The Elephant in The Biz: outsourcing of critical IT and cybersecurity functions risks UK economic…

This piece argues that outsourcing critical IT and cybersecurity (e.g., helpdesks, SOC, IAM) to MSPs such as TCS increases systemic risk through social engineering entry points and standardized processes exploitable at scale, with recent events at Jaguar Land Rover, Marks & Spencer, and Co‑op cited as examples of a broader pattern. It contends incentives are misaligned—insurers and incident responders profit while organizations underinvest in resilience—and that industry focus skews toward data protection over service continuity. The author calls for UK action: transparency on ransom payments (and bans for critical infrastructure), contingency planning for wider payment bans, stronger governance of third‑party critical services, and legislation emphasizing cyber resilience alongside data protection.