Intelligent CIO North America Issue 08 | Page 44

CIO OPINION
A huge part of this issue is mindset – organisations need to be ready for the worst possible scenario when considering their security posture .
Avi Zerto , CIO at Zerto

Industry expert says 2021 is the year of recoverware

Avi Raichel , CIO at Boston-headquartered Zerto , discusses the need to adopt an approach to cybersecurity and data protection based on recoverware concepts and products , and tells us why businesses need to be better prepared for what they might face now that Digital Transformation is upon us .

2020 was an unforgettable year and from a cybersecurity and data protection perspective , we learned several lessons .

As companies and public sector organisations found themselves increasingly targeted with malware , ransomware and hacking attempts , it ’ s vital that we use the collective experience to improve outcomes for anyone on the receiving end of a breach .
Part of this must be a greater acceptance that being targeted by cybercriminals is not a question of if , but when . For many , the legacy approach to cybersecurity is focused on either doing everything possible to prevent a breach or doing the bare minimum in the mistaken belief that an attack is highly improbable .
This needs to change . The security stakes are far higher than they were 12 months ago . Risks are more widespread and there are more opportunities for criminals to succeed . As a result , businesses need to be better prepared for what they might face now that Digital Transformation is an absolute necessity .
Changing mindsets
A huge part of this issue is mindset – organisations need to be ready for the worst possible scenario when considering their security posture .
Managing and mitigating IT disruption , caused by an external attack such as ransomware , should be near the top of the list of concerns for every CIO .
44 INTELLIGENTCIO NORTH AMERICA www . intelligentcio . com