Who Owns Cyber Risk in Your Organisation? (And Why That Question Matters More Than Your Tools)
Ask ten UK businesses who owns cyber risk and you’ll hear ten different answers.
IT. Compliance. Operations. “Everyone.” Sometimes: “We’re not sure.”
That uncertainty is itself a risk.
Ownership vs Activity
Most organisations are busy doing cybersecurity:
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Running tools
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Completing audits
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Responding to questionnaires
But activity is not ownership.
Ownership means:
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Someone is accountable for outcomes
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Decisions are documented
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Trade-offs are understood and accepted at the right level
Without that, cyber risk is unmanaged — even if spend is high.
What Insurers and Auditors Are Really Asking
When insurers or auditors ask about cyber controls, they’re not just checking boxes.
They are asking:
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Who approved this level of risk?
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Who would explain this after an incident?
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Who decided this was “good enough”?
If no one can answer confidently, the organisation is exposed - regardless of tooling.
A Simple Test
Ask yourself: “If we had a serious incident tomorrow, who would brief the board and would they be comfortable doing so?”
If that’s unclear, you’ve found your real cyber risk.
