Author: fluroltd

Data breaches are a fact of life for businesses today. Most experts agree, it’s not a question of ‘if’ your company will be hacked, but ‘when’.  

Scary thought, right?

So, if a breach is inevitable, then who’s responsible for making sure your business is prepared to respond and recover, quickly, with minimal disruption? 

To get some expert insight on this, we interviewed our very own CEO, Alistair Mackenzie, on the Predatar Podcast. 

In this blog, we’ll unpack some key takeaways from the interview to help you build rock-solid resilience in your company. 

So, hold onto your hard drives, because we’re about to transform your business into a post-attack powerhouse!

What’s cyber resilience all about? 

Firstly, it’s important to understand what resilience means in the context of IT and cyber security.  

We explored the concept in our previous blog. Put simply, it can be described as your company’s ability to bounce back quickly after a cyber-attack, with minimal operational disruption. 

Why is cyber resilience so important right now? 

There’s been a noticeable shift in focus from cyber security to cyber resilience, and for good reason. 

Gone are the days when the biggest data loss events were rare occurrences like earthquakes, floods, or an aeroplane crashing into your data centre.  

These are one-in-a-million events. 

We’re now in a new era of prevalent cybercrime, and cyber threats have become all-too-common. They are a daily occurrence. 

Cyber-attacks, fuelled by advancements in technology, including AI, have dramatically changed the game. 

If the scary statistic of a 1 in 4 chance of being breached isn’t enough to send shivers down your spine, consider this – cyber-attacks happen roughly every 39 seconds!   

The financial blow can be brutal – the global average cost of a data breach in 2023 was USD 4.45 million, a 15% increase over 3 years.  

With the stakes higher than ever, organisations need to be battle-ready for the inevitable cyber-attack.  

But who’s responsible for ensuring that you can recover effectively? 

Who is responsible for building cyber resilience? 

Sometimes resilience can slip through the gaps – particularly in large organisations, with one department assuming that another has it covered.

Typically, the security team might feel that data recovery is the IT team’s remit, while IT assumes that everything ‘cyber’ falls to the security team.

In reality, achieving resiliency must be a joined-up, co-ordinated, multi-team effort.

What’s stopping Security and IT teams from collaborating effectively?  

Traditionally, security and infrastructure teams have operated independently from one another.  

IT/Infrastructure teams would focus on keeping systems running smoothly and ensuring everyone in the organisation had easy access to the data and systems they needed – whenever and wherever they needed them.

Cybersecurity, on the other hand, was handled by a separate team (CISO’s office). The approach was to build perimeter defences around networks, driven by principles such as zero-trust designed to limit access. 

To achieve robust cyber resilience, these teams need to collaborate, and the first step is understanding one another’s motivations and challenges before they can come together around a common resiliency goal.  

How can you build a cyber resilience dream team?

Here are three top tips:  

1. Define and align goals and KPIs:

By defining and aligning both your security and infrastructure teams’ objectives and how they measure success Key Performance Indicators (KPIs), you can find common ground and clarity between both teams. 

This clarity is key and helps you define what a successful cyber resilience strategy looks like for your company. 

With this shared vision in place, you can build a dream, cross-functional team with the right skills and expertise, working together to carry out the specific tasks needed to achieve your cyber resilience goals

2. Invest in observability tools:

Here’s the reality: cyber resilience isn’t a ‘set it and forget it’ solution. It’s an ongoing journey of improvement in an ever-shifting landscape. 

To track your progress, you need the right observability tools. These tools allow you to measure your current cyber resilience and security architecture, as well as monitor improvements over time. 

Think of these tools as a fitness tracker for your data defences. They help you monitor your current state, set goals, and track improvement over time.

3. Plan and test your response:

The odds are stacked against you in cybersecurity. 

Attackers only need one win, while businesses need to get it right every time. 

This asymmetry in the threat landscape means you must be prepared for that inevitable breach. 

The key to preparedness lies in two crucial steps: firstly, you must create a comprehensive response plan, and secondly, you must test regularly to make sure that your plan works. 

This ensures a smooth recovery and minimises disruption when (not if) you get attacked. 

Don’t wait until disaster strikes to discover that your plan is ineffective! 

Final Thoughts 

Cyber resilience isn’t just about weathering the storm; it’s about coming out on the other side of an attack as quickly as possible with minimal impact on your business operations. 

With the right team, tools, and tactics, your business won’t just survive a cyberattack; it’ll continue to thrive despite it. 

Want to Learn More? 

If you want to learn more, check out the Predatar Podcast episode we mentioned earlier.  

And, if you’re a cyber security leader, we’ve got a free eBook designed to help you close the recovery gap – download it and become a cyber resilience champion!

Over the past 12 months, there has been a noticeable shift in the way businesses approach their cybersecurity strategies. 

Traditionally, the lion’s share of security budgets was allocated towards tools designed to prevent attacks, operating under the assumption that a strong enough defence could keep threats at bay. 

However, the evolving landscape of cyber threats and high-profile incidents has led to a significant rethink.

A notable example is Palo Alto Networks, a giant in the cybersecurity space, which experienced its biggest one-day share drop following an announcement of reduced annual billings forecast due to softer client spending. 

A Shift Towards Resilience

This event underscores a broader trend: despite the availability of excellent security products from major vendors, attacks are still managing to penetrate defences.

Often, the breaches are not due to the inadequacy of the security tools used but stem from human error, bad actors or manipulation. 

This trend is prompting many Chief Information Security Officers (CISOs) to adopt a new mindset: it’s not a matter of if an attack will happen, but when. 

Consequently, Predatar has seen a growing emphasis on cyber resilience – the ability to recover from incidents swiftly and efficiently.

Innovations in Recovery Solutions

We are not the only vendor to spot this, leaders in the backup and recovery industry, such as IBM, Cohesity, and Rubrik, have been making significant investments to enhance the resilience of their platforms. 

These efforts aim to provide businesses with the tools they need to recover from cyber incidents, thus minimising downtime and protecting their reputation.

Regulatory Pressures and Predatar’s Role

Moreover, the increasing regulatory pressure, such as the Digital Operational Resilience Act (DORA) in Europe and similar forthcoming legislation in the US, mandates that organisations must demonstrate their ability to recover from cyber incidents. 

Predatar not only helps businesses meet these regulatory requirements but also provides peace of mind by ensuring that recovery processes are effective and ready to be deployed at a moment’s notice.

Wrapping up

In conclusion, as the threat landscape continues to evolve, businesses are recognising the importance of balancing prevention with resilience. 

The shift towards investing in cyber resilience reflects a pragmatic approach to cybersecurity, acknowledging that while attacks may be inevitable, the impact on the business doesn’t have to be. 

With solutions like Predatar, organizations can continually test and validate their recoverability, ensuring they are prepared to respond to and recover from any incident, thereby safeguarding their operations, reputation, and compliance in an increasingly uncertain digital world.

Ready to take control of your disaster preparedness?  

Predatar is leading the way in Recovery Assurance.

Forward-thinking enterprises worldwide are already using Predatar Cyber Recovery Orchestration to continually validate the integrity of their data and the speed of recovery.  

Don’t wait for disaster to strike before acting.  

Start your journey towards a more secure and resilient organisation today by downloading our eBook here.

Every day, there’s news about another big cyber-attack.   

Hackers are getting bolder, and their methods more sophisticated – leaving businesses scrambling to defend their critical data and systems.   

Every time there’s a breach, it’s a reminder of just how valuable your backups can be.

There’s a genuine possibility you’ll need to call on them to save the day – and potentially your business.

Here’s the problem. The hackers know it too.  

93% of cyber-attacks now target backups to destroy your last line of defence and successfully impair their victims’ ability to recover in 75% of those attacks.

That’s where Recovery Assurance Software (RAS) comes in.  

What is a Recovery Assurance Software?   

To put it simply, RAS is a type of software designed to prove that you can recover your data and critical IT systems, should your organisation be hit by a cyber-attack or other data loss event.   

It acts as your tireless auditor, automatically testing your backups for recoverability and cleanliness, and removing any hidden malware, giving you confidence that you can recover your data when you need to.

Think of it like this… you wouldn’t want to wait until your house was burning down to find out if your smoke detectors work.

That’s why the advice is to test them regularly.

Using Recovery Assurance Software delivers the same peace of mind for your digital infrastructure, no matter what cybercriminals throw your way.

RAS will continually validate the recoverability and integrity of your data following the inevitable data breach. 

Just as the legendary phoenix rises from its ashes, reborn and rejuvenated, RAS ensures your organization can emerge stronger and more resilient from the aftermath of a cyber-attack.

5 Benefits of Recovery Assurance Software  

Having certainty of your recoverability is important, but RAS offers lots of additional benefits for your organisation too.

Let’s take a look at a few of them:

1. Reduced downtime: 

Speed of recovery following a cyber-attack is critical for minimising the negative impacts on your organisation.

By proactively identifying and eliminating malware in your storage environment, RAS minimises disruptions by accelerating your response and recovery time. 

This translates to a reduction in operational downtime, a reduction in lost revenue, and a reduction in lost productivity.  

2. Improved regulatory compliance: 

New data protection regulations such as DORA (Digital Operational Resilience Act) are leading the way in ensuring data resiliency.  

DORA applies to Financial Services Institutions in Europe and demands proof of the ability to recover data after a data loss event.

Regulators in other Industries and countries are sure to follow. 

A Recovery Assurance platform can provide documented evidence of regular testing and verification, simplifying compliance audits and helping your business avoid hefty fines.  

3. Streamlined operations: 

Say goodbye to tedious manual Disaster Recovery tests.  

A Recovery Assurance platform will automate those time-consuming, repetitive tasks including planning, verification, and reporting – freeing up your IT team’s valuable time to focus on other priorities.

4. Continuous improvement and optimisation: 

By continuously monitoring your storage environment, RAS provides valuable insights into the overall health of your backups and your resiliency posture.

This data empowers you to continuously refine and optimise your procedures, ensuring they remain effective as your business evolves.  

Advanced RAS solutions that incorporate Machine Learning will automatically enhance your resiliency over time.

5. Better visibility and collaboration between security and IT:

Utilising RAS can help you bridge the collaboration gap between your IT and infrastructure team, especially if the solution you choose integrates with your organisation’s SIEM platform.

The right RAS can turn storage metadata into cybersecurity intelligence. 

Who Needs Recovery Assurance Software?   

Industries that are at the highest risk of attack such as manufacturing and finance, and those with the highest remediation costs such as the critical infrastructure and education sector stand the most to gain from Recovery Assurance technology.

But the simple truth is, EVERY organisation that values its data needs Recovery Assurance!  

Wrapping up:  

Whether you’re facing the threat of cyberattacks, hardware failures, or natural disasters, recovery assurance software empowers you to face them head-on.

It’s the investment that pays off when it matters most, ensuring your business continuity and protecting your critical assets from the impact of an inevitable data loss event.  

Ready to take control of your disaster preparedness?  

Predatar is leading the way in Recovery Assurance.

Forward-thinking enterprises worldwide are already using Predatar Cyber Recovery Orchestration to continually validate the integrity of their data and the speed of recovery.  

Don’t wait for disaster to strike before acting.  

Start your journey towards a more secure and resilient organisation today by downloading our eBook here.

In our previous post, “What is the Recovery Gap?”, we discussed a silent threat lurking within many businesses – the recovery gap.

This gap leaves them vulnerable and unable to recover thoroughly after a data loss event.

Remember the crippling cyber attack on MGM?

Despite their cyber defences, attackers infiltrated their systems, forcing them to shut down hotel and casino operations, impacting revenue and guest experiences.

This isn’t an isolated incident.

Major businesses like British Airways, Boots, and even the BBC have faced similar challenges, highlighting the critical need for a more comprehensive approach to security.

But why does the recovery gap exist in the first place?

The recovery gap primarily stems from a lack of coordination between security teams, who are focused on countering evolving threats, and infrastructure teams, who manage complex storage environments.

As a result, responsibility for resilience is often overlooked, leaving organisations ill-prepared for the inevitable breaches that are on the horizon.

To fully understand this, let’s explore the concepts of Cybersecurity and Cyber Resilience further.

What is Cybersecurity?

Cybersecurity is the practice of protecting systems, networks, and data from unauthorized access, use, disclosure, modification, or destruction.

It involves a wide range of activities, technologies, and processes to ensure that digital assets remain secure and confidential and maintain their integrity.

The primary goal of the cybersecurity team is to create a fortress around your organisation’s digital assets, making it as difficult as possible for unauthorized individuals to gain access.

What is Cyber Resilience?

On the other hand, cyber resilience is an organisation’s ability to protect itself from the impacts of a cyber-attack – to be ready to mount an effective recovery when the worst happens.

In essence, it goes beyond building walls by integrating the concepts of response and recovery into the mix.

This holistic approach ensures that an organisation is not only prepared to defend against potential threats but is also equipped to bounce back swiftly after a data loss event.

Enhancing Security with Cyber Resilience

Businesses must build resilience instead of solely relying on defences (cybersecurity).

Think of it like being a boxer.

You can’t block all punches. Some will land, and occasionally, you’ll get knocked down.

Great boxers are tough AND resilient. They get up, shake themselves off, and get back to work.

By preparing for the entire lifecycle of a cyber threat – from prevention and detection to response and recovery – businesses can enhance their overall security architecture, and importantly, their resilience.

Wrapping Up

Understanding the importance of cyber resilience is fundamental to helping businesses better protect themselves in the digital age.

Cybersecurity is essential for preventing breaches, but it’s only one part of the equation.

Cyber resilience extends beyond prevention, ensuring businesses can continue operating during an attack and recover quickly afterwards.

By focusing more on cyber resilience, businesses can eliminate their “recovery gap” and boost their ability to defend against and recover from cyber threats.

Want to learn more about closing the Recovery Gap in your business?

We’ve created an eBook that shows you how you can close the recovery gap in your organisation.

This guide provides valuable insights and practical steps for anyone looking to make their organisation more resilient.

Start your journey towards a more secure and resilient organisation today by downloading the eBook here.