Cyber security is about protecting systems, networks, programmes, devices and data from malicious cyber activity and how private sector organisations can reduce the risk and impact of cyber attacks.
Cyber resilience is about ensuring that your organisation is prepared for a cyber attack and can respond to and recover from a cyber attack when it happens.
Why is it important within private sector
Cyber attacks can significantly impact a business, whatever its size or sector. Cyber resilience is just another part of overall business and organisational resilience which is about making sure that you have a plan in place to keep operating, even when things go wrong. Most business organisations in the UK who are now dependent directly or indirectly on digital technologies to function are at risk of a cyber incident which may result in:
- loss of service or data breach
- people you work with/staff being put at risk
- financial and reputational impact
According to the 2025 UK Cyber Security Breaches Survey, just over four in ten businesses (43%) reported having experienced any kind of cyber security breach or attack in the last 12 months. The good news is that taking the first steps to improving your cyber resilience is easier than you might think. There is lots of support out there to help businesses put the basics in place to prioritise cyber risk, protect against the most common threats and ensure they are prepared to respond to cyber incidents when they inevitably occur.
We also have a thriving cyber security goods and services cluster in Scotland as well as a community of IT managed services providers. This expertise is available in Scotland to all organisations.
