The term “cyberwarfare” historically conjures up images of state-sponsored hackers, ransomware gangs, and rogue insiders.
A recent high-profile example can be found in Indonesia: in July, the country’s national data centre was compromised by Lockbit 3.0, disrupting immigration checks at airports and permanently losing population data, affecting 239 institutions including 30 government ministries and agencies.
However, a more unexpected risk has entered the spotlight. The recent global IT incident caused by a vulnerability in software provided by CrowdStrike highlighted that threats can also come from trusted vendors and partners.
While the intention behind the incident may not have been malicious, the outcome was no less devastating, impacting countless organisations worldwide. Amid the chaos, IT departments everywhere must have felt like they were just as much in a war zone even with no hackers in the mix.
To make matters worse, business data today spans diverse environments and locations, from centralised databases to cloud environments and personal devices. Storing, securing, and making this data available to those who need it, when they need it, can be a mammoth task.
Against this backdrop, building a resilient data infrastructure can feel like a pipe dream. Given the dizzying repertoire of technologies ranging from replication to redundancy, from snapshots to backups, and from firewalls to erasure coding, how can enterprises determine whether their data infrastructure and data protection policies are adequate?
Forging a multi-layered shield for data resilience
Data resilience is the ability of an organisation to withstand and quickly recover from disruptions — whether caused by cyberattacks, system failures, or human error. Data is often described as the “new oil,” and ensuring data resilience is crucial to maintaining business continuity and protecting against reputational and financial damage.
For a modern organisation, data resilience is multifaceted. It involves not only robust cybersecurity measures but also a holistic approach to data management that includes redundancy, failover capabilities, real-time monitoring, and more. In the event of a cyber incident, the goal is to ensure that operations can continue with minimal disruption and that data can be restored to its original state as quickly as possible.
Building a robust and secure data infrastructure requires a layered defence system, thoughtfully designed to address technical and strategic concerns. Implementing strong technical safeguards is the first layer of defence.
Just as how steel can be strengthened through the forging of multiple layers, the following virtual layers form a crucial defensive digital shield against data incidents:
- Replication: Maintains seamless operation of essential applications by keeping synchronised copies of data in varying geographical locations.
- Backup and recovery: Ensures a dependable safeguard with regular backups at the source, making quick restoration possible in case of data loss or corruption.
- Immutable storage: Protects data by preventing alterations, guaranteeing an unchangeable copy for recovery, and reducing the impact of ransomware or unintentional changes.
- Data encryption: Makes data unreadable to unauthorised users, thereby protecting sensitive information.
- Access controls: Implements rigid access restrictions based on user roles and permissions, reducing the risk of unauthorised data access.
- Network security: Engages firewalls, intrusion detection systems, and other protective measures to defend against unauthorised access attempts and malicious activities.
Even the strongest shield must be armed and wielded by skilled warriors for it to be truly effective. To build a strong data foundation, CIOs must not forget that a human-centric approach should be at the heart of their strategy.
By cultivating a culture of awareness and accountability, such as continuous learning and knowledge sharing practice, executive leadership can promote cross-functional collaboration between IT, security and business units to achieve organisation-wide alignment on data resilience strategies.
The role of AI and hybrid clouds
Artificial intelligence and hybrid cloud environments are becoming indispensable tools in the quest for data resilience.
For example, AI's ability to process and analyse vast amounts of data in real time is revolutionising the way organizations detect and respond to cyber threats. By leveraging machine learning algorithms, organizations can identify patterns and anomalies that would be impossible for human analysts to detect. This proactive approach allows for early intervention, reducing the likelihood of a successful attack and minimising the damage should one occur.
Additionally, hybrid cloud environments offer a flexible and resilient infrastructure for managing data across multiple locations and platforms. By combining public and private cloud resources, organisations can achieve the best of both worlds: the scalability and cost-effectiveness of public clouds, and the control and security of private clouds.
This approach enhances data resilience by reducing dependency on a single provider or geographic location. Should one cloud provider experience an outage or a security breach, data can be swiftly rerouted to an alternative environment, ensuring continuous access and minimal disruption.
However, the integration of technologies like AI and hybrid cloud also introduces new complexities. As data flows between different environments and AI systems, ensuring the consistency, privacy, security, and integrity of that data becomes more challenging.
This is where a comprehensive data management strategy comes into play — one that includes robust encryption, access controls, and continuous monitoring across all platforms.
Looking ahead:
As the lines between adversaries and allies blur, so must our data resilience approach. The threats we face today are more complex and varied than ever before, often originating from unexpected sources like trusted vendors.
In this challenging environment, CIOs must adopt a proactive, multi-layered strategy to safeguard their data infrastructure. By rethinking traditional cybersecurity models and prioritising data resilience, organizations can not only survive but potentially thrive in the face of adversity.
The stakes are high, but with the right approach and the right integration of technologies like AI and hybrid cloud, organisations can navigate this turbulent landscape and emerge stronger on the other side.
