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With UK retailers under siege, Gamma\u2019s security experts explain how they\u2019re working with some of the UK\u2019s largestretailers to move from protection to prediction, and why finding the right partner is vital in today\u2019s threat landscape.<\/em><\/p>\n In the wake of major cyber-attacks on the industry, Gamma\u2019s experts feel that it\u2019s time for UK retailers to treat network resilience and cyber maturity as non-negotiables.<\/em><\/p>\n In recent times, some of the UK\u2019s most recognisable retailers have been rocked by major cyber-attacks. Online services have been shut down. Internal systems taken offline. Millions lost in revenue and consumer trust. And all eyes are now on what comes next.<\/p>\n \u201cThe disruption caused by the recent incidents is naturally a cause for concern to those businesses affected, their customers and the public,\u201d recently warned the National Cyber Security Centre (NCSC). \u201cThese cases should act as a wake-up call.\u201d<\/p>\n Yet this moment also presents a powerful opportunity. Retailers have a chance to rethink their security foundations; not just to withstand attacks, but to unlock smarter operations, safer stores, and greater resilience across the board.<\/p>\n \u201cThe attacks are more frequent, more targeted, and more damaging than anything we\u2019ve seen,\u201d says Jason Simper, director at Gamma Secure. \u201cWhat\u2019s really changed is the mindset. We\u2019re not talking to our customers just about defence. We\u2019re talking about validation, anticipation and speed.\u201d<\/p>\n However, Simper also has an optimistic mindset when it comes to the art of the possible. \u201cWhat we want to avoid is the concept of selling fear,\u201d he says. \u201cWhat we as an industry should be doing is helping retailers feel confident that they\u2019ve done everything they can to stay protected. We believe cybersecurity should be proactive, predictive, and empowering.\u201d<\/p>\n At the heart of that shift is Gamma. A trusted, consultative partner helping retailers build security into the DNA of their infrastructure. Because when the threat landscape moves fast, countering with a strong response is a big boon.<\/p>\n From ransomware to retail readiness<\/strong><\/p>\n The recent spate of retail cyber incidents, including claims of ransomware attacks by the notorious Scattered Spider hacking group, highlight the changing nature of risk.<\/p>\n \u201cIt\u2019s no longer just phishing emails or generic malware,\u201d Simper explains. \u201cThese are coordinated, intelligent attacks exploiting weak links across legacy systems and poorly configured networks.\u201d<\/p>\n Gamma\u2019s answer is a layered one. Combining secure, cloud-first infrastructure with 24\/7 monitoring, advanced threat detection, and managed incident response.<\/p>\n \u201cYou need systems that don\u2019t just report an issue \u2013 they help you recover in real time. Retail is too fast-moving for anything less.\u201d<\/p>\n From protection to prediction: A new cyber reality<\/strong><\/p>\n As any IT leader will tell you, in the past retail cybersecurity could often be described as reactive. Quarterly patching, annual audits, and a reliance on firewalls and antivirus software. But in 2025, that model no longer holds.<\/p>\n \u201cStatic defences don\u2019t cut it anymore,\u201d Simper says. \u201cRetailers need to move from \u2018we\u2019re protected\u2019 to \u2018we\u2019re watching, validating, and evolving in real time.\u2019\u201d<\/p>\n Gamma\u2019s managed detection and response (MDR) solutions are built with this philosophy at their core. Combining intelligent tooling with a hands-on team of cyber analysts, Gamma provides round-the-clock monitoring, proactive threat hunting, and fast incident containment.<\/p>\n \u201cIt\u2019s not sci-fi anymore,\u201d Simper says. \u201cAI-assisted systems are detecting suspicious activity, rerouting traffic, and alerting our teams before an attacker gets close to your data.\u201d<\/p>\n The cost of a breach is more than money<\/strong><\/p>\n For retailers, the consequences of a cyber-attack are immediate and wide-reaching.<\/p>\n \u201cWe\u2019re not just talking lost sales or data,\u201d Simper explains. \u201cIt\u2019s a breakdown in customer confidence. A loss of service continuity. A crisis in operations that affects everything from payments to logistics to comms.\u201d<\/p>\n Recent incidents saw one major retailer unable to process contactless payments or fulfil online orders for days. Another told staff to stop using internal communications, fearing surveillance. It\u2019s chaos that plays out not just in tech stacks, but on the shop floor.<\/p>\n \u201cEvery minute a system is down, it\u2019s revenue lost,\u201d Simper says. \u201cBut worse, it\u2019s trust lost. That takes far longer to rebuild.\u201d<\/p>\n Cyber maturity means building from the inside out<\/strong><\/p>\n Gamma\u2019s approach is designed around\u00a0cyber maturity\u00a0\u2013 a term that reflects not just the tools a retailer uses, but how well those tools are aligned, integrated and supported.<\/p>\n \u201cThis moment is not about buying more security tech,\u201d says Laurence Malthouse, enterprise and public sector director at Gamma. \u201cIt\u2019s about reviewing your whole posture \u2013 your vulnerabilities, your infrastructure, your human processes \u2013 and creating a strategy that\u2019s resilient by design.\u201d<\/p>\n This often means bringing together disparate systems: cloud apps, in-store networks, mobile POS, surveillance, and more. All under a unified, validated security model.<\/p>\n Gamma works consultatively with clients to review existing setups, identify weaknesses, and co-create smarter, safer architectures. No rip-and-replace. No sales-first mentality. Just partnership and accountability.<\/p>\n \u201cWe\u2019re not here to sell you a dashboard,\u201d Malthouse says. \u201cWe\u2019re here to help you make decisions with clarity and confidence.\u201d<\/p>\n One key concept underpinning Gamma\u2019s security philosophy is\u00a0zero trust<\/em>. This is the principle that no user, system or device is inherently trusted, even inside the network perimeter.<\/p>\n \u201cNever trust, always validate,\u201d says Simper. \u201cThat\u2019s the mindset modern retailers need!\u201d<\/p>\n Gamma\u2019s security stack includes tools to enforce zero trust principles across environments: multi-factor authentication, continuous access validation, identity-based segmentation, and robust logging for forensic analysis.<\/p>\n But even the best tools won\u2019t work without the right foundations.<\/p>\n \u201cIf your network infrastructure is weak, your security will be too,\u201d Malthouse warns. \u201cWe\u2019ve seen too many cases where basic misconfigurations or ageing broadband lines became the door attackers walked through.\u201d<\/p>\n The role of managed networks in modern retail security<\/strong><\/p>\n While the focus is rightly on cybersecurity, managed networks still play a crucial supporting role. Gamma\u2019s SD-WAN and MPLS technologies enable secure, scalable connectivity across every retail location \u2013 with the flexibility to prioritise critical traffic, isolate threats, and reroute data instantly if needed.<\/p>\n \u201cThink of it like this,\u201d says Simper. \u201cYour network is the skeleton. Security is the immune system. If one\u2019s weak, the other suffers.\u201d<\/p>\n Gamma\u2019s networks are monitored 24\/7, with proactive troubleshooting and built-in optimisation, ensuring the speed and resilience needed to support everything from secure payments to AI-powered threat detection.<\/p>\n \u201cWe build networks that are not just performant, but defensible,\u201d Malthouse says. \u201cBecause no one ever got hacked by a system they could see, control and respond to.\u201d<\/p>\n Staff safety is a cybersecurity issue, too<\/strong><\/p>\n Cybersecurity doesn\u2019t stop at the server. It\u2019s increasingly linked to in-store safety. This is especially true as abuse and violence toward staff hits record levels. More than one in four retail workers report they have felt unsafe at work. They\u2019re most concerned about theft (68%) and customer aggression (51%) or harassment (48%).<\/p>\n \u201cRetailers are investing in smart wearables, bodycams and intelligent surveillance to protect their people,\u201d says Malthouse. \u201cBut those systems depend on secure, high-speed connectivity and real-time threat monitoring.\u201d<\/p>\n Gamma enables this convergence of physical and digital security. Helping retailers deploy and manage devices that deter threats, record incidents, and ensure safety for frontline workers.<\/p>\n \u201cIt\u2019s all part of the same equation,\u201d Simper notes. \u201cKeep your network safe, and you keep your people safe too.\u201d<\/p>\n Educate, align, protect: The human side of security<\/strong><\/p>\n Both Malthouse and Simper agree that technology alone can\u2019t solve the problem. People, process and culture play a critical role, especially when breaches often originate from human error or misconfiguration.<\/p>\n \u201cCTOs and CIOs need to be storytellers,\u201d Malthouse says. \u201cThey have to explain to boards and finance teams that this isn\u2019t optional. Cyber resilience, after all, is business resilience.\u201d<\/p>\n He also stresses the importance of cross-functional collaboration; aligning IT, security, operations and even marketing around a shared understanding of risk.<\/p>\n \u201cSecurity can\u2019t live in a silo anymore,\u201d he says. \u201cIt needs to be everyone\u2019s business.\u201d<\/p>\n What should retailers do today?<\/strong><\/p>\n The window for pre-emptive action is narrowing. So, what should leaders do first?<\/p>\n \u201cStart with a cyber maturity review,\u201d says Malthouse. \u201cLook at your attack surface. Understand your weakest points. Then build a plan with the right partner.\u201d<\/p>\n Simper agrees and suggests leadership teams focus less on tech specs and more on strategic fit.<\/p>\n \u201cIf your current provider isn\u2019t helping you think ahead, challenge them. Ask how they\u2019ll help you prevent, not just recover. And if they can\u2019t answer clearly, maybe it\u2019s time to find someone who can.\u201d<\/p>\n Because in a world of escalating cyber risk, partnership isn\u2019t a luxury. It\u2019s a frontline defence. The good news is that you don\u2019t need to have all the answers. You just need a strategic ally who\u2019ll help you ask the right questions.<\/p>\n \u201cThis isn\u2019t about selling a boxed solution,\u201d says Laurence Malthouse. \u201cOur approach is consultative from the ground up. We work with you to assess your current infrastructure, understand your business context, and then co-develop a smarter, safer roadmap forward.\u201d<\/p>\n Gamma offers tailored cyber maturity assessments, collaborative workshops, and security posture reviews \u2013 all designed to help retail leaders cut through the complexity and focus on risk reduction with measurable value.<\/p>\n \u201cWe\u2019re here to partner with your internal teams,\u201d Malthouse continues. \u201cThat means working alongside your existing suppliers, building on what\u2019s already working, and filling in the gaps with clear, pragmatic solutions.\u201d<\/p>\n Simper adds that too often, retailers are overwhelmed by choice. Dozens of vendors, countless dashboards, and disjointed platforms. Gamma\u2019s role, he says, is to\u00a0simplify the picture without compromising on protection.<\/p>\n \u201cIf your current provider is giving you tools without guidance, you\u2019re still exposed,\u201d Simper warns. \u201cYou need someone in the trenches with you. Someone who\u2019ll challenge assumptions, validate your defence posture, and move fast when it counts.\u201d<\/p>\n It\u2019s clear that the strongest defence doesn\u2019t always come from flashy software, but from trusted relationships built on transparency, expertise, and shared accountability.<\/p>\n To learn more about Gamma\u2019s cybersecurity and network resilience solutions, visit here.<\/p>\n