Episode 2: The True Cost of a Cyber Breach. Why the Board Must Lead

Future Ready Podcast.

Cybersecurity isn’t an IT problem, it’s a business risk.

In this episode of Future Ready, Bechtle’s Pre-Sales Security Consultant Kaylie Watts sits down with Alice Lee, Head of Security, to unpack what recent high-profile retail breaches reveal about today’s threat landscape, and what leadership teams must do next.

Identity is everything. Most breaches don’t start with code; they start with a conversation.

Kaylie Watts, Pre-Sales Security Consultant

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Why listen?

From a simple helpdesk impersonation to silent lateral movement via unmonitored virtual machines, this discussion strips away the hype and focuses on how breaches actually unfold, and the concrete actions boards can mandate to reduce risk fast.

In the episode:

No sector is immune: Lessons from attacks on household-name retailers show that process gaps (not just software flaws) are prime entry points.
Board accountability: Cyber risk is financial, legal and operational, a core governance issue, not a technical line item.
The numbers that matter: Average breach costs exceed £3.8m, with downtime estimated at ~£4,000/minute, and that’s before reputational damage.
Identity at the centre: Tighten MFA, admin access, and helpdesk verification to shut the front door attackers keep using.
Plan before the panic: Build and exercise incident response with executive participation; don’t let the first run-through be the real thing.
Culture as control: Replace blame with transparency so staff report mistakes quickly. Speed limits impact.
Regulatory pressure: Expectations are rising across the UK and EU; personal accountability for directors is becoming clearer.

For a deeper dive, don’t miss our companion piece: 'The Real Cost of a Breach: What Every Board Should Know', written by Kaylie Watts, expanding on board-level misconceptions, resilience vs. compliance, and five questions every director should be asking.

What you’ll take away.

A practical, board-ready checklist for the next meeting:

Do we have 24-hour detection/response capability, measured and tested?
Are identity and access controls (MFA, least privilege, admin hardening) enforced across all users and third parties?
When did we last tabletop our incident plan with execs, Legal, HR and Comms?
Where is our highest exposure, and does spend match that risk?
Is our security strategy tied to business outcomes, not just technical KPIs?

Clear criteria to evaluate Managed Detection & Response (MDR), and why tooling without people and process won’t cut it.

Listen & Subscribe.

Watch Episode 2.

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Release Date: 18th November 2025

How Bechtle helps.

Whether you’re starting from scratch or sharpening a mature posture, Bechtle supports leadership teams with security strategy workshops, identity hardening, response planning and culture-building, tailored to your risk profile and sector.

Alice Lee

Head of Security, Bechtle

Focus:
Governance, risk and compliance; executive cyber strategy; crisis communications.

Connect on LinkedIn

Contact Alice

Kaylie Watts

Pre-Sales Security Consultant, Bechtle

Focus:
Identity & access management, detection & response, incident readiness.

Connect on LinkedIn

Contact Kaylie

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