What does it mean to be resilient in today’s business environment?
Operational resilience is an organization’s ability to withstand, adapt, and recover quickly from disruptive events. This can range from cyberattacks and technological failures to natural disasters and health crises.
In the past, disaster preparedness was limited to having backups or evacuation plans. Today, business continuity goes much further. It involves interconnected systems, real-time decision-making, and immediate adaptation.
In this context, business automation becomes a critical tool. You can’t prevent a disaster from happening, but you can drastically reduce its impact with well-designed automated processes.
Automation: from prevention to recovery
Intelligent automation solutions also strengthen incident response capabilities. For example, continuous monitoring systems can detect failures before they escalate and automatically activate contingency flows.
Consider a ransomware attack. If your company has an automated detection and response system, suspicious access can be blocked without human intervention. At the same time, critical systems are automatically restored from secure backups, reducing downtime.
In sectors such as financial services, this can represent a difference of millions of euros. A real-life example was seen in May 2024, when Banco Santander , one of the world’s largest financial institutions, suffered a serious data breach following a security breach on an external platform. Although its core banking systems were not compromised, the data exposure and fragmented response led to significant financial and reputational losses. The incident highlighted that, without an automated and well-orchestrated disaster recovery plan, even the largest organizations can take too long to recover.
And this isn’t an isolated case. According to a 2024 IDC report, 63.4% of companies in Europe, the Middle East, and Africa with more than 500 employees suffered a ransomware attack that blocked access to their systems or data.
The value of automated continuity plans
A business continuity plan is useless if it can’t be executed quickly and accurately. This is where operational continuity automation is a game changer.
You can define clear protocols, assign responsibilities, and document every step. But in the midst of a real incident, it’s easy for human error to disrupt the entire plan.
With an automated system, these processes are executed without improvisation. For example, when a main system outage occurs, a continuity plan can automatically redirect operations to a cloud backup environment, inform stakeholders, and maintain a real-time record of everything occurring.
Automation is not robotization: it is about smart decisions
A common misconception is that automation means delegating everything to a machine. But process automation with artificial intelligence goes further. It’s about establishing clear criteria for making decisions in real time when you can’t do it yourself.
Systems based on artificial intelligence and machine learning already make it possible to analyze behavior patterns, anticipate failures, and autonomously recommend actions. For example, if a supply chain detects a disruption due to adverse weather conditions, the system can predict its impact and reorganize routes or find alternative suppliers without waiting for manual intervention.
Such an approach is already being implemented by some European authorities in public services. In Sweden, some municipalities use automated platforms to redirect resources in the event of natural disasters, such as storms or forest fires. Not only do they speed up the response, but they also improve the allocation of resources in real time.
Measurable benefits: less downtime, more confidence
The impact of automation on response time can be measured in specific indicators:
- Reduction in mean time to recovery (MTTR)
- Improving mean time between failures (MTBF)
- Increased accuracy of incident responses
- Reducing human errors in critical protocols
Companies that integrate automated solutions into their disaster recovery strategy manage to resume operations 40% faster on average, according to data from IDC Europe (2024).
Furthermore, from a reputational perspective, this translates into greater trust from customers, investors, and employees. A company that responds well to a disaster demonstrates control, preparedness, and commitment to its operations.
Getting Started: Purposeful Automation
It’s important to start by automating critical processes. Ask yourself:
- Which systems cannot fail under any circumstances?
- What recovery steps require human intervention today?
- What decisions could be automated with predictive rules or models?
Once identified, you can work on automating those key elements. And don’t do it alone. Effective business automation requires a clear strategy, continuous testing, and ongoing evaluation. Integrating automation into your business culture is just as important as the technology itself.
Conclusion:
In a changing and unpredictable environment, waiting for disaster to strike before reacting is no longer viable. Business automation is a way to ensure your company can continue operating when all else fails. Investing in automation is a survival strategy.
