Building cyber resilience through partnership working 

By Niomie Haynes, commercial manager at the NWCRC

The North West Cyber Resilience Centre (NWCRC) is a police-backed not-for-profit organisation which supports small businesses, charities, public sector and other organisations in building up their cyber resilience against the growing threats of cyber crime. 

The threat of cyber breaches and cyber crime are ever-present with recent high profile attacks, such as Marks & Spencer, showcasing the damage and disruption that such an attack can do. 

The NWCRC plays a vital role in helping the region’s cyber resilience, combining law enforcement insight with industry and academic expertise to provide practical support and training; guidance and advice and education.

As part of a nationwide network of cyber resilience centres, our work focuses on improving cyber resilience for small businesses, charities and other organisations.

It’s really important for us to work closely in partnership with the regional police force cyber teams to share knowledge and ensure that we work seamlessly together to help organisations right across the North West.

Business networking and talks 

The NWCRC team visits business events and conferences across the region to talk to people in order to highlight the need for increasing their cyber resilience. Our team often provides short training sessions at business events to help people understand the basics of cyber resilience. It’s really important to give non-technical employees the confidence to understand how to stay vigilant against potential phishing attacks, for example. 

Partnership working 

The NWCRC works closely in partnership with many other different organisations, including regional police forces and the Police and Crime Commissioners for each area, as well as local authorities. 

Through these partnerships, the NWCRC ensures its services are responsive to local needs, while also delivering a consistent message about the importance of cyber security.

Developing the cyber talent pathway 

The NWCRC is committed to nurturing the future cyber talent pathway through its Student Chapter initiative and its cyber student placements. 

Each year, the centre recruits a new cohort of students from regional universities that offer cyber security and computing degrees, including: Manchester Metropolitan University; Liverpool John Moores University and Edge Hill University

These students receive hands-on paid work experience delivering key cyber services such as:

• Security Awareness Training

• Website Vulnerability Assessments

• Cyber Risk Exposure Assessments

On top of this, we also organise a number of Student Chapter events held on university campuses throughout the year, which also help to foster a community of emerging cyber professionals, offering networking, training, and mentoring opportunities. These events bring together cyber security students over beer and pizza and invite people from across the cyber security world to talk about their careers and how they got there. 

Regional cyber support programmes

To deliver even more targeted support, the NWCRC runs regional cyber resilience programmes tailored to specific areas, which are funded by the regional police force and Police & Crime Commissioner. These currently include the Cheshire Cyber Security Programme and the Lancashire Cyber Security Programme.

Programmes specifically for Greater Manchester and Merseyside have been hugely successful over the past few years, giving bespoke one-to-one cyber training to small businesses across the region.

A collective effort to stay secure

The threat of cybercrime cannot be tackled alone – it requires a joined-up, proactive approach. The NWCRC continues to lead the way in supporting the North West’s diverse business community to stay one step ahead of cyber threats. Whether through education, partnership, or practical support, the centre’s work is helping to build a stronger, more resilient region for everyone.