Fail-proof companies.

We live in the digital era of 100% availability. We have little tolerance for failure and even less for downtime. Yet we still think cybersecurity is for others, for the big players or for those with more visibility.

Talking about so many risks still seems like an exaggeration, and we try to find excuses to postpone the inevitable. There is no shortage of technology; what is mostly missing is discipline.

Every day new cases of theft appear, with methods of varying sophistication, artificial intelligence used for crime, and organizations everywhere (of every size) being hit.

For many years, cybersecurity was seen as a set of protection mechanisms meant to prevent intrusions, and it was a matter for IT staff. Today, that view is clearly insufficient and imprudent. This gives rise to a new prominence within organizations: cyber resilience.

Cybersecurity resilience is now measured by how long an organization takes to withstand, respond to and recover from security incidents. It is essential to ensure business continuity and maintain brand reputation.

It is important to achieve alignment across the entire organization and to ensure that data security is part of the business strategy. Decisions about investment, risk, business continuity and protecting corporate reputation are directly tied to an organization’s ability to respond to digital incidents.

It will be easier if everyone knows the importance and impact of a lack of security. And when we say everyone, we include employees, who need to be aware of what they can and cannot do. Training processes should cover this topic, both when new employees join and continuously as part of training management. We know the risks of leaving our front door open, but we have no idea what can happen to our exposed data. It is necessary to:

• Identify risks, vulnerabilities and possible attack scenarios before they occur;
• Implement technical and organizational measures capable of minimizing the impact of an intrusion;
• Have business continuity plans, tested backups and clear incident response procedures.

Technology must be aligned with procedures and constant monitoring. Internal IT teams may not have the capacity to keep up because of the time required, and new 24×7 services focused on this domain are emerging.

New regulations, such as NIS2, raise the requirements in this area, placing cyber risk management and operational continuity among organizations’ strategic priorities, with the resulting need for governance models, continuous monitoring and permanent improvement.

In conclusion, in a scenario where threats are unpredictable and inevitable, the ability to recover quickly can be the factor that distinguishes a simple operational interruption from a crisis with serious consequences for the business. Organizations that invest in their digital resilience today will be better prepared to face the challenges of the future, protect their assets and maintain the trust of customers, partners and employees.

Susana Marrazes
Director at INCENTEA