"Over the past year, resilience has moved from being an IT concern to a boardlevel priority," says David O'Connell, Managing Director at Advantex.
Across the North East, organisations are reassessing how prepared they truly are for disruption. It is not growth, recruitment or even energy costs dominating conversations. It is resilience.
Not in a theoretical sense, but in practical questions about what would actually happen if systems went down, data was compromised, or operations were disrupted.
What once sat within the IT department is now firmly part of leadership discussion. Managing Directors and Operations teams are asking whether their infrastructure reflects the level of risk we are now operating in.
That shift alone tells a story.
Risk Is Escalating and Evolving
The Cyber Security Breaches Survey 2025 reports that 43% of UK businesses experienced a cyber breach or attack in the past year. Medium and large organisations were even more likely to be affected.
This is not a niche problem. It is widespread.
What is changing is not just the number of incidents, but how they are carried out. Automation and generative AI are being used to make phishing and ransomware attacks faster, more convincing and more difficult to detect. These are no longer obvious attempts. They are targeted, timely and increasingly sophisticated.
A newer internal risk is also emerging. “Shadow AI” refers to employees using AI tools without formal governance. The intention is rarely harmful, but sensitive data can be shared externally before risks are understood. Many organisations are only just beginning to recognise the exposure this creates.
Cloud dependency adds another layer. As hyperscalers expand AI infrastructure at pace, complexity increases. Cloud platforms remain highly reliable, but resilience planning must now consider architecture, failover and vendor strategy, not just endpoint security.
Prevention still matters. Preparation matters just as much.
The conversations have changed
One of the clearest indicators of this shift is the type of questions we are hearing.
It is less about, “Can you fix this issue?” And more about:
Are we resilient enough?
How quickly would we recover from ransomware?
Are we structured for Cyber Essentials and supply chain scrutiny?
Does our IT strategy support where the business is heading?
For manufacturers operating around the clock, downtime has immediate financial consequences. In regulated sectors, reputational impact can be just as damaging as operational disruption. For growing SMEs, internal IT teams can quickly become stretched as systems become more complex.
Resilience has moved from being a technical concern to a commercial one.
Responding to the Shift
Across the region, demand for proactive and structured support has grown steadily. Organisations are looking for greater visibility, clearer governance and long-term planning rather than reactive fixes.
At Advantex, this has shaped how we continue to invest. Our frameworks are built around ISO 9001 and Cyber Essentials Plus, with ISO 27001 on track for completion by the end of March. That focus is not about credentials for their own sake. It is about consistency, accountability and resilience built into everyday operations.
Because resilience is not just about technology. It is about structure.
Resilience as a Competitive Advantage
The North East continues to develop as a centre for advanced manufacturing, renewables and professional services. As businesses adopt AI tools and integrate smart systems, the stability beneath those systems becomes increasingly important.
Organisations that can demonstrate structured cyber maturity are better positioned to win contracts, meet procurement standards, satisfy insurers and scale confidently.
Recently, the UK Government published a comprehensive Budget Information Security Review following concerns about the handling of sensitive Budget information. It was a reminder that governance and information security now carry economic consequences at the highest levels.
The direction of travel is clear.
Digital resilience is no longer something delegated quietly to IT teams. It is a leadership responsibility that directly affects growth, competitiveness and long-term stability.
The real question is not whether resilience matters.
It is whether your organisation is prepared for what comes next.
www.advantex.uk.com