Preparing for the UK’s Cyber Security and Resilience Bill: A Wake-Up Call for Tech Businesses

The UK Government is progressing with the Cyber Security and Resilience Bill, a significant update to the current NIS 2018 regulations. As outlined in a recent article from Infosecurity Magazine, this bill represents a critical turning point—imposing new legal obligations on an expanded range of organisations, from managed service providers to essential digital infrastructure. Here's why South West businesses—especially SMEs working in tech or supporting critical sectors—need to pay close attention and take action.

The Challenge: Tightening Cyber Regulation

The proposed Bill aims to:

• Expand regulatory scope to include approximately 1,000 additional organisations—covering service providers, data centre operators, cloud platforms, and critical suppliers.

• Strengthen regulators’ powers, including the ICO and government agencies, with better oversight and incident reporting requirements .

• Introduce mandatory ransomware reporting, aligning the UK with evolving EU and global cyber governance trends.

  
  

Put simply: this is not business as usual. If your organisation provides essential services or digital infrastructure to public bodies or regulated sectors, the Bill could soon apply to you.

Why the Cyber Security and Resilience Bill Matters for South West SMEs

1. Greater Accountability = Greater Reach

Local tech businesses and service providers—whether offering IT support, cloud solutions, or managed services—must begin assessing whether the new rules apply to them. Even smaller organisations embedded in supply chains to critical infrastructure may fall within scope.

2. Stricter Incident Response Planning

Mandatory incident reporting may include ransomware. Firms must be equipped to detect, report, and respond quickly. This includes clear channels for communication with regulators and victims—with serious consequences if delays or failures occur.

3. Stronger Supply Chain Expectations

The Bill emphasises resilience across the ecosystem. That means even if your organisation isn’t directly regulated, your customers and partners may demand better service, security standards, and compliance readiness .

Six Steps to Take Now

To ensure readiness, here are logical steps South West organisations should start on immediately:

1. Assess Your Risk & Regulation Exposure

Identify whether your services fall under the expanded scope, and evaluate your current cyber measures and incident management capabilities.

2. Map Your Supply Chain Dependencies

Understand where your services are integrated—with public sector, critical infrastructure, or regulated organisations—and prepare to demonstrate cyber resilience.

3. Update Incident Response and Reporting Protocols

Ensure your incident response plan includes pathways for reporting to the ICO and other regulators, as well as mechanisms for internal escalation and documenting decisions.

4. Enhance Cyber Detection and Defence Controls

Conduct gap analysis against established standards (ISO 27001, NIST), and consider achieving Cyber Essentials Plus certification to show strong baseline protection.

5. Develop Ransomware Policies

Be clear about how you will handle ransom demands, including legal advice—remember, ransom payments can carry legal risk.

6. Train Staff and Partners

Ensure key staff understand the evolving obligations and can recognise when a potential cyber incident may have legal or regulatory implications.

The Opportunity in Compliance

While the Cyber Security Bill brings new obligations, it also presents opportunity:

• Competitive Advantage: Cyber-compliant organisations will be more likely to win public sector contracts or supplier relationships.

• Business Resilience: Preparation reduces downtime, reputational risk, and compliance costs.

• Trust and Reputation: Demonstrating high cyber standards can be a differentiator and a trust builder for clients.

  
  

How SWCRC Can Support South West Businesses

At the South West Cyber Resilience Centre, we’re committed to helping organisations understand and prepare for the implications of the Cyber Security and Resilience Bill. Our services include:

• Supply chain and risk assessments

• Incident response preparedness and table-top exercises

• Help with achieving Cyber Essentials Plus

• Staff training and policy development

  
  

Whether you're already regulated or preparing to enter regulated supply chains, early preparation is critical. We’re here to help South West organisations build robust, compliant, and competitive cyber resilience.

Final Word

The Cyber Security and Resilience Bill marks a shift in UK cyber regulation—bringing more organisations under scrutiny and raising expectations for incident management and supplier resilience. For South West businesses, it’s time to act decisively:

1. Determine whether the Bill applies to your organisation

2. Begin implementing or strengthening cyber governance

3. Demonstrate resilience through certification, planning, and assurance

   
   

Contact us today to learn how SWCRC can help your organisation prepare—and show that you’re more than ready for the future.