Why every business needs to prepare a cyber security lifeboat

This month, CyberUK returns to Glasgow, bringing together leaders to discuss cybersecurity when disruption is no longer hypothetical. For Scottish organisations, the more immediate question is not what will be debated on stage, but whether they are prepared for incidents that are already part of today’s operating environment.

Over the past year, with high-profile cyber incidents affecting major UK companies, there has been a clear shift in how organisations think about cyber risk. Most now recognise that attacks are inevitable, and that resilience must be a board priority.

That shift has been accelerated by AI, which is increasing both the scale and sophistication of attacks while lowering the barrier to entry for threat actors.

​Organisations are operating in an environment where cyber disruption is expected (Picture: stock.adobe.com)

The World Economic Forum’s Global Cybersecurity Outlook 2026 highlights a persistent gap between perceived preparedness and what happens in practice when systems fail.

That disconnect matters. Cyber incidents often begin with small, human-level decisions, a message trusted, a link clicked, a process bypassed, which can quickly escalate into wider operational disruption.

When incidents unfold, what breaks down first is coordination: confusion over accountability, delays in decision-making, and a lack of clarity about which services must be prioritised to keep the organisation running. In those early hours, cyber resilience becomes a leadership challenge as much as a technical one.

This is where the conversation must now move. If recent years were about elevating cyber resilience to the board agenda, the next phase is about operationalising it. That means being clear not just on how to prevent incidents, but on how the business will function when disruption occurs. Which services are truly critical? How quickly must they be restored?

Freha Arshad, Accenture Managing Director, Cybersecurity, UK

Increasingly, leading organisations are addressing these questions through what can be thought of as a ‘lifeboat’ approach: identifying and protecting the core processes, even if primary infrastructure is compromised.

This is not simply a technical exercise. It requires alignment between technology, operations and leadership, and a shared understanding of dependencies across the organisation and its wider ecosystem.

In sectors that underpin Scotland’s economy, including financial services, energy, and life sciences, those dependencies are extensive and can cascade in the supply chain.

As a result, resilience must extend beyond organisational boundaries, requiring closer collaboration with suppliers and partners to ensure critical services can be sustained in a crisis.

CyberUK offers a timely moment for reflection. Not on the latest tools or emerging threats, but on whether organisations are ready for the realities of operating in an environment where cyber disruption is expected, not exceptional.

All of this points to a simple but uncomfortable truth: cyber resilience is not just defined by how well an organisation can prevent incidents, but by how effectively it can absorb shock, recover quickly and continue to operate when disruption occurs.

In an environment now propelled by AI-driven risk and systemic interdependence, that capability is fast becoming a defining measure of organisational strength.

Freha Arshad, Accenture Managing Director, Cybersecurity, UK