Why UK Organisations Must Rethink Cyber Preparedness

The recent warning from the National Cyber Security Centre that severe cyber-attacks could disrupt essential services has reignited an important question: are UK organisations truly resilient or simply prepared to recover?

The alert follows coordinated attacks on Polish critical infrastructure, including heat, power and renewable energy facilities. It is a clear reminder that cyber incidents are no longer confined to IT systems, but they have real-world, economic and societal consequences.

For UK organisations, particularly those operating within critical national infrastructure and regulated sectors, this is not theoretical. It is a governance issue, a commercial issue and increasingly a board-level risk.

Regulation is strengthening, but frameworks alone are not enough

In response to growing threats, the UK has strengthened its regulatory landscape. The Cyber Security and Resilience Bill is progressing through Parliament and operators of essential services are supported by the NCSC’s Cyber Assessment Framework (CAF). These developments are positive and necessary, raising baseline expectations and improving national preparedness. However, frameworks and legislation alone do not create resilience.

As Mark Edgeworth, CEO of Hicomply, explains: “One of the challenges in UK business culture is that we are often reactive by design. We respond well in a crisis, but we are less comfortable investing consistently before something goes wrong. In cyber security, that mindset is dangerous. If your resilience strategy only accelerates after an incident, you are already operating from a position of weakness.”

The problem with reactive compliance

This is the underlying issue. Many organisations remain focused on recovery capability, how quickly systems can be restored after disruption. Recovery is essential, but it is different from resilience. Resilience is about demonstrable control before disruption occurs.

Cyber incidents are business failures, affecting revenue, supply chains, customer trust and regulatory exposure. Yet in many organisations, compliance is still treated as a periodic exercise, an annual audit, a procurement requirement or a box to tick.

That approach does not reflect today’s threat landscape. Resilience cannot be delegated and forgotten. It must be embedded into day-to-day operations, measured continuously and owned across the organisation. It needs visibility at board level, clear accountability and ongoing oversight of controls and risk posture.

From point-in-time compliance to continuous control

Frameworks like CAF are a positive step, but guidance alone will not change outcomes. Organisations must move from proving compliance at a point in time to demonstrating ongoing control. Campaigns such as the NCSC’s ‘Lock the Door’ initiative rightly reinforce the importance of basic cyber hygiene, particularly for SMEs. Certifications such as Cyber Essentials provide a strong starting point, but they should be viewed as a foundation rather than a finish line.

With geopolitical tensions increasing and supply chain exposure amplifying systemic risk, the conversation is shifting. The question is no longer how quickly an organisation can recover from disruption, but whether it can demonstrate proactive resilience before disruption strikes.

Organisations that can evidence continuous control, structured governance and embedded accountability are not only reducing risk, they are strengthening trust, improving procurement outcomes and positioning themselves as credible, secure partners in an increasingly scrutinised market.

Embedding resilience into daily operations

At Hicomply, we support organisations in moving beyond manual, reactive compliance processes. Our ISMS platform enables businesses to achieve and maintain certifications such as ISO 27001 and SOC 2, embed compliance into daily operations and maintain clear visibility across frameworks and regulatory requirements.

Resilience should not intensify during an audit cycle, it should operate continuously in the background, providing confidence at every stage of growth.

If your organisation is reassessing its approach to cyber resilience, now is the time to move from recovery to readiness, and from reactive compliance to continuous control.

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