Threats are becoming increasingly diverse, including sophisticated cyberattacks, operational failures, and external factors such as geopolitical instability, climate events, or pandemics that can disrupt supply chains and significantly impact business continuity.

Data is a critical asset and a potential vulnerability if not adequately protected. Managing the data lifecycle, classification, access control, and its secure sharing within and outside an organization is a major challenge. Issues also include data sovereignty (especially in the cloud) and the effective use of available data.

Moving to the cloud increases flexibility but also adds complexity to security management, particularly when using multiple providers. Common issues include lack of visibility into the cloud environment, configuration errors, or unclear distribution of responsibilities between providers and clients. Weaknesses in governance and monitoring can lead to vulnerabilities, data leaks, or regulatory non-compliance.

A well-defined, regularly updated crisis management plan outlining roles, responsibilities, and specific procedures during emergencies is essential. Its absence or incompleteness can result in delayed responses and poor decision-making, worsening potential crisis impact and extending recovery time.

The importance of a proactive approach to building resilience is often underestimated. Companies can only hardly handle or recover from crises without an integrated resilience strategy and clear plans to protect market value, brand, customer trust, and critical assets.

Partnerships with external suppliers pose significant risks. Unified criteria for vendor assessment, tools for performance monitoring, and clearly defined contractual obligations and security guarantees are key for effective third-party risk management, especially in cases of high dependencies.

The growing volume and complexity of regulations (e.g., DORA, NIS2, EU AI Act, EU Data Act) require a systematic approach to tracking changes, implementing measures, and ensuring compliance. Underestimating the importance of impact assessments and poor coordination between legal, ICT, and operational teams during implementation pose a critical pitfall.