At the start of January 2026, the Government published their Government Cyber Action Plan. In the paper’s foreword, concerns around cyber risk across public services as well as our entire society are highlighted. As we know, the CyberSecurity and Resilience Bill is intended to better protect essential and digital services from cyber threats by putting appropriate and proportionate measures in place to manage risk and prevent disruption to public services.
The purpose of the Government Cyber Action Plan is to hold government and the public sector to equal standards. In this blog we explore the paper a bit more, what it means and the impact and opportunity it presents for MSPs and resellers.
The Government Cyber Action Plan is a strategy to fundamentally strengthen the cyber resilience of the public sector. Essentially, the aim is to strengthen security against evolving cyber threats by enforcing accountability. The new central Government Cyber Unit will be driving to both improve cyber skills and accountability, with the goal to be:
With the public sector being put under the spotlight and facing increasing pressure to show measurable risk management, the demand for risk monitoring tools, managed security solutions and reporting and compliance,dashboards will rise.
MSPs already working in the public sector or considering it can place themselves in a strong position, if they have the tools and services in place to meet the demands. Tools and services that provide real-time visibility into threat and vulnerability management, prove risk controls and can report against frameworks such as Cyber Essentials, CAF or ISO 27001 will be highly relevant and desired.
As MSPs and resellers are now seen as a part of the government’s cyber risk, and key players in it, higher expectations of MSPs and resellers are inevitable. This strongly focuses on how they prevent, detect and respond to incidents. ‘Good enough’ security is not going to cover it anymore and MSPs, particularly those supporting clients in the public sector, will come under more scrutiny. They will need to be able to answer questions about their security resilience and maturity as well as demonstrate that they have strong security and response processes in place.
Being part of public sector supply chains means MSPs and resellers will become more accountable for third-party cyber risks. What we’re likely to see is public sector clients scrutinise the cybersecurity maturity of their partners and the vendors they work with.
In order to stay competitive and be seen as a trusted partner, MSPs and resellers will need to demonstrate they have the controls,policies and risk management practices in place.
Higher expectations on coordinated detection and response means the importance of MDR, SIEM, XDR and incident response services will grow.Proactive threat monitoring and fast response capabilities will become non-negotiables and MSPs who can deliver these services will be seen as trusted partners.
The Government Cyber Action Plan is another example of regulations raising the bar for accountability in the cybersecurity landscape. With this, there is a real opportunity for MSPs and resellers to stand out as trusted partners.
The demand for services that go beyond basic protection is increasing, from tools that provide visibility into vulnerabilities and support compliance, to managed detection and response solutions.
By demonstrating strong security practices, mature response processes and the ability to support clients’ risk management objectives, MSPs can turn regulatory requirements into a compelling value proposition that strengthens client relationships and opens the door to new business.
The Government Cyber Action Plan is a reminder that cybersecurity is a shared responsibility. MSPs and resellers who act early,offer guidance and help clients navigate changes will be well-positioned to lead in a market that increasingly values trust and resilience.
At Brigantia, we support channel partners to protect their clients through our carefully selected vendor portfolio, product specialists and dedicated support. We help partners stay ahead and meet the demands of changing regulations and the evolving threat landscape.
For further information on how we can support you, head to our vendor page or get in touch with our team.