For years, the practice of disaster recovery was a driving force in business. It represented due diligence and a host of plans and exercises that ensured that the company would remain operational in a catastrophe. For most, catastrophe meant something particular—usually fire, flood, tornado, etc. But, regardless of the type of catastrophe, it was almost always something driven by mother nature.
Fast forward to the modern era of so-called digital business, little has changed. The only difference is that disaster recovery has evolved to business continuity due to the lack of social tolerance for downtime. What used to be ok 20 years ago—days to recover from a disaster—now end-users of services demand uptime to be stable at all times regardless of what a business might be experiencing.
Natural disasters are still perceived as the greatest threat for many organizations and dictate how they plan and prepare for business continuity. However, organizations now need to focus on a more modern catastrophe: cybercrime.
In a recent report published by Cybercrime Magazine, global cybercrime damages will cost up to $10.5 trillion annually by 2025. In addition, between March 2021 to February 2022, there were 153 million new malware samples detected. Worst of all, 86.2% of all surveyed organizations were affected by a successful cyberattack—meaning the odds are not in anyone’s favour.
So what can organizations do? Firstly, assess your security posture. Know what is happening inside and outside your organization and ensure that it’s properly locked down.
The traditional perimeter no longer exists. The days of confining data inside the proverbial four walls of a company are no longer a reality, especially with access through mobile devices, remote work initiatives, to external business systems such as software-as-a-service (Saas). The result: heightened security on devices, networks, and education for all to fight the battle on every front.
More so, the right tools must be in place—connecting the infrastructure to the human element of the business. For instance, having software and systems that control access can help limit the potential for stolen data and assets if someone is compromised.
The right tools can also help IT, and cyber security teams monitor networks in real-time, know what anomalies to prioritize, and thwart a breach before it occurs.
Then, of course, there is planning before, during, and after an attack. Knowing what steps to take that impact all divisions within the organization can help mitigate the effects of a breach. From IT to HR, communications and finance—if a well-developed playbook is in place, the odds of catastrophe diminish significantly.
In all, business continuity is paramount. From internal employees to external customers, an organization must stay open. Preparing for a disaster—be it flood, fire or malware attack—whatever the case, luck always favours the prepared.