Cyber-resilience: The new imperative for enterprise security

Introduction

“Is our organisation cyber-resilient?” This question should be top of mind for IT / cyber security leaders today. And if the answer is anything other than a resounding “Yes”, establishing cyber-resilience (CR) needs to become a priority. 

For companies that have embraced digital transformation, the ability to withstand cyberattacks, limit damage and quickly restore operations, keeping critical systems and services accessible even during major disruptions, is crucial for survival. Most organisations (87%) have experienced disruptions, some lasting as long as a few weeks, while only 40% of organisations across the globe are just starting to execute on their plans or figuring out their cyber-resilience strategy. Cyber-resilience should be viewed as the third pillar of organisational resilience, along with financial and operational resilience, to serve as a key enabler and strategic differentiator and help businesses thrive.

A comprehensive CR plan enables enterprises to manage cyber risk effectively by integrating processes and technologies that can help prepare for, prevent, detect, respond to, and recover from cyber incidents. As per IDC, it is comprised of five essential building blocks:

1. Governance and leadership

As with all crucial enterprise-wide strategies, CR has to start from within, by laying a strong foundation and with buy-in from leadership, aligning it with the company’s business objectives across all lines of business as well as with governance and compliance regulations.

Key elements include:

• Setting a vision and strategy for organisational resilience
• Managing risks and building effective decision-making
• Aligning policies and procedures with strategic goals through governance frameworks (e.g., NIST, COBIT, ISO/IEC 27001)
• Zero trust model

2. Continuous monitoring, detection, and response

Continuous monitoring provides real-time visibility and accelerates problem-solving during disruptions. Increasingly, regulations mandate incident reporting and encourage threat intelligence sharing.

3. Cyber-recovery plan

The surge in data generation, replication, and storage demands a new approach to backup and recovery. A cyber-recovery plan outlines how to restore critical systems and data to ensure business continuity after an attack, complementing the incident response plan.

4. Security assessment and drills

Adhering to resilience, cybersecurity, and data protection is crucial for protecting brand reputation and building trust. An IDC study states that only 20% of organisations regularly test their cyber-resilience plans; many test infrequently or never.

Regular assessments and drills are essential for identifying gaps. Key activities in this area include:

• Disaster recovery drills
• Cybersecurity maturity assessments
• Compliance checks (e.g., GDPR, HIPAA, NIST)
• Software and information integrity tests
• Vulnerability assessments and penetration testing
• Red teaming exercises

5. Culture and awareness training

Cyber-resilience goes beyond IT security; it evolves as new technologies are created. Building a cyber-aware culture helps organisations adapt to future threats. IDC research shows that most ransomware incidents stem from user behaviors, like web browsing or phishing. So employees need to be educated about social engineering tactics so they recognise and can reduce cyber risks. Simulated attacks, such as phishing and ransomware tests, should be made part of this training, for testing and improving responses.
 

Benefits of achieving cyber-resilience

A comprehensive CR strategy helps organisations manage cyber risks by integrating prevention, detection, response, and recovery processes. The combination of robust cybersecurity with strong recovery capabilities ensures resilience during and after an attack, enabling confident growth and digital success. Key business advantages include reduced downtime, the ability to avoid repeat attacks, faster claims and lower insurance costs, reduced business risks, and reduced non-compliance fines.

As organisations increasingly rely on technology to enhance customer experience, streamline operations, and manage supply chains, the need for CR is imperative. Tata Communications' security solutions offer a strong option for companies at any stage of maturity to strengthen their cyber-resilience.

With the growing numbers of increasingly ingenious and sophisticated cyberthreats businesses are experiencing today, mere safety measures will not cut it any more. Organisations need to weave cyber-resilience into every fiber of their day-to-day operations and existence in order to not just survive but to thrive. To guide companies in this regard, IDC and Tata Communications collaborated to create a Spotlight paper that explains the key methods for and benefits of incorporating a CR strategy in your organisation, as well as the tools needed to get it done.

Read this IDC Spotlight for an in-depth look at the benefits of embracing cyber-resilience and how to achieve this. Contact us today for cyber security services.