloomy at the moment.

Despite the recent election result bringing some feeling of change to the country, perhaps unsurprisingly, it hasn’t immediately rolled back the economic storm clouds that have been gathering overhead for the last few years.

There’s just no getting away from it, it has been a tough time for businesses. With increasing costs and squeezed budgets, a bit of sustained good news would certainly not go amiss. Fortunately, I believe that one sector is already providing a ray of positivity: Scottish tech.

Of course, as the leader of the organisation responsible for championing Scottish tech businesses, I’m somewhat pre-disposed to taking a positive view, but I genuinely believe it’s backed up by plenty of evidence too.

The cyber security sector in Scotland for example, has seen significant growth in recent years, with Scottish Government viewing it as a key priority for the country. Our cyber security cluster has grown significantly since its inception and, given the depressingly inevitable, ever-increasing demand for cyber security support and expertise, it’s the sector that probably has the largest potential to generate international growth.

In fact, cyber security is quickly creating its own cottage industry, pulling skills and expertise from businesses, academia, and government bodies. We’re also seeing a greater level of specialisation in specific services, like training , or even focusing entirely on one sector such as education or healthcare. This is a trend that seems likely not only to continue but to expand further, establishing Scottish businesses as specialists in the field.

In a similar vein, Scotland is fast developing a strong space industry which looks set to be something of a surprise package in the next decade. We’re already seeing huge potential for increased investment and expansion of employment opportunities. With as many as five space ports set to open across the country, and the ability to provide end to end support from development to launch, it’s no exaggeration to say this is an emerging sector where Scotland could provide real global leadership.

Of course, none of this growth happens without the appropriate skills and funding being in place. And, for all the optimism, these challenges remain. However, on skills at least, there is some progress being made. We’re increasingly seeing cyber security appearing on school curriculums for example and home-grown Scottish talent is what’s putting us on the world stage. There’s still a gap to bridge though and additional government and private sector investment is needed to ensure we have the workforce to encourage rather than inhibit the sector’s continued growth.

There are, without a doubt, reasons to be optimistic about the Scottish tech sector. During a challenging time, businesses are continuing to grow, win big contracts and expand into international markets. But you’d be forgiven for not knowing the extent of this as, in typically Scottish fashion, we remain pretty bad at talking ourselves up. It’s time to celebrate the success we’re seeing and champion Scottish tech on the global stage. It’s an opportunity we simply cannot afford to miss.

Karen Meechan is CEO at ScotlandIS

Agenda is a column for outside contributors. Contact: agenda@theherald.co.uk