How Utilities executives can

boost resilience in the face

of cyber risk
Failures and hostile cyber actions have profound
impacts on enterprise performance—even enterprise
viability. Yet, combined properly, the same technologies
that are driving the digital enterprise can enable
resilience at a level not possible before. Accenture
Strategy research on the intersection of business and
technology—and extensive work with enterprises of all
sizes and across each major industry—has provided
some insight into what it takes to be prepared.

A MATTER OF “WHEN” NOT “IF”

57% of Utilities executives Yet, only 40% "strongly agree"

surveyed by Accenture Strategy that their strategy for cyber
said that their organizations defense is robust, understood,
experience significant attacks that and fully functional.
test the resilience of their IT
systems on a daily or weekly basis.

KNOW THY WEAKNESSES

Savvy Utilities executives are self-aware, with a realistic sense of their own weak spots—in both information
technology (IT) and operational technology (OT).

Only 5% of Utilities executives And only 26% consistently

that Accenture Strategy surveyed design resilience parameters
stated that they proactively run into their technology and
inward-directed attacks and operating model.
intentional failures to test their
systems on a continuous basis.

THE BATTLE BETWEEN PROTECTION AND ENABLEMENT

In a perfect world, Utilities companies would have unlimited resources to institute iron-clad security
measures while also pursing the business’ growth and innovation agenda.

In fact, 84% of Utilities However, just 43% "strongly

executives agree that they are agree" that balancing spend-to-
faced with a balancing act protect and spend-to-enable is
between risk management and the mature and continuously
pursuit of business opportunity. managed in their enterprise.

RESILIENCE—NOT JUST FOR SYSTEMS

Resilience of the enterprise is not limited to enabling technologies. Just ask the CEO, CIO or other members
in the C-suite of any enterprise that has suffered a major data breach.

Cause for alarm: Of all the Utilities And only 49% have produced
companies that Accenture Strategy threat models for existing and
surveyed, only 46% have a planned business operations.
continuity plan that is refreshed
as needed. Only 51% map and
prioritize security, operational,
and failure scenarios.

WHEN IT COMES TO RESILIENCE, ACTIONS SPEAK LOUDER THAN WORDS

Embrace a digital ecosystem. Manage digitally. Institutionalize resilience.

C-suite executives are seeing Develop the ability to orchestrate, Resilience cannot be added
the advantage of robust digital in real time, the myriad internal after-the-fact or on a sporadic,
capabilities and technologies and external services required for discretionary basis. It must be part
outside the enterprise. multi-speed business and IT. of the fundamental operating
model—ingrained at the outset into
objectives, strategies, processes,
technologies—and even culture.

Sources: Join the conversation:

Accenture Strategy Research on the Intersection of Business and Technology, 2015. Accenture Strategy @AccentureStrat
surveyed more than 900 executives (72 from the Utilities industry) around the world on a variety of topics
related to business resilience, multi-speed business and IT, technology led innovation, and the digital agenda.
Download the cross-industry report

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