Cyber security is changing. Is your organisation keeping pace?

Cyber security has become a speed problem, not just a technology problem. For organisations, the challenge is keeping pace with change happening across technology, operations and the threat landscape.

From cyber awareness to action

Cyber Security Awareness Month is a useful reminder that cyber security has moved well beyond the IT department.

Most Australian organisations understand cyber risk. Boards regularly discuss cyber threats, while management are briefed on ransomware, data breaches and emerging technologies.

The bigger challenge is determining where to focus.

Organisations are investing in cloud platforms, data and AI-enabled capabilities while managing increasing regulatory obligations and stakeholder expectations. At the same time, cyber threats continue to evolve, requiring leaders to balance innovation, risk and operational performance.

 The questions organisations should be asking are:

• Do we understand our greatest cyber exposures?

• Can we maintain critical operations during disruption?
• Are our suppliers introducing unacceptable risks?
• Can we recover quickly and confidently?
• Can we demonstrate resilience to customers, regulators and shareholders?

The organisations making the most progress treat cyber as a business issue, not just a technology issue.

Cyber needs to keep pace with the business

The purpose of cyber security has not changed. Organisations still need to protect critical systems, sensitive information, people and services.

What has changed is the pace at which businesses are adopting new technologies and the speed at which risks can emerge. Historically, cyber teams were often involved near the end of a project, validating controls before deployment.

Cloud services, digital platforms and artificial intelligence (AI) tools can now be deployed in days or weeks rather than months. Cyber teams need to be involved much earlier, helping organisations make informed decisions before risks become embedded.

The objective is to help organisations move faster while maintaining appropriate governance and oversight.

AI is changing cyber risk

AI is already changing how organisations operate. It is also changing how cyber threats emerge and evolve.

Activities that previously required specialist skills can increasingly be automated. Attackers are now using AI to improve research, automate elements of social engineering and identify potential targets faster.

Defenders can use the same technology to improve threat detection, accelerate investigations and help security teams focus on the most significant risks.

With rapid adoption of AI, leaders need to understand:

• Where is AI being used?
• What information is being shared with those platforms?
• How are decisions being governed?
• Who is accountable when something goes wrong?

Across Australia, these are becoming board-level discussions.

The organisations best placed to realise value from AI understand what they are deploying, where it is being used and how risks are being managed.

Cyber risk extends to your suppliers

Organisations increasingly depend on third parties. Few operate entirely on systems they own and manage themselves.

Critical business services often rely on cloud platforms, software providers, managed service providers and specialist suppliers. When these providers experience disruption, the impact can quickly flow through to customers, employees and operations.

Some of an organisation’s most significant cyber risks may sit outside its direct control.

Rather than asking whether suppliers have completed a security questionnaire or passed an assessment, leaders are increasingly asking:

• Which suppliers are critical to our operations?
• What would happen if they became unavailable?
• How quickly could they recover?
• What alternatives exist?

The strongest organisations are focusing less on supplier compliance and more on supplier dependence. Understanding those dependencies is becoming a key part of business planning and operational risk management.

Focus on resilience, not just assurance

For many years, cyber programmes focused on audits, compliance reviews and checking for security weaknesses.

These activities remain important. But leaders also need to understand:

• How exposed are we?

• What is most likely to affect our operations?
• Are our critical services adequately protected?
• How prepared are we to respond when incidents occur?

This represents a fundamental shift. Leaders are less interested in technical metrics and more focused on business outcomes, including whether critical services can withstand disruption, suppliers can support operations, and the organisation is prepared to detect, respond to and recover from cyber incidents.

Protecting what matters most

As organisations adopt AI, expand their digital ecosystems and increase reliance on third-party providers, protecting critical information becomes more challenging. Access is no longer limited to employees. Suppliers, contractors, automated systems and AI platforms all interact with data and business services. Over time, these connections can create complexity and reduce visibility. Organisations that clearly understand what information matters most, who can access it and why are better positioned to manage risk, support growth and maintain operational resilience.

What future-ready organisations focus on

Focus area	Priority
Understand exposure	Identify critical business services, key systems, important data sets and major supplier dependencies
Strengthen capabilities	Improve detection, response and recovery capabilities while reducing exposure in the areas that matter most
Embed accountability	Ensure cyber, technology and business leaders share ownership of key risks and decisions
Govern AI adoption	Establish clear oversight of AI use cases, data usage and decision-making responsibilities
Test preparedness	Test scenarios involving cyber incidents, supplier failures and operational disruption

Resilient organisations are not necessarily those with the most technical controls. They understand their risks, make decisions quickly and respond effectively to disruption.

Moving forward with confidence

Organisations that manage cyber risks effectively are better positioned to pursue digital transformation, adopt emerging technologies and respond to market opportunities. Effective cyber risk management is not about eliminating every risk. It is about understanding which risks matter most, making informed decisions and ensuring critical services can continue operating through disruption.

Preparing for what comes next

Cyber Security Awareness Month reminds us that awareness is only the starting point.

The next step is turning that awareness into action: understanding critical services, managing significant exposures, and preparing people and operations to respond when disruption occurs.

Awareness matters, but its value comes from the action that follows.

Our cyber security team helps organisations understand their exposure, strengthen resilience and embed cyber considerations into transformation, technology initiatives and strategic decision-making.