London, UK -- (SBWire) -- 05/23/2023 --The Cyber Resilience Centre for London (CRC for London), a leading authority in delivering business-focused cyber resilience resources and services, is thrilled to announce that it has reached an unprecedented milestone. Through its pioneering "In The Community" initiative, the Cyber Resilience Centre for London has successfully visited and engaged with 1,000 businesses in the Greater London area, solidifying its commitment to foster cyber-resilient ecosystems within small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs).

Launched as a means to proactively support and nurture the growth of London's vibrant business community, the "In The Community" initiative aims to inform, educate, and safeguard businesses from cyber threats, whilst also empowering them with the necessary tools to become more resilient in an increasingly digital world.

"The challenge that we're up against is this mindset that "it won't happen to me", particularly amongst the small business community who believe they're too small to be targets for this type of crime," stated Simon Newman, CEO at the Cyber Resilience Centre for London. "This achievement represents a real impact on the SME community in spreading awareness and fostering a dialogue with about the relevance and importance of a robust cyber defence strategy."

Through the "In The Community" initiative, the Cyber Resilience Centre for London has effectively showcased its core offering – the provision of free advice and resources from a trusted authority – as well as its menu of affordable tailored cyber resilience services which cater specifically to SMEs, considering their unique challenges and needs. These services include vulnerability assessments, risk management, security awareness training, and incident response planning. The CRC for London's efforts have been instrumental in strengthening the overall cyber security landscape of London's SME sector.

The Cyber Resilience Centre for London's journey to reach this milestone has not only proven its commitment to London's SMEs, but also the effectiveness of a community-led approach in cybersecurity. It also emphasises the importance of a joined-up approach to tackling the cybercrime problem, as the community work has been supported by uniformed officers from the Metropolitan Police in each area visited. By placing businesses at the heart of its initiative, CRC for London has created an environment that promotes education, awareness, and resilience.

"Cybersecurity is not just a technological issue; it is a community issue," added Newman. "This milestone is a testament to the necessity of an inclusive, collective approach to cybersecurity, and demonstrates what's possible when key authorities in the city – including the Mayor's Office for Policing and Crime, Metropolitan Police, City of London Police, and British Transport Police – come together in service of the same goal. We look forward to reaching the next 1,000 businesses and beyond."

About Cyber Resilience Centre for London
The Cyber Resilience Centre for London is part of a network of 9 Regional Centres across the country whose role is to support small and medium-sized businesses (SMEs) and third sector organisations reduce their vulnerability to cyber-crime. The CRC for London is a not-for-profit organisation working in partnership with the Mayor's Office for Policing and Crime, The City of London Police and the Metropolitan Police. We offer a range of services to London's small business community to help demystify the cyber security landscape and provide access to national intelligence data, free guidance and affordable help to protect your business online.

The Mayor's Office for Policing and Crime was quick to recognize the vulnerability of London's small business community to the most common types of cyber-crime and set up the London Digital Security Centre (LDSC) in 2015 to help SMEs improve their cyber security posture. As a not-for-profit organisation, LDSC reached thousands of businesses across the capital and won awards for its Community Outreach programme. In 2018, LDSC became the Police Digital Security Centre (PDSC) under the umbrella of Police Crime Prevention Initiatives (PCPI) and increased its engagement across London working in partnership with the Metropolitan Police. In 2021, PCPIs Board identified an opportunity to align PDSCs work with the new network of Cyber Resilience Centres and a programme to transition the PDSC into the Cyber Resilience Centre for London was born.

To find out more information about the Cyber Resilience Centre for London visit https://www.londoncrc.co.uk/

For any media enquiries please contact Gary Elliott at Iconic Digital – 020 7100 0726

For all other enquiries please contact the Cyber Resilience Centre for London at https://www.londoncrc.co.uk/contact-us

For more information about Cyber Resilience Centre for London's services, please go to https://www.londoncrc.co.uk/services.

- The Cyber Resilience Centre for London is part of the National Cyber Resilience Centre Group which has a not-for-profit Cyber Resilience Centre in every region in England and Wales to help businesses better protect themselves against cyber threats.