Cybersecurity: Strategic Shield for Supply Chains, CNI & National Security
As the digital landscape reshapes how nations grow, compete, and defend themselves, cybersecurity has become a strategic enabler, not just a technical safeguard. The UK’s digital supply chain, from interconnected systems and platforms and third-party services to the flow of services such as energy grids and water systems, underpins the nation’s critical national infrastructure (CNI) which is constantly under threat from cyber-attacks. The UK government’s latest cyber policy direction, including the Cyber Security and Resilience Bill recognises this reality however legislation alone won’t secure our digital backbone. True resilience demands proactive action, embedded governance and shared accountability.
Cyber risk is a national risk
Whether you’re exporting goods, or relying on cloud platforms and logistics software, cyber threats can hit your bottom line fast and without warning. The 2021 MOVEit breach showed how a single software exploit could cascade across airlines, banks, retailers, and government bodies. As a consultant supporting government and regulated industries, I’ve seen how the smallest gaps in digital supply chains can result in the biggest disruptions:
Cloud migrations introduce blind spots in shared responsibility models.
Critical systems often depend on third-party codebases with unknown provenance.
Legacy systems that power mission-critical services are no longer vendor-supported and lack basic logging or encryption.
This is why UK policy and international frameworks now recognise cybersecurity as a national economic priority because without end-to-end assurance, strong national cyber posture isn’t possible.
Policy momentum: stronger regulation for a more secure future
The UK government has recognised this growing threat landscape. The proposed Cyber Security and Resilience Bill and the recent expansion of NIS regulations aims to strengthen enforcement capabilities and expand regulatory scope to include more digital service providers bringing more of the supply chain under official oversight.
The International Chamber of Commerce has called for harmonised global standards and greater public-private cooperation to build resilience across CNI and digital trade routes. As digital trade becomes the backbone of modern economies, trust will depend on shared cyber commitments. In other words, strong cybersecurity isn’t just about protecting assets, it’s about enabling secure innovation and trade.
This is good news for business owners. It means your partners will be under more pressure to prove they’re secure, which in turn protects your business. However, it also means that your business must show you’re prepared to meet rising expectations from regulators, customers and partners.
Turning risk into resilience
Forward thinking businesses must treat cybersecurity as a business advantage. If your partners and clients know you’re secure, they’re more likely to work with you, recommend you and renew contracts. So how do you build genuine resilience and gain trust across the supply chain?
Move from snapshot to scenario-based assurance
With GovAssure, the NCSC has introduced a major shift in assurance, from checklists to outcomes. Organisations are no longer scored solely on documentation but must also demonstrate that their controls work in context.
Practical Tip! Use Threat Led Penetration Testing in conjunction with regular tabletop exercises using threat intelligence based on recent, sector-specific cyber incidents such as supplier breach or DDoS outage. Involve cross-functional teams and feed the results into your risk assessments and treatment plans.
Elevating IT to the boardroom
Too often, cyber maturity is viewed as a function of the Security Operations Centre, but true resilience and progress excels when cyber risk is tracked alongside financial risk and business impact.
Practical Tip! Link board-level cyber risk reporting to business impact e.g. breach is data centre cost £1.2m revenue loss and use NIST CSF or CAF frameworks to translate technical gaps into business language.
Security beyond the perimeter
Many organisations stop at pre-contract due diligence however cyber threats constantly evolve and your supplier’s exposure changes. GovAssure has made this point very clear - organisations must not only manage their controls but also validate its implementation across the supply chain to partners, developers, vendors and platforms.
Practical Tip! Introduce continuous supplier risk scoring through open-source threat intel and utilise NCSC’s 12 principles of supply chain security to embed security throughout the supplier lifecycle.
Building a cyber-resilient economy
The conversation is shifting from cybersecurity as IT policy to cybersecurity as industrial strategy. Digital resilience protects supply chains, enables trade, and supports innovation. It’s also a differentiator: nations that invest in secure digital ecosystems will attract investment, foster start-ups, and lead in emerging technologies such as AI, quantum, and advanced telecoms.
As the UK prepares for its Cyber Security and Resilience Bill, businesses have a clear opportunity to engage. Whether you’re expanding into new markets or managing day-to-day operations, your supply chain is only as strong as its weakest digital link. With the right controls, insights and preparation, businesses can leverage cybersecurity for growth, trade and long-term success.
Whether you are preparing for GovAssure, strengthening supply-chain resilience, or recovering from a breach, UBDS Digital - and our specialist sister company, 3B Data Security - bring one of the broadest portfolios of UK government and industry cyber accreditations to the table. We are NCSC-assured across the board: Cyber Incident Exercising (CREST-accredited and one of only 40 providers on the CIE list), Cyber Incident Response, Cyber Advisor, and CHECK penetration testing. In addition, we hold dual PCI authority as both a Qualified Security Assessor and one of the few PCI Forensic Investigators operating in the UK. This rare breadth of assurance means clients work with a partner already trusted by the NCSC and the PCI Council – delivering proven, government-grade expertise from proactive tabletop exercises right through to incident response and post-breach forensics.
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Sabina Ciofu is Associate Director – International, running the International Policy and Trade Programme at techUK.
Based in Brussels, she leads our EU policy and engagement. She is also our lead on international trade policy, with a focus on digital trade chapter in FTAs, regulatory cooperation as well as broader engagement with the G7, G20, WTO and OECD.
As a transatlanticist at heart, Sabina is a GMF Marshall Memorial fellow and issue-lead on the EU-US Trade and Technology Council, within DigitalEurope.
Previously, she worked as Policy Advisor to a Member of the European Parliament for almost a decade, where she specialised in tech regulation, international trade and EU-US relations.
Sabina loves building communities and bringing people together. She is the founder of the Gentlewomen’s Club and co-organiser of the Young Professionals in Digital Policy. Previously, as a member of the World Economic Forum’s Global Shapers Community, she led several youth civic engagement and gender equality projects.
She sits on the Advisory Board of the University College London European Institute, Café Transatlantique, a network of women in transatlantic technology policy and The Nine, Brussels’ first members-only club designed for women.
Sabina holds an MA in War Studies from King’s College London and a BA in Classics from the University of Cambridge.
Policy Manager for International Policy and Trade, techUK
Daniel Clarke
Policy Manager for International Policy and Trade, techUK
Dan joined techUK as a Policy Manager for International Policy and Trade in March 2023.
Before techUK, Dan worked for data and consulting company GlobalData as an analyst of tech and geopolitics. He has also worked in public affairs, political polling, and has written freelance for the New Statesman and Investment Monitor.
Dan has a degree in MSc International Public Policy from University College London, and a BA Geography degree from the University of Sussex.
Outside of work, Dan is a big fan of football, cooking, going to see live music, and reading about international affairs.
Theo joined techUK in 2024 as EU Policy Manager. Based in Brussels, he works on our EU policy and engagement.
Theo is an experienced policy adviser who has helped connect EU and non-EU decision makers.
Prior to techUK, Theo worked at the EU delegation to Australia, the Israeli trade mission to the EU, and the City of London Corporation’s Brussels office. In his role, Theo ensures that techUK members are well-informed about EU policy, its origins, and its implications, while also facilitating valuable input to Brussels-based decision-makers.
Theo holds and LLM in International and European law, and an MA in European Studies, both from the University of Amsterdam.
Lewis' programmes cover a range of policy areas within Market Access (international trade regulation, sanctions and export controls, technical standards and product compliance, supply chains) and Consumer Tech (media and broadcast policy, consumer electronics, and connected home technology).
Prior to joining techUK, Lewis worked in government affairs and policy roles for international trade associations in Southeast Asia including the American Malaysian Chamber of Commerce and the European Chamber of Commerce in Cambodia.
He holds an undergraduate degree in Social and Political Sciences from the University of Cambridge and an MSc in Public Policy & Management from SOAS University of London.
Tess joined techUK as an Policy and Public Affairs Team Assistant in November of 2024. In this role, she supports areas such as administration, member communications and media content.
Before joining the Team, she gained experience working as an Intern in both campaign support for MPs and Councilors during the 2024 Local and General Election, and working for the Casimir Pulaski Foundation on defence and international secuirty. She has worked for multiple charities, on issues such as the climate crisis, educational inequality and Violence Against Women and Girls (VAWG). In 2023, Tess obtained her Bachelors of Arts in Politics and International Relations from the University of Nottingham.
