Accelerating cyber defence, the need for resilience by design

“In 2023, we helped you navigate GovAssure. In 2024, we secured your first AI pilots. In 2025, we built your resilience playbooks. As we head to Glasgow for CyberUK 2026, we’re looking at the next decade of accelerated defence.”

As Cyber UK 2026 approaches, the question isn't whether cyber threats will accelerate, it's how fast you can defend against them.

That evolution reflects a reality facing every public‑sector organisation today: cyber threats are no longer occasional disruptions but constant pressures, requiring constant vigilance. Microsoft estimated 600 million attacks on their customers per day, even back in 2024: https://www.microsoft.com/en-us/security/security-insider/threat-landscape/microsoft-digital-defense-report-2024

Against this backdrop, CyberUK 2026 places the spotlight firmly on “The Next Decade: Accelerating Our Cyber Defence.” The NCSC’s message is also clear. Reactive security is no longer enough. Resilience must be designed‑in from the start, not patched in later.

From reactive to resilient

Traditional cyber strategies have relied on controls, patching cycles and incremental improvements. Today’s interconnected systems and partner ecosystems create complex interdependencies, however, where a single weakness can cascade across services.

To accelerate cyber defence, organisations must shift to resilience by design. A design strategy that embeds secure architectures, governance models and operating practices from day one.

This mandates:

• Designing systems that assume disruption
• Using governance and assurance frameworks that deliver secure outcomes
• Giving identity and data protection the same priority as technology
• Reducing recovery time alongside prevention as a strategic objective
• Building a culture where resilience is owned beyond the security team

AI and zero trust as defence accelerators

Two critical enablers point the way for the decade ahead: AI‑enabled security and zero trust.

AI: From pilots to sustainable capability

AI offers game‑changing detection and response capabilities. This is only going to work when identity, data and governance foundations are solid. Without trustworthy data and robust governance, AI produces noise rather than insight.

Zero trust: The new operating model

Zero trust moves us from a position of thinking we can spot, identify and prevent everything to a position of continuous verification and imposing least privilege. It reduces the impact of inevitable breaches. It creates the architectural discipline required for accelerated defence.

Together, rigorous deployment of AI and zero trust help organisations to adapt faster, contain threats more effectively and recover with les disruption.

What we’ll be exploring at CyberUK 2026

Our team of cyber-resilience specialists will be on hand at Stand F29, ready to host insight‑led discussions on:

• How to design resilience in to architecture and governance

• Moving from tool‑centric security to design‑centred resilience

• Preparing AI, identity and data foundations for accelerated defence

• Using CAF 4.0 to drive recoverableoutcomes

• Help you to build your roadmap to the next decade of cyber resilience

Our goal is simple: help organisations to help you build practical, long‑term resilience and recovery strategies.

The decade ahead starts now

Accelerating cyber defence isn’t about working harder. It’s about designing smarter. As we look to the next decade, resilience by design offers organisations a clear path to adapt, respond and recover at the speed the threat landscape now demands.

We look forward to continuing this conversation on stand F29 at CyberUK 2026, 21–23 April at the SEC Glasgow.