In this article 5 sections
What the Cyber Resilience Bill means for MSPs
Mit Patel and Bruce Penson (Pro Drive) explain the UK’s Cyber Security and Resilience Bill and what it means for managed service providers. The government’s aim is to raise the bar on cyber resilience, and MSPs are a focus because of how much access and information they hold for their clients.
Mit’s read is that the larger MSPs get regulated first, but every MSP gets touched eventually, most of them through the supply chain rather than directly.
Why supply chain risk pulls smaller MSPs in
Mit expects most MSPs to be pulled in through the supply chain. If your client serves a client who has to comply, the requirements can reach you through contracts.
Bruce makes the point that an MSP is often in charge of more critical parts of a client’s business than regulated professions are, yet has no regulator.
Cyber Essentials is the baseline
Cyber Essentials is a good baseline. If every UK business had it, the country would be in a better place. But it is the minimum, and at the basic level it is self-assessed, which means it is only as honest as the person filling it in. Mit and Bruce say that form is often completed inaccurately, sometimes by the lowest-cost resource, and that this exposes the MSP later if something goes wrong.
The government is pinning resilience on the NCSC Cyber Assessment Framework. Stepping-stone schemes help, but NCSC CAF 4.0 is where MSPs need to head if they want to get ahead of regulation rather than scramble when it lands.
Turning compliance into a commercial advantage
The strongest theme is the sales opportunity. Bigger customers and their insurers send suppliers security questionnaires, sometimes at the sales stage rather than in procurement. An MSP that can evidence its posture has a real differentiator over those that cannot.
Mit’s point is that good MSPs probably already do most of the right things. Most of the gap is evidence. CAF 4.0 can read as daunting and vague when you open the PDF, which is part of why Assurix built a prescriptive system to take MSPs through it.
Assurix is the live trustmark for MSPs. Its 40 security controls are aligned to the NCSC Cyber Assessment Framework 4.0, with 19 operational controls built for MSPs alongside them. Assurix independently assesses 59 controls, and both pillars must pass. An Assurix assessor signs off, with live-measured controls checked every six hours and the rest on a set cycle. If a failed control is not fixed within 30 days, the Trustmark is suspended publicly. A prospect can open the MSP’s Trust Portal to see what is checked, and its current status shows on the Trustmark Directory.
For where the Bill stands now and what it asks of MSPs, read our Cyber Security and Resilience Bill guide for MSPs.
Common questions
Does the Cyber Resilience Bill affect small MSPs?
Mit expects most to be pulled in through the supply chain. If a client serves an in-scope organisation, the requirements can reach the MSP through contracts.
Is Cyber Essentials enough to prepare?
It is a useful baseline but the minimum, and at the basic level it is self-assessed. The government is pinning resilience on the NCSC Cyber Assessment Framework, which is where MSPs need to head.
How does Assurix relate to NCSC CAF 4.0?
The Trustmark’s 40 security controls are aligned to NCSC CAF 4.0. Assurix helps MSPs prepare. It is not a statutory scheme.
Can compliance be a commercial advantage?
Yes. Bigger customers and their insurers send suppliers security questionnaires, sometimes at the sales stage. An MSP that can evidence its posture has a real differentiator over those that cannot.
What is the Assurix Trustmark?
The live trustmark for MSPs. Assurix independently assesses 59 controls: 40 security controls aligned to NCSC CAF 4.0 and 19 operational controls built for MSPs. Live-measured controls are checked every six hours and the rest on a set cycle. An Assurix assessor signs off. A failure left unfixed for 30 days suspends the Trustmark publicly.
