I have read with interest a recent report suggesting that councils might not be as ready as they should be when it comes to security threats. To a certain extent I agree with this and the NCSC (National Cyber Security Centre) continue to engage with local government providing extensive guidance as well as access to their Active Cyber Defence toolset. Councils also benefit from support from MHCLG as well as the LGA and we can see the continuous journey as councils move line of business systems into the cloud. Ensuring that sufficient backup systems and procedures are in place is also an area where we see much work taking place.

However, the real challenge for some councils can be resources. The situation is not so bad for the big unitaries where they often have a dedicated security team in place. Unfortunately, smaller district councils may only have one member of staff with a responsibility for security or, even worse, the responsibility is shared amongst the IT team.

You cannot underestimate the power of peer support when it comes to adding another arrow to the quiver of cyber resilience.

So, how do we combat this resource issue?

The answer is WARPs – Warning, Advice & Reporting Points. These networks were set up specifically to facilitate trusted information sharing and collaborative working between communities of cyber security professionals and every region in the country has one. South East Employers is responsible for running the South East Government WARP (SEGWARP) and if your council is not a member, it should be! You cannot underestimate the power of peer support when it comes to adding another arrow to the quiver of cyber resilience.

For more information see our SEGWARP page. Get in touch using the contact form below to check if your council is a member of SEGWARP, or if you would like to join.