EDITOR ’ S QUESTION a cyberattack or breach and is therefore focused on the preparation , the response and the subsequent learnings from a cyber incident .

Cyber resilience builds on cybersecurity by ensuring an organisation can continue delivering outcomes despite adverse cyber events . It involves preparation , response , recovery and adaptation to maintain continuity and quickly recover from incidents .

A critical component of cyber resilience is the Survival Time Objective , STO , which is the maximum amount of time in which an organisation must detect , respond to and recover from a cyberattack .

Yet , understanding the distinction between the two and how they complement each other as integrated components is key to developing a comprehensive and robust cyber risk management strategy . It is important to understand that while cyber resilience and cybersecurity are to a degree related , they are also distinct concepts .

Cybersecurity relates to the operational side of an IT environment and focuses on protecting systems , networks and data from unauthorised access and unauthorised use . It also emphasises the prevention and detection of cyber threats to minimise the risk of cyberattacks or breaches before they occur .

Cyber resilience , on the other hand , speaks to the ability of an organisation to withstand or respond to

There are three basic metrics against which an STO is measured – the time it takes to identify and detect an attack , the time it takes to respond to the incident and the time it takes to recover to a functional state so that the business can continue operating .

While cybersecurity aims to prevent cyberattacks and safeguard sensitive information through prevention , detection and response measures , cyber resilience goes beyond this to ensure organisational continuity and swift recovery from cyber incidents . Cyber resilience must be developed around an organisation ’ s incident response plans and must incorporate disaster recovery strategies , smart backup or data protection strategies and rigorous testing .

While cybersecurity looks after the perimeter , cyber resilience goes far beyond that and plugs in all the bigger parts on top of cyber security to foster a culture of resilience and continuous improvement . Ultimately , cyber resilience is an organic living , breathing component of an organisation that changes and evolves in response to the dynamic cyber threat landscape .

By working together , cybersecurity and cyber resilience can significantly enhance an organisation ’ s overall cyber risk management strategy .

GRAHAM BROWN , COUNTRY MANAGER ,

COMMVAULT SA , SADC

28 INTELLIGENTCIO AFRICA www . intelligentcio . com