Alabama Community

I have been trying to get a clearer picture of UK cybersecurity regulation, mainly because it seems to keep expanding and I want to understand what we are actually on the hook for before it becomes a problem later. Here is what I have pieced together so far, would appreciate anyone correcting me or adding context.

From what I have gathered, a few things seem to define the current landscape:

1. UK GDPR and the Data Protection Act still form the base layer, requiring companies to protect personal data and report breaches within a set timeframe.

2. The Network and Information Systems regulations apply mainly to operators of essential services and digital service providers, though I have read the scope keeps getting discussed for expansion.

3. There is a growing push around software supply chain security, partly influenced by incidents elsewhere, where companies are expected to vet third party vendors and tools more carefully.

4. Sector specific rules also seem to matter a lot, financial services and healthcare in particular seem to have additional cybersecurity expectations layered on top of the general rules.

5. There is talk of a wider Cyber Security and Resilience type framework being developed, which I understand may extend obligations to more mid sized companies rather than just critical infrastructure providers.

What I am still trying to understand is how much of this actually applies to a small or early stage startup versus mainly targeting larger or infrastructure critical companies, and how founders are expected to keep up with changes without a dedicated compliance team.

Has anyone here actually had to navigate UK cybersecurity regulation as a founder? Curious what actually required real effort to comply with, what turned out to be overblown, and anything you wish you had prepared for earlier.

I actually read something similar on Entrepreneur Plus UK Magazine a while back, they had a decent breakdown of cybersecurity regulation from a founder's point of view.