The case for collective cyber defence

In today’s hyperconnected world, cyber security should be one of the economy’s stabilising forces. Yet it isn’t. Despite rising investments and constant headlines about attacks, the industry remains structurally fragile. Fragmented actors, inconsistent standards and no cohesive global framework. The reason isn’t just regulatory delay or market failure – it’s the nature of cybercrime itself. 

Cyber threats are like rivers. Block one path and the current finds another. Local defences may slow attackers, but they adapt, redirect and often return stronger and less visible. Meanwhile, governments and legislators operate within borders. Cyber threats do not. They flow freely across the internet, making physical jurisdiction increasingly irrelevant. 

Why cyber threats are different from traditional risks 

Unlike traditional industries such as automotive, retail, or food supply, where standardisation and regulation build resilience, cyber security operates in constant flux. Cyber threats ignore borders, industries and legal frameworks. They are global, fluid and strategically agile. 

We are living in a permanent digital pandemic generation. Just as one person cannot protect an entire population from a virus, compliance alone – ISO, IEC, NIS2 – cannot secure a business. These measures provide scaffolding, not fortification. Cyber risk is systemic, not isolated. 

Cyber strength depends on all players in an ecosystem

Cyber threats do not discriminate. No organisation is safe unless its entire ecosystem behaves securely. That includes small shops, suppliers, partners and multinational corporations. The strength of one now depends on the resilience of all. 

Recent attacks on UK retailers like M&S, Harrods and Co-op make this painfully clear. The attackers, allegedly the ‘Scattered Spider’ group, didn’t strike the companies directly – they exploited weaknesses in third-party suppliers to reach their targets. Cybercrime today is systemic, not frontal. Hidden, not obvious. 

The industry itself mirrors this fragility. Cyber security providers are numerous, highly specialised and rarely scaled to address the full complexity of modern infrastructures. There is no digital equivalent of Airbus or Nestlé dominating the sector, no EuroNCAP for safety, and no shared platforms for mutual defence. 

Collaboration over isolation: Corporate leadership is key 

What’s needed now is collaboration over isolation. Coalitions must form. Corporate, local, and individual behaviours must be aligned. Compliance and certification are basic hygiene, not immunity. Leadership must come from those with scale: large corporates should act as shepherds of the digital herd, raising the maturity of the entire ecosystem. 

Think of a digital ecosystem like a solar system. The major organisations – Vodafone, Amazon, the BBC – are the central forces that set the orbit for partners, suppliers and service providers around them. Tier 1 suppliers operate close to the core. Tier 2 and 3 vendors sit further out but remain within the same field of influence. If the centre fails to provide light, structure, and gravitational pull – clear standards, shared intelligence, and accessible tools – the system begins to fragment.  Stability comes only when everyone aligns to the same orbit of trust and shared defence. 

Practical steps to building collective cyber resilience 

1. Map your ecosystem: Identify all critical partners, suppliers, and stakeholders whose security posture affects you. Treat them as part of a shared digital organism. 
2. Lead through influence: Large organisations should mentor and support smaller partners, providing tools, training, and standards guidance. Acting as a shepherd strengthens the entire ecosystem. 
3. Prioritise shared threat intelligence: Participate in industry coalitions, threat-sharing platforms, and information-sharing initiatives to stay ahead of emerging risks. 
4. Adopt a Zero-Trust mindset across the ecosystem: Extend Zero-Trust principles beyond your walls, requiring secure access and verification across supply chains and partnerships. 
5. Invest in cyber literacy: From the boardroom to back-office teams, embed security awareness and response protocols. Collective knowledge reduces systemic vulnerability. 
6. Measure and iterate: Track your ecosystem’s resilience over time, adjust strategies, and share best practices. Cyber resilience is continuous, not a one-off compliance exercise. 

By embedding these practices, organisations move from reactive compliance to proactive leadership, ensuring that the strength of the ‘titan’ is no longer undermined by fragile partners. 

Embedding cyber security into strategy

In a permanent digital pandemic, organisations cannot rely on metaphorical vaccines alone. Boards and back offices alike need cyber literacy. Companies must learn not only to prevent attacks, but also to isolate breaches, deploy countermeasures and keep operating while threats are neutralised. 

Cyber security can no longer be a reactive bolt-on. It must be embedded in strategy, risk governance and education. The stakes are systemic, not individual. In this landscape, only collective cyber resilience will do.