FEATURE : BUSINESS CONTINUITY
cloud accounts or sensitive data to the public or how these implications may affect industry regulations compliance ,” she said . “ This security awareness must be integrated into the Business Continuity policy to ensure that data remains protected regardless of the platform used , the cloud environment adopted or the solutions that run on top of these layers to empower a distributed workforce .”
Rothman added that for South African businesses , a dual pressure is also looming in the form of the Protection of Personal Information Act ( POPIA ) which came into effect in July 2020 – and carries with it major financial and reputational risks for businesses that don ’ t comply . “ Yet while this risk landscape can appear both daunting and overwhelming for businesses already under operational pressure , there are immediate , cost effective and accessible steps to take in order to become both more secure and to ensure data security compliance ,” he noted . “ Arguably , however , it must begin with an understanding that cybersecurity and information assurance are not technology problems : these are business challenges that are usually solved by implementing robust business processes ( in addition to strategic technology solutions ).
Compliance and security
Rothman explained that leaders need to understand that becoming compliant does not make an organisation secure . Just because you have a control in place doesn ’ t automatically make it effective . And sadly , in many instances , the lack of maintenance or skilled management of these controls render them almost useless from the outset ,” he said .
With this in mind , Rothman has some immediate and practical steps to consider on the journey to bolstering cybersecurity ( and ensuring business sustainability in the long term ).
According to Rothman , harnessing existing assets by configuring them correctly and creating visibility with smart monitoring solutions will go a long way in bolstering cybersecurity and ensuring Business Continuity in an event of disaster .
Hardie emphasised that the strength of any Business Continuity policy can be measured in terms of how it easily can be adapted during unanticipated market dynamics or global events . “ This makes digital foundation technologies so crucial as is the innovation required to support evolving business use cases , customer demands and technical requirements ,” she said .
She explained that to embrace a cloud vision for Business Continuity and organisational longevity does not only come from understanding the characteristics of applications and matching them to the characteristics of different clouds . “ It is also about having the ability to deploy , manage and secure those applications across clouds . The intrinsic value of multi-cloud is flexibility and choice . But companies risk agility if they fail to address the biggest operational challenge for managing a multi-cloud environment – silos ,” she added . p
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