Cyberattacks have evolved from isolated incidents to a structural risk. Recent studies show that the vast majority of German companies have already been affected by security incidents in recent years. Instead of focusing on complete prevention, a new goal is coming into focus—the ability to withstand attacks, limit damage, and quickly restore business operations.
The situation: Why cyberattacks have become the norm
Today, attacks on companies occur at any time and across all industries – from small and medium-sized businesses to large corporations. According to the latest study, “Digital Trust Insights 2026,” approximately 89% of German companies have been affected by data theft or misuse in the past three years. Many of these incidents are accompanied by massive operational and material damage. A well-known example: After a cyberattack, a large retailer struggled with system failures and process disruptions for months – estimates put the damage at several hundred million pounds.
These figures impressively demonstrate that cyberattacks are no longer the exception, but a structural risk. For companies, this means that relying solely on prevention is dangerous.
Why traditional security is not enough
The idea of being able to block all attacks is increasingly illusory. Cyber resilience goes beyond traditional IT security:
- Security solutions alone are not enough – attacks can happen anywhere: through technical vulnerabilities, human error, supply chains, or targeted social engineering attacks.
- Complex and hybrid IT landscapes make protection and oversight difficult – With increasing digitalization, the number of systems, interfaces, and dependencies is growing. Maintaining transparency across all assets is a major challenge.
- Data and processes are often distributed and fragmented – The lack of centralized information sources, unclear dependencies between systems and processes, and scattered data make it difficult to respond and recover quickly.
These structural weaknesses make it clear that companies must view cyber resilience not as an optional add-on, but as a strategic foundation.
What cyber resilience actually means
Cyber resilience means setting up the company in such a way that attacks do not permanently paralyze normal business operations—and that operations can be quickly restored. Three elements are key to this:
1. Networking and integrated responsibility
Resilience is a cross-functional task. IT security, IT infrastructure, risk management, business continuity, and crisis management work hand in hand. Responsibilities and processes are clearly defined, roles are transparent, and responsibilities are clearly assigned. Regular tests and emergency drills ensure that everyone involved knows what to do in an emergency.
2. Transparency across systems, data, and dependencies
Only with a complete overview of all assets, endpoints, systems, and their connections to each other can risks be realistically identified and managed. A central and consistent database that is constantly updated is a prerequisite for detecting threats early on and correctly assessing their impact.
3. Automation for speed and recovery
Modern attacks happen quickly — traditional manual responses are no longer sufficient. Automated monitoring, detection, and recovery processes make it possible to identify threats early on, limit damage, and quickly restore systems. With a cyber resilience rate of nearly 90% over three years, agility is crucial.
The state of many companies: First steps, but fragmented
Numerous companies have now begun to take measures—but often in isolation and without an overarching strategy. According to the study, only about 15% of German companies invest specifically in proactive security and resilience measures. This means that the vast majority remain reactive: investments are only made after incidents or as part of regular updates—without a systematic transformation concept for prevention and recovery.
This gap not only costs money: it jeopardizes business processes, operations, and long-term trust among customers and partners.
How to achieve true cyber resilience
Building sustainable resilience follows a clear, structured approach:
- Inventory and risk assessment
- Recording of all critical business processes and the underlying systems, data, interfaces, and dependencies
- Identification of potential threats and vulnerabilitien
- Design and planning
- Development of interlinked crisis management, IT continuity, business continuity, and cyber recovery plans
- Definition of responsibilities, roles, escalation levels, and communication channels
- Implementation, testing, and training
- Technical implementation of transparency and detection mechanisms
- Regular testing and exercises with specific scenarios – from IT failure to data leaks
- Training for all employees, raising awareness of risks and response processes
- Automation and monitoring
- Automated monitoring of systems, data flows, and access
- Automated detection and – where possible – automated recovery
- Continuous monitoring and regular updates
- Continuous optimization
- Regular validation of processes and technologies
- Adaptation to new threats, technological developments, and regulatory requirements
- Integration of lessons learned from tests or incidents
Conclusion
Those who rely solely on prevention risk massive operational and financial damage as well as a loss of trust. Companies that view cyber resilience as a systematic, strategic approach are in a much better position: they recognize threats early on, respond quickly, and can keep business operations stable — even in an emergency.
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