Cyber resilience – security alone is no longer enough
For a long time, therefore, the focus was primarily on how risks could be prevented. Yet reality shows that neither cyber attacks nor technical faults nor human error can be completely ruled out. Today, it is no longer just a question of how effectively attacks can be repelled. What matters far more is how organisations respond to disruptions, maintain their critical services and regain operational capability as quickly as possible.
This is precisely what cyber resilience is all about. Cyber resilience broadens the perspective on security. The aim is not only to protect against threats, but also to ensure the ability to function reliably even under difficult conditions. For businesses, this means maintaining key business processes. For public authorities, it is about continuing to provide vital services to citizens. Operators of critical infrastructure, in turn, must ensure that essential utilities remain available even in the event of a crisis.
Resilience is becoming a management priority
As digitalisation advances, not only are the risks increasing, but so too are the expectations placed on those in charge. Regulations such as NIS2, DORA, the KRITIS Framework Act and the Cyber Resilience Act make it clear that cyber resilience can no longer be regarded as a purely technical discipline. Depending on the regulatory context, this requires organisational measures, risk management, business continuity, emergency management, crisis preparedness and clear responsibilities at management level.
This gives rise to a new perspective on security. The central question is no longer solely how systems can be protected. Far more important is the question of which services are critical to the organisation itself and how these can be delivered even under exceptional circumstances.
This shift in perspective affects almost all sectors and areas. Organisations must safeguard supply chains, production and services. Public administrations must ensure the state’s ability to function. Universities, healthcare organisations and operators of critical infrastructure face similar challenges. Cyber resilience thus becomes a cross-cutting task that affects specialist departments, information security, IT, crisis management and senior management in equal measure.
From documentation to effectiveness
Many organisations have already established comprehensive security measures. They have set up information security management systems, carried out risk analyses, drawn up contingency plans and measures, and implemented regulatory requirements. Nevertheless, experience shows that there is often a gap between theory and reality.
Passing an audit does not automatically mean that an organisation is resilient in the event of an emergency. What matters is whether the intended processes actually work, whether responsibilities are clearly defined, and whether critical services can continue to be delivered even under pressure. In other words: resilience is not created on paper, but in day-to-day operations.
Consequently, the focus is increasingly shifting from mere compliance to demonstrable effectiveness. Organisations must understand which interdependencies exist, which risks have the greatest impact on their ability to act, and which measures contribute most to resilience.
The building blocks of a resilient organisation
Cyber resilience is not created by a single technology or a single project. It develops from the interplay of organisational, technical and operational measures. At Materna, we therefore view cyber resilience management as a holistic approach that links these levels together.
Governance, information security and compliance form the starting point. Clear responsibilities, an effective ISMS, risk and gap analyses, and a shared understanding of critical services create the organisational foundation. This is where priorities are set and the strategic direction is determined.
Technical resilience builds on this. It encompasses resilient architectures, identity and access management, secure cloud and platform concepts, and measures to protect critical systems. The aim is to reduce risks and limit the impact of disruptions or attacks.
At the same time, transparency regarding one’s own security posture is essential. Monitoring, situational awareness, incident response, tests and exercises help to identify risks at an early stage, make informed decisions and continuously review the effectiveness of existing measures. Resilience is not a state that is achieved once and for all; it must be continuously developed.
The path to a resilient organisation
So much for the theory. But how do companies and public authorities set out on the path to becoming a resilient organisation?
Building cyber resilience begins with an honest assessment:
Which services are indispensable to the organisation?
What risks threaten the organisation’s ability to function?
What regulatory requirements must be met?
And how well is the organisation prepared to continue operating even under difficult conditions?
These answers form the basis of a roadmap. It ranges from governance and risk management, through business continuity management, emergency management and technical safeguards, to monitoring, incident response and continuous improvement. The key factor for success here is not the number of individual measures, but how they work together.
It is precisely this approach that we will examine in more detail in this blog series. We’ll show how organisations can build cyber resilience step by step, why governance and business continuity management play a central role in this, and why topics such as monitoring, zero trust, identity security and security by design are so important for long-term resilience. After all, resilience isn’t something that only emerges in a crisis; it is built up long before that.
Further information
Cyber Resilience Management
