To what extent are organisations prepared to recover from unexpected cyberattacks? Understanding your organisation’s readiness to respond to and recover from disruptions is crucial for ensuring long-term sustainability and operational resilience.
In today’s digital-first world, cyber resilience is a vital component of your overall business resilience strategy. It encompasses not only defending against cyberthreats but also ensuring rapid recovery and continuity in the event of a breach. It is a broader approach that incorporates aspects of security and resilience by design, risk management, and business continuity.
Organisations that have suffered cyberattacks typically prioritise how quickly they can get their critical operations back online to retain stakeholder trust and confidence. In these circumstances, recovery is critical. Effective cyber resilience is a continuous journey of anticipating threats, strengthening cyber defences, minimising impact, and restoring critical services and stakeholder trust. Thus, designing cybersecurity infrastructure requires more than just solutions but holistic thinking.
A shift in mindset limits damage down the line
This shift in mindset is crucial, as it addresses the evolving and sophisticated nature of cyberthreats. Just as buildings are designed with seismic safety in mind, organisations should prioritise security and resilience in their digital infrastructure by design.
This contrasts with traditional reactive methods that address security concerns after a product is built or deployed.
The importance of this shift is underscored by the significant impact of recent breaches. For example, in 2025 a cyberattack took place at CoinDCX, one of India’s largest cryptocurrency exchanges. The breach not only shook investor confidence but also raised urgent questions about the safety of digital assets. A US$44.2 million crypto heist targeting an internal wallet exposed weaknesses in exchange-blockchain connections, highlighting the need for improved security measures.
Similarly, in 2024, a ransomware attack at Australian e-prescription provider MediSecure exposed the personal and health information of nearly 12.9 million people, undermining trust in healthcare systems. The incident severely impacted public confidence in the region’s digital healthcare infrastructure and reinforced the need for robust cybersecurity practices in critical services.
Adopt an integrated security approach
An integrated security approach involves combining various security measures, technologies, and processes to create a more comprehensive and effective defence against threats. This approach emphasises the coordination of security domains such as physical security, cybersecurity, and governance to strengthen overall posture. The focus should be on:
- A holistic approach: Moving beyond siloed efforts and embracing integrated action that enables swift, end-to-end coordination.
- An integrated cybersecurity platform: Aligning systems, people, and processes around risk and resilience through a platform-first approach.
- Single-pane-of-glass view: Consolidating dashboards to provide centralised visibility into security controls, risks, and compliance, simplifying monitoring and enabling CISOs to make proactive decisions.
This approach is only possible with a top-down overview. Organisational leaders should be the stewards of cybersecurity, setting the tone for the rest of the team.
Where AI makes a significant difference
AI is no longer a futuristic concept; it is for security. It acts as a frontline defender, scanning for threats and adapting in real time. Machine learning and generative AI are being used to automate threat management, incident response, and routine tasks such as log analysis and vulnerability scanning, all with speed and accuracy. This leaves IT teams more time to focus on high-value activities.
As AI becomes deeply embedded in business operations, it introduces not only opportunities but also strategic risks. Security for AI is a growing challenge, and CISOs must navigate this duality: leveraging AI for defence while managing its potential to amplify threats. This balancing act requires a clear governance framework and cross-functional collaboration to ensure AI is deployed securely and ethically.
NTT DATA’s research found that 95% of CIOs and CTOs say generative AI has already driven, or will drive, greater cybersecurity investments, with organisations ranking improved security as one of the top three business benefits realised from deployment in the last 12 months.
Establish accountability at the top
While technologies like AI can enhance response time and improve the accuracy of threat detection, effective cybersecurity extends far beyond technology deployment.
While cybersecurity is everyone’s responsibility, leadership plays a crucial role in setting the tone and priorities. It is therefore up to the leadership team to set the strategic direction for cyber resilience so that security and recovery strategies can be tailored to their organisation’s risk profile and business priorities.
The board, CEO, and CFO are accountable for ensuring cyber resilience across the enterprise, from data management to innovation and investor confidence. Without close oversight from the CISO and the security team, the organisation cannot adopt emerging technologies like generative AI both rapidly and securely, which can impede business growth.
CISOs therefore need to take a proactive approach to cybersecurity, collaborating with other business leaders and maintaining top-down visibility of all security controls.
Cyber resilience is not just about defence; it is also a business enabler that helps organisations thrive in a digital-first world. According to NTT DATA’s research, 99% of C-suite executives plan further investments in generative AI over the next two years, including 67% of CEOs who are making significant commitments. The findings highlight the growing importance of aligning cybersecurity and innovation strategies at the highest levels of leadership.
