What Every Leader Should Know About Cyber Resilience

Last year, I contributed an article to Rouge Notes Magazine highlighting a national concern that continues to escalate: the increasing vulnerability of our critical infrastructure to cyberattacks. Today, that concern feels even more urgent—and far more personal for business owners, local officials, and community leaders.

In 1999, I began my emergency management career preparing for Y2K. At the time, we feared that computers wouldn’t understand the year “2000.” That now seems quaint—but the deeper worry was valid. We were becoming dependent on technology in ways we didn’t fully understand.

Fast-forward to today, and that dependence has only grown—while our exposure to cyber threats has exploded.

The Alarming Cyber Landscape

According to the FBI, in 2024 alone, businesses and consumers in the U.S. reported total losses of $16.6 billion to cybercrime—up 33% from the $12.5 billion reported in 2023. Cyberattacks now dominate headlines—whether it's multinational corporations brought to a standstill, healthcare systems compromised, or, in the case of last year, tens of thousands of Americans losing access to 911 services due to a telecom outage.

These aren’t isolated incidents. They’re warnings.

We’ve seen the ripple effects:

• The Colonial Pipeline ransomware attack in 2021 caused widespread fuel shortages and panic buying across the Southeast.

• In early 2024, an unexplained “technical error” disrupted cell service for over 70,000 people, impacting emergency dispatch operations nationwide.

• Even decades-old infrastructure vulnerabilities, like those that contributed to the 2003 Northeast blackout, still linger—now we are facing far more sophisticated threats.

Cybersecurity is no longer a tech issue. It’s a leadership issue.

A Five-Pronged Strategy for Resilience

To meet this challenge, we need to lead with intention and act collectively. Whether you run a small business, a school district, a hospital, or a municipality, there are steps you can take now.

1. Develop Public-Private Partnerships

Resilience is a team effort. Engage with your local emergency management agency or fusion center to establish coordination before a crisis hits. FEMA’s Public-Private Partnership Guide offers a strong foundation to build from.

Action Step: Reach out to your local emergency manager to explore collaborative preparedness planning.

2. Update and Test Emergency Plans

Every organization should have a plan that addresses cyber disruptions. Do your staff know what to do during a ransomware attack? Are you backing up your critical data? Do you have a continuity plan if your systems go offline?

Action Step: Run a cyber scenario tabletop exercise with your leadership team.

3. Support Unified Cyber Standards

Cyberattacks are global. The more fragmented our regulations, the more room we give threat actors to operate. Support efforts that encourage international cooperation and industry alignment.

Action Step: Advocate through your local chamber or industry associations for stronger cybersecurity policies.

4. Commit to Information Sharing

Speed matters in a crisis. Businesses and agencies that communicate openly about threats and responses can prevent larger-scale impacts.

Action Step: Join your sector’s Information Sharing and Analysis Center (ISAC) or regional cyber task force.

5. Invest in Innovation and Training

Leverage newer technologies like AI, blockchain, and advanced detection systems—but also ensure your people are trained and confident in using them.

Action Step: Budget for both tech upgrades and staff training in your next fiscal year.

Cyber Resiliency Begins with You

Safeguarding our critical infrastructure isn’t just a federal responsibility—it’s a community commitment. It starts in boardrooms, classrooms, city halls, and storefronts. The more we invest in proactive planning and collaborative response, the better we position ourselves to weather whatever comes next.

Jumpstart Your Cyber Preparedness
To help you start your planning process, for a limited time, TRI has placed both our IT Disaster Recovery Manual template and our Risk and Assessment Guidebook template on sale.