In cybersecurity, scale has become our default lens — we chase global frameworks, monitor international threat actors, and speak of networks as if they transcend geography. But in doing so, we risk forgetting that every global structure is only as resilient as its smallest unit.
The local is not a footnote in cybersecurity. It is the origin point.
Whether it’s a school system handling a data breach, a small business navigating a phishing scam, or a regional NHS body adapting to new digital compliance standards — cyber resilience is first felt and tested in lived, local infrastructures. And these infrastructures are powered not just by hardware or code, but by people: administrators, engineers, teachers, council staff — and the often-invisible emotional labour behind digital safety.
At Psyber, we’ve long argued that resilience is behavioural before it is technical. And behaviour — including trust, collaboration, and crisis recovery — doesn’t emerge in a vacuum. It’s cultivated in ecosystems.
This is why regional cyber ecosystems matter. Not because they are scaled-down versions of something bigger, but because they are origin environments — where culture meets coordination, and where meaningful, adaptive strategies can take root and scale upward with integrity.
An Invitation to Think (and Act) Regionally
On Monday, April 28, I will be hosting the next West Midlands Cyber Working Group (WM CWG) session — a convening of minds across government, academia, industry, and innovation.
Cyber Community Collaboration: Skills, Security & Strategy in the West Midlands
Gowling WLG, Birmingham | 09:15–12:30 BST Register here: https://lnkd.in/e9HWi8mg
This gathering is more than an event. It’s a statement: that cyber resilience is not merely a national concern handed down, but a regional enterprise built from the ground up. With updates from CyberFirst, Intercity, IN4 Group, and more — as well as future-facing plans for the Cyber Festival and “Launchpad” innovation hub — we’ll explore how to restore the human centre in conversations that are too often reduced to risk metrics and threat reports.
I’ll be opening and closing the session in my capacity as founder and psychologist at Psyber Inc., and secretary of the WM CWG. I would be honoured to welcome those who believe, as I do, that cybersecurity must begin where we live, with the communities we serve.
In Closing
Resilience is not imposed — it is cultivated. And perhaps the most radical thing we can do in cyber today is slow down, look around, and ask: Who are we building this for? And how do we design systems that actually remember the people inside them — the ones using, navigating, and depending on these technologies every day?
I hope you’ll join us — if you know, you know. And if you don’t, perhaps this is your invitation to find out.
Come connect, collaborate… and meet us.
Warmly,