This post has been written by Awen Collective CEO & Founder, Daniel Lewis.
I've been thinking a lot about the concept of resiliency, and in particular cyber resiliency and ecological resiliency (by achieving net zero). Can we draw parallels? Can we learn from each other?
What is “cyber resiliency”?
Cyber resiliency, I would say, is ensuring that systems are prepared for a potential cyber attack. This includes thinking about:
What do you do if something goes wrong?
Do you have mitigations and contingencies to ensure continuous operations?
Do you have processes and resources in place to not only react but also be able to best learn from what might have gone wrong?
What is "ecological resiliency"?
There is a lot of talk at the time of writing about humanity's and the Earth's resiliency in regard to the impact of climate change. The goal is to achieve Net Zero (the balance of carbon produced and removed from the atmosphere), which in turn should reduce existential risk caused by human-driven climate change. So the resiliency aspect includes the societal changes required to work towards Net Zero.
Are there similarities? Could we learn from each other?
In order for any resiliency to be most effective it requires efforts from multiple directions:
People - ultimately, we are all in this together. Every single one of us needs to know that we (as individuals and as a society/community) are susceptible to cyber attacks, and to the impact of climate change. We therefore need to be doing our bit where we can: e.g. having good password hygiene, using two-factor/multi-factor, keeping our systems up to date, using antivirus, looking out for nefarious activity in the physical or cyber world, etc. E.g. recycling, reducing waste, choosing a renewable energy supply, reducing air travel, considering electric vehicles and public transport.
Technological advancements - doing realistic and effective R&D - getting both the quick wins (e.g. updating and upgrading protection - antivirus or intrusion detection system. e.g. increasing energy efficiency through hybrid energy sources), and the longer term plans (e.g. carbon scrubbing, developing new alternative energy sources).
Government response - the "carrot and stick approach" - but I would say that the "carrot" is going to be much more effective from a widespread perspective than the "stick" (and many situations) because we need governmental support to do realistic research, improve the current state of affairs, and work towards the best possible outcome with good and clear guidance. Subsidies and grants work best if not only do they give instant relief, but are then coupled with short and long term hands-on support and guidance. This goes to both cyber security/resilience and Net Zero efforts.
Opportunities through standardisation - despite the complaints people have about complying to standards, and other complaints about compliance not being the end goal, it can be an opportunity having standardisation. For example, if a tendering & procurement process for an organisation includes the requirement for (or even just favours) suppliers to have a particular standard, then that prompts the supplier market to do better. Standards need to evolve over time, and be feasible to not only large enterprises but smaller ones too. Examples in cyber security include ISO 27001 and IEC 62443, and examples in the eco-friendly business world are many and varied - ISO have 14001, but there are sector and application specific standards such as LEED and Energy Star.
No doubt that there are other options too. These are just some thoughts about the parallels and what we might be able to do about the resilience of it all. If you have any thoughts on the subject, it would be great to hear from you.
On Friday 5th November 2021, in my capacity as the CEO and a founder of Awen Collective, I pitched Awen Collective (alongside other British and Brazilian businesses) at COP-26 as part of a Connected Places Catapult virtual event where I highlighted that cyber security is important to be included in smart city, industry 4.0 and Net Zero initiatives. Please do go download the Business Portfolio brochure of companies, including Awen Collective, from the CPC UK - Latin America Net Zero Solutions website. We are also now members of the Connected Places Catapult.