Resilience according to Stephane Lenco, Chief Information Security Officer at Thales Group

What does “from risk to resilience” mean to you?

Realizing that effectively the world has at last moved from “not if, but when”, and therefore that it requires an understanding of the risk types, scenarios, impacts… but as well that it is mostly about preparedness for recovering as well as efficient crisis management. From an operational point of view, at Thales for instance we strive to enable businesses and functions to integrate/embed cybersecurity in every step of our activities.

How do you deal with disruption?

Eisenhower is quoted saying “plans are useless but planning is essential” and Patton that “no plan survives contact with the enemy”. We’re in a VUCA world, we need to expect the unexpected… this drives that we must have the resources ready and the typical plannings ready to cope with whatever the events throw at us. That amount of preparedness will enable us to better limit the damages of a crisis. It is a mindset adoption we develop to avoid the surprise and the shock effects that a crisis may generate. By anticipating, we agree it will happen and whatever the plan, people know their role and responsibilities, as well as how to coordinate their actions in a crisis mode and therefore come back to normal faster.

You will be taking part in the panel “Collaborate for Resilience”, what would you like the audience to remember after your session?

Resilience is an ambitious objective. It requires participation from many parties as it is a global matter, a “collective response” of the body that is a company as when attacked by a virus (yes, it is topical!). That also requires active synchronization and synergy with e.g. your suppliers and partners that will be affected by the disruption, as well as your customers that will require intel and insight as to how this is handled. Let’s not forget either the assisting parties, such as government / law enforcement, third party companies that give support during incidents… and insurance companies that contribute to the overall company resilience. For a few years already, the Extended Enterprise is a reality that requires from every participant to elevate its cybersecurity maturity, to share and enable all the actors in the ecosystem to reap benefits and improve. This is why Thales is strongly involved in several cooperation programs with public and private organizations that promote synergies through collective response.

Who is Stephane Lenco? Have a look at his biography

For more information about his panel session, please click here