Cyber Resilience in the AI Era: Why Preparedness, Recovery Planning, and Human Expertise Matter More Than Ever in Modern Cybersecurity

When a major cyberattack strikes an organisation, everything can change in minutes. Systems slow down, warnings increase, and teams get flooded with information that must be acted on fast. Experienced security leaders describe these periods as chaotic, challenging and mentally exhausting. Long hours, constant pressure, and uncertainty are all part of the work until systems are brought under control.

Experts agree that what truly decides the outcome of a cyber incident is not what happens during the attack, but what an organisation has done before it happens. Regular preparation, clear roles, and repeated practice help teams stay focused when real threats appear. Cyber drills, simulations, and response planning allow security teams to think clearly even when details are missing and attackers are changing their tactics in real time.

For critical infrastructure, such as airports and large public systems, the challenge is even greater. Operations cannot stop just because a breach has occurred. Flights must continue, passengers must move, and services must remain available. In such environments, cybersecurity resilience is not about avoiding attacks completely, but about responding quickly, limiting damage, and restoring systems faster and stronger than before.

Artificial intelligence has introduced a new dimension to modern cyber threats. Attackers increasingly utilize automated and AI-powered tools to identify flaws and launch attacks at machine speed. This means that risks can spread quicker than human teams can respond. At the same time, AI assists defenders. Security teams use AI to monitor huge networks, spot anomalous behavior early, and mitigate the overall damage of intrusions. However, experts emphasize that AI systems should help with, not replace, human decision-making.

Building security from the ground up is now seen as essential. Instead of adding protection after systems are built, organisations are designing security into their architecture from the very beginning. This approach is especially important in cloud-based and shared environments. Even the AI systems used for security operations must be protected, as they can become targets themselves.

Recovery planning plays a major role in cyber resilience. Strong backup strategies can make the difference between quick recovery and long downtime. Experts recommend keeping multiple copies of data, including isolated backups that cannot be altered or deleted by attackers. Such backups allow organisations to rebuild systems even if primary and secondary data centres are compromised.

Looking ahead, cybersecurity leaders are also preparing for future challenges like quantum computing, which could weaken current encryption methods. Early planning, skill development, and innovation will be key to staying ahead. Many believe that countries with strong technical talent and digital scale are well positioned to lead this shift.

Across all discussions, one message stands out clearly that technology alone is not enough. Strong processes, trained people, and regular practice are just as important. Tools can make responses faster, but only well-designed workflows and human judgement can ensure organisations respond correctly when cyber threats strike.

Information referenced in this article is from ET CISO