The UK government is tightening its stance on digital threats with the introduction of the Cyber Security and Resilience Bill, a major legislative overhaul aimed at enhancing the UK’s cyber resilience across both public and private sectors.

While the Bill primarily targets public services, national institutions and digital infrastructure providers, its scope extends to outwards to the wider digital supply chain, including schools and SMEs that rely on managed IT services, cloud platforms, and widely known software to operate effectively.

The Bill introduces several key compliance obligations:

  • Mandatory cyber incident reporting: Incidents must be declared to all relevant parties within 24–72 hours of detection.
  • Enhanced risk management duties: including regular vulnerability assessments and updated incident response plans.
  • Supply chain assurance: Outlining the requirement for organisations to review the cybersecurity posture of their IT providers and vendors.
  • Regulatory oversight: Giving increased powers for authorities like the NCSC to enforce compliance in the Public Sector and other areas particularly at risk.

These changes build on the UK’s existing NIS Regulations and align with further with international standards such as the EU’s NIS2 Directive and the US Cyber Incident Reporting for Critical Infrastructure Act

🏫📈 Why This Matters to Schools and SMEs

Whether you’re managing an entire school network or a few friends working on a start up, any software or digital tools that are use to complete any part of your work must be secure, especially those that handle sensitive data and their level of security must be scrutinised to greatest extent, The Bill makes it clear: cybersecurity is no longer optional and its everyone’s problem.

Organisations are obligated to be able to:

  • Detect and report incidents quickly.
  • Proactively manage risks across their IT environment.
  • Ensure their suppliers and IT providers are compliant and secure.
  • Embed Cyber Resilience into day-to-day operations.

This is especially relevant as schools return for the autumn term and SMEs enter Q4, these are both high-activity periods where digital reliability is critical and a breach at this point is all the more likely.

🛠️ How Link ICT Can Help

At Link ICT, we understand that schools and SMEs face unique challenges when it comes to cybersecurity and IT resilience, especially with new legislation like the Cyber Security and Resilience Bill raising the stakes. So we’re not just a “password reset, call us if you need us” kind of provider. We go further, we offer a comprehensive, proactive approach to IT security and continuity. Providing scalable IT Solutions with built in Cyber Security measures, cloud backups of your data in Crisis Management scenarios as well as high value training to increase your companies level of Cyber knowledge and resilience.

Here’s how we can help:

🔧 Managed IT Support

We provide both onsite and remote IT support, bespoke to your organisation’s needs. Whether you need a dedicated technician on a regular basis or ad-hoc assistance. This can also be worked as an on-site visit or as remote support. Either way, our team ensures your systems are always running smoothly and securely.

🔐 Cybersecurity & Risk Management

Our cybersecurity services are powered by CyberGlobal UK and are designed to strengthen your organisation’s resilience and compliance:

  • Comprehensive Protection: Penetration testing for both networks and applications, tailored to your unique security needs.

  • 24/7 Vigilance: Continuous monitoring through our Security Operations Centre (SOC) for proactive threat detection.

  • Rapid Response & Intelligence: Expert incident response and threat intelligence to contain breaches quickly and enhance defences

  • Certified Compliance Assurance: Shareable reports and compliance certificates to help you meet regulatory requirements under the new Bill and build trust with stakeholders.

🌐 Networking & Cloud Solutions

From running a single cable to networking entire buildings, we offer full network planning, configuration, and maintenance designed to help you scale securely and efficiently, with built-in resilience and backup options.

📞 Telecoms & Connectivity

We deliver hosted phone systems, web filtering, and high-speed internet, all designed to keep your organisation connected and protected. Our strong and well established supply chain allows us to offer competitive pricing without compromising on reliability or security.

🎓 Education & Business Expertise

With over 20 years’ experience supporting schools and SMEs across Derbyshire, Leicestershire, and Chesterfield, we know how to adapt our services to your sector. Our technicians build long-term relationships and integrate seamlessly into an existing team just as well as they do into a scenario that has no previous IT Support or setup.

📣 Final Thought

The Cyber Security and Resilience Bill puts more at stake than penalising you for getting it wrong. With cyber threats growing in volume and sophistication, now is the time to act so that it doesn’t cost you in the future.

Need help preparing?
Get in touch with Link ICT for a no-obligation consultation.

Source: Legal Futures – The Cyber Security and Resilience Bill: What UK businesses must do to stay compliant