FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS

We are bringing together a group of National Ambassadors united by a shared ambition to prevent cybercrime to inform our research, thinking and approach, to ensure that the guidance and support we offer is of commercial and strategic use.

Our Ambassador Programme offers an exciting opportunity to be part of the conversation around cyber security and resilience in the UK, taking part in our Steering Group collaborating with representatives from policing, academia, government and industry.

Becoming a NCRCG Ambassador is not just about ensuring cyber resilience in your organisation, it’s much more than that. It’s about protecting your customers, supply chains and being at the forefront of positive change.

We’re currently recruiting large industry-leading companies to enquire about our Ambassador Programme.

We have limited the criteria for our Ambassador Programme to ensure those involved have deep experience in the risk profiles of SME supply chains, SME transacting and wider customer footprints.

Also, Ambassadors are asked to make a financial contribution to further the aims of the Programme. This will be discussed in more detail during the on-boarding process.

Register your interest in the Ambassador Programme here.

As a representative from an Ambassador company, you will form part of NCRCG’s Steering Group, where you will work alongside police, government and academia having strategic conversations on the landscape of cybersecurity in the UK, contributing to the national debate and driving activity by representing and promoting the aims of NCRCG.

You will act as a champion for the NCRCG’s mission of boosting cyber resilience within your own organisation, community and industry, demonstrating your skills in leadership, innovative thinking and collaboration.

You will also support the growth of the national Student Talent Pipeline, building the UK’s capacity and capabilities in the cyber space to safeguard the economy.

Find out more about the role of Ambassadors in the NCRCG and how joining the programme can benefit your business in our blog here

Confirmed NCRCG Ambassadors to date can be viewed on our Ambassador page.

We are in discussions with several organisations that are at the stage of legal engagement between our and their legal teams to conclude before being announced.

These organisations operate in a variety of sectors including technology, finance, service industry, logistics, pharmaceuticals, defence, manufacturing, insurance, and security.

We endeavour to create a balanced portfolio of sectoral representation to inform strategy that relates to the UK business community as a whole.

In short, yes we are and this is a very important point.

Representatives on the NCRCG Steering Group will be addressing the UK’s specific threat landscape that is informed from NCSC and the Steering Group’s own risk intelligence from their SME supply chain and customer footprint.

This intelligence will inform the Group’s focus and influence the sectors most at risk and therefore, those to prioritise.

To ensure we have strong cross-sectoral engagement, we are currently actively seeking further Ambassador sectoral representation and information from the following sectors:

• Legal
• Manufacturing
• Construction
• Retail

At the outset, the purpose of the Steering Group is to develop a clear focus on mapping shared risk within the wider UK business supply chain to identify relevant solutions for them to develop cyber resilience through the network of regional centres.

The information from our Steering Group will help inform strategies to ensure support from the regional centres is highly relevant and therefore impactful.

This will extend to those who have substantial numbers of SMEs in their own supply chain, customer base and membership footprint.

In addition, the Steering Group will inform the strategic development of the NCRCG Student Services Programme to improve the cyber talent pipeline.

When referring to SMEs we subscribe to the Government’s definition of an SME, which is an organisation of under 250 employees. These organisations make up 5.6 million businesses within the UK (or 99% of total businesses).

This definition encompasses:

1. Micro (less than 10 employees and an annual turnover under £2 million)
2. Small (less than 50 employees and an annual turnover under £10 million)
3. Medium-sized (less than 250 employees and an annual turnover under £50 million)

The needs of this SME community are met by a network of 9 regional Cyber Resilience Centres that offer affordable cyber resilience services tailored to SMEs. This network is supported by NCRCG through the distribution of funds.

Our unique Student Talent Pipeline focuses on establishing a pipeline of workplace-ready cyber professionals to fortify the nation’s cyber defences and safeguard the UK economy, while building their skills through providing invaluable support to local SMEs.

Each of the nine Cyber Resilience Centres across England and Wales works closely with its local universities, 42 and counting across the network, to handpick a unique and talented cadre of students, who work alongside senior Cyber Security Practitioners to deliver high-quality and tailored cyber resilience services to smaller organisations.

We know our nation’s smaller organisations are looking to reinforce their cyber resilience but aren’t always sure where to begin. So, rather than overwhelming them with advice and recommendations inappropriate to their size and resource, our students are finding and explaining solutions to complex challenges in ways that are straightforward and accessible.

In doing so, they are developing their own understanding of how smaller organisations operate, the pressures they face and what is required to build cyber resilience against threats specific to their locality. And, at the same time, each student is gaining the essential skills, knowledge and on-the-job training they need to succeed in the workplace.

Integral to our approach are nine Cyber Resilience Centres which operate at the regional level across England and Wales mapped according to the location of each police Regional Organised Crime Unit.

As our nation’s smaller organisations are increasingly looking to reinforce their cyber resilience, we know how important it is that they can seek guidance from trusted specialists who understand how they operate. The CRCs therefore serve SMEs and micro-businesses in their locality providing affordable but high-quality services to help them make their businesses and cyber operations safer, more secure, and more resilient; ensuring consistent national guidance, support and assistance gets far closer to those who really need it. They are likewise integral to the development of our national Talent Pipeline of students.

Each CRC retains regional leadership and the freedoms to deliver tailored, trusted and affordable support to local organisations and, as NCRCG, we help to provide insight and support solutions at a national and macro level, as well as enabling the adoption of best practice across the country.

With nine centres across England & Wales, we’ve got you covered. You can find your nearest CRC and how to get in touch on this map here