The East Midlands should select a clear ‘cyber niche’ – enabling it to become the place that helps manufacturers and their suppliers get the basics of security right, across whole supply chains.

Speaking at the East Midlands Cyber Summit, cyber security expert Martin Sadler OBE explained how the UK has excellent cyber companies and strong university research.

But he added that many everyday businesses still struggle with simple things like keeping software updated, controlling who has access to what, and knowing how they’d cope if systems went down. Mr Sadler said that – at the same time – every region is tempted to say ‘We’ll do everything in cyber’. This often means that little is achieved at scale.

Mr Sadler is an adviser at the University of Bristol and former senior research leader at Hewlett Packard Enterprise. He brings decades of experience in cyber security, emerging technology and industry. 

A strength shared by the East and West Midlands, he noted, is a dense network of manufacturers and engineers. These firms typically rely on long, complex supply chains. 

Increasingly, their machines, production systems and logistics are connected to the internet and to each other. That brings real gains – more efficient factories, better data, new services – but it also means one weak link can cause trouble for everyone.

Mr Sadler said recent disruptions in the automotive sector showed how this plays out. One supplier with poor security can be hit, and suddenly dozens of other firms are facing halted production and financial stress – even if they were never directly attacked. 

He added that, in that world, helping one company at a time is not enough – you have to think about the whole chain.

Mr Sadler told delegates that the East Midlands should become known for fixing this problem by helping manufacturers and suppliers:

• Keep an up‑to‑date list of the key systems and devices they rely on.
• Apply updates and patches in a planned way that doesn’t stop production.
• Control access for staff, contractors and partners, so only the right people can touch sensitive systems.
• Test backups and recovery so a cyber incident means a bad day, not a business‑stopping disaster.
• Share simple response plans so everyone knows what to do when something goes wrong.

If the region can make these basics easier, cheaper and more consistent across supply chains, it does more than simply improve security. It makes local firms more attractive to big customers, reduces the risk of sudden shutdowns, and gives smaller suppliers a fair shot at bigger contracts.

Mr Sadler said if the East Midlands can lead on supply‑chain resilience – and can do the well – it will gain a practical, distinctive advantage. That advantage will protect today’s manufacturers and help bring in tomorrow’s work.

• This post is part of a series based on content from speakers at the East Midlands Cyber Summit. The Summit was delivered by East Midlands Cyber Security Cluster as part of its CyberGrowth programme.