Operational resilience is the ability of an organization to deliver critical business operations, even during disruptions. This concept, as defined by the European Banking Authority, emphasizes ensuring that essential services continue to function amid challenges such as cyber-attacks, natural disasters, regulatory changes, or supply chain disruptions. 

Unlike organizational resilience, which focuses on the broader capacity of an organization to adapt and survive, operational resilience focuses on maintaining critical operations. Its growing importance stems from the increasingly interconnected and complex environments businesses operate in today. 

Why operational resilience matters 

Disruption is an unavoidable reality in today’s business environment. With increasingly sophisticated cyber threats, geopolitical uncertainties, natural disasters and a hyperconnected digital world, the question is no longer if a critical incident will occur, but when. The ability to anticipate and mitigate such incidents can mean the difference between navigating the storm successfully or facing significant losses.  

Beyond financial impacts, failing to maintain operations during a crisis can severely harm your reputation and strain relationships with customers and vendors. In some industries, it could even lead to regulatory penalties. Being prepared is not just an advantage—it’s a necessity. 

For industries such as Financial Services, Healthcare, Energy and Utilities, Telecom, and Manufacturing, disruptions can have far-reaching effects. Operational resilience ensures: 

• Business continuity even under adverse circumstances. 
• Protection of critical services for customers and stakeholders.  
• Regulatory compliance, reducing the risk of penalties.  
• Enhanced organizational reputation, fostering trust and loyalty.  

Ultimately, operational resilience sets businesses up not only to survive but to thrive, ensuring they remain competitive no matter the challenges. 

Key elements of operational resilience 

Building operational resilience requires focusing on three critical areas: people, processes, and technology.  

People 

• Cross-functional collaboration: Teams from IT, security, leadership, compliance, and operations must work together to identify potential vulnerabilities and develop strategies. 
• Leadership is key:Leaders must foster a culture of resilience that encourages proactive problem-solving and organizational readiness. 

Processes  

• Protect critical business functions: Identify which processes are vital to operations and design safeguards to keep them running. 
• Flexibility is critical: Operational workflows must be adaptable to accommodate unforeseen challenges or evolving risks. 

Technology & systems   

• Robust IT infrastructure is essential:This includes cybersecurity measures, disaster recovery plans, and reliable data backup systems.  
• Modern tools pave the way for real-time insights:Technologies like artificial intelligence can help monitor vulnerabilities and predict potential disruptions. 

How to build operational resilience  

Implementing operational resilience starts with actionable steps that organizations can take today.  

Assessing operational risks & vulnerabilities  

• Conduct comprehensive risk assessments to identify potential threats.  
• Map out dependencies across operations, including third-party vendors and supply chains.   

Establishing a response framework   

• Develop incident response plans that outline clear steps to handle unforeseen disruptions.  
• Regularly test frameworks through drills and simulations, ensuring readiness during high-stress events.  

Embedding resilience into strategic decisions  

• Align operational resilience with business goals, Risk Management strategies, and Business Continuity Planning.  
• Make continuous adaptation a priority, recognizing that risks and operational landscapes constantly evolve.  

Continuous improvement  

• Track performance over time using KPIs specific to resilience and refine strategies accordingly.  
• Stay informed about emerging risks and industry changes that may require new approaches.  

Operational resilience vs business continuity  

While operational resilience and business continuity often overlap, they are distinct approaches.  

Operational resilience takes a proactive and broader approach. It considers not just internal operations but external dependencies, regulatory requirements (like DORA in financial services), and long-term risks.  

Business continuity, on the other hand, focuses on reactive measures, such as predefined plans to recover quickly after disruptions. Its priority is minimizing downtime and restoring operations.  

Both disciplines depend on cross-functional collaboration, emphasize the identification of critical business functions, and require regular testing. However, operational resilience builds on business continuity by ensuring adaptability to future challenges.  

Future of operational resilience 

The future of operational resilience is rooted in proactive planning and continuous improvement. To remain competitive, businesses must anticipate risks and integrate resilience into their everyday strategies.  

This means fostering collaboration across departments, leveraging advanced technologies, and aligning resilience with organizational goals. By combining operational resilience with business continuity, organizations position themselves to withstand turbulent conditions and meet future challenges head-on.  

Now is the time to act. Continuity experts should assess their organization’s operational resilience framework, identify gaps, and take strategic steps to strengthen it. Explore Everbridge.

For more ways to operationalize resilience, visit our resource on understanding DORA and explore our Operational Resilience Solutions.  

Operational resilience isn’t just a priority—it’s a business imperative. Take the next step to protect your critical operations today. 

In December 2024 a prominent CEO was shot and killed outside of a Manhattan hotel where they were attending an investor meeting. The incident has drawn significant public attention, with speculation surrounding both the suspect’s motives and the broader implications for corporate security, given ongoing controversies and protests against the company at the time of the attack.

The best way to protect your company and your executive assets from this risk is developing a comprehensive executive protection and secure journey management plan.An intelligence led approach can limit your risk exposure and enhance your executive protection in a variety of ways.

– Adam DeLuca, Everbridge Director of Risk Intelligence

Monitoring

Early detection of threat and risk is invaluable to executive protection. Monitoring collection platforms in real-time allows you to identify potential threats before they become major problems and enables executive protection teams to proactively manage risk to their clients in a timely manner.

Utilizing Different Types of intelligence  

OSINT gathers information from publicly available sources. Human intelligence collects information obtained through direct contact with individuals who may have relevant insights. Signal intelligence monitors electronic communications and data to identify potential threats. Protective intelligence focuses specifically on identifying and assessing threats to an individual. These types of intelligence analyze incredible amounts of data from various sources to provide a comprehensive picture of the threat landscape to help shape risk assessments. 

Trend Analysis / Threat Assessments

Looking at the threat landscape and doing comprehensive threat assessments allows security teams to anticipate potential risks and vulnerabilities, develop targeted mitigation strategies, and make informed decisions to safeguard the principal through detailed situational awareness, rather than simply reacting to incidents.

Situational awareness

By monitoring real-time information, intelligence provides a comprehensive understanding of the environment surrounding the executive, including potential dangers in specific locations or during travel.

As threats to critical infrastructure grow, resilience is more essential than ever. The European Union’s Critical Entities Resilience (CER) Directive aims to protect vital sectors like energy, transport, healthcare, and digital infrastructure from disruptions. By addressing vulnerabilities, the directive ensures essential services stay operational against physical and digital threats. This blog explores the importance of these regulations, their scope, and the measures safeguarding essential services across Europe.

What is the Critical Entities Resilience Directive?

The Critical Entities Resilience (CER) Directive is a comprehensive policy developed to address the growing complexity and interdependence of critical infrastructures across the EU. Enacted on January 16, 2023, the directive builds on a broader initiative introduced by the European Commission in 2020. Its primary aim is to strengthen resilience to threats—both physical and digital—by establishing clear compliance requirements for the Member States and organizations operating within these critical sectors.

This directive works in tandem with other key EU policies, such as the NIS 2 Directive, which focuses on cybersecurity for network and information systems. Together, the CER Directive and NIS 2 form a robust framework to better protect essential societal functions. Additionally, they are part of a larger EU policy landscape that includes initiatives like the Digital Operational Resilience Act (DORA) and the Cyber Resilience Act (CRA), all aimed at bolstering the EU’s collective defense against modern threats.

As Margaritis Schinas, former Vice-President for Promoting our European Way of Life, highlighted during the directive’s introduction: these new regulations establish “a strong framework to build up our collective protection against all threats.” The CER Directive is not just about responding to immediate risks; it also emphasizes long-term preparedness through the creation of durable and adaptable critical infrastructure systems.

The aim and scope of the CER Directive

The CER Directive aims to safeguard the continuous delivery of essential services that underpin societal well-being and economic stability. It focuses on a broad spectrum of sectors classified as “critical entities,” whose disruptions could have far-reaching impacts on public safety, economic performance, and the daily lives of EU citizens.

One of the directive’s key components is its emphasis on proactive measures. Organizations operating within critical sectors are required to conduct in-depth risk assessments to identify vulnerabilities and potential threats. Once risks are identified, these organizations must adopt robust resilience strategies tailored to their specific operational needs. This includes physical security measures, but also advanced digital protections to safeguard systems from cyberattacks. Additionally, entities under the directive must promptly report incidents to ensure that effective responses can be coordinated at the national and EU levels.

Ylva Johansson, EU Commissioner for Home Affairs, emphasized the need for collective action during the directive’s launch, stating: “We face increasing hybrid attacks and the growing impact of climate change. Building preparedness and resilience requires unified action.” Her remarks reflect the growing understanding that modern threats are multi-faceted, encompassing not only cyberattacks and terrorism, but also emerging challenges such as climate-related disruptions and supply chain vulnerabilities. The directive aims to create a culture of resilience, where preparedness becomes a shared responsibility across governments, organizations, and industries.

Key measures and implementation

The CER Directive establishes several concrete measures to strengthen critical infrastructure. These include mandatory risk assessments, comprehensive resilience testing, and the development of emergency response plans. Furthermore, the directive requires Member States to designate national authorities responsible for overseeing compliance and facilitating cross-border collaboration. This ensures that critical entities across Europe are not working in isolation, but part of a coordinated effort to enhance resilience.

In addition, the directive introduces stricter reporting requirements, ensuring that incidents are swiftly communicated to relevant authorities to enable a timely and effective response. This approach not only minimizes the impact of disruptions, but also provides valuable insights into the evolving threat landscape, helping refine and improve resilience strategies over time.

Why the CER Directive matters

By implementing the CER Directive, the European Union is taking significant steps to safeguard critical services and enhance its collective capacity to respond to evolving risks. The directive acknowledges the interconnected nature of modern infrastructure, where disruptions in one sector can have cascading effects on others. For example, a cyberattack on a power grid could simultaneously impact healthcare facilities, transportation networks, and banking systems. The CER Directive’s holistic approach ensures that these interdependencies are accounted for, reducing the likelihood of widespread disruptions.

In conclusion, the CER Directive represents a vital step forward in protecting Europe’s critical infrastructure from an increasingly complex threat environment. By fostering collaboration, promoting proactive risk management, and mandating resilience strategies, the directive ensures essential services remain operational in the face of adversity. As threats continue to evolve, the CER Directive serves as a cornerstone of the EU’s broader efforts to create a safer, more resilient future for all its citizens.

How Everbridge supports resilience in critical enterprises

Everbridge provides a comprehensive suite of critical event management solutions designed to strengthen operational resilience and overall resilience strategies in line with the CER Directive’s objectives.

Enhancing physical security and infrastructure protection

Everbridge smart security solutions offer a complete view of physical locations and assets, enabling organizations to respond swiftly to potential threats. By reducing training and security costs, these solutions ensure that critical entities can maintain service provision even during incidents.

Personnel security management and business continuity

Everbridge prioritizes the safety and well-being of individuals within an organization. With our Everbridge 360 solutions, we enable seamless communication and access to emergency services, ensuring workforce productivity stays uninterrupted even during disruptions.

In addition, Everbridge business continuity plans empower organizations to anticipate and mitigate the impact of disruptions. By activating automated incident response workflows, companies can seamlessly maintain operations.

Digital resilience and IT service management

Everbridge also supports digital resilience by minimizing IT service disruptions and reducing unplanned workloads. Our digital operations solutions monitor system performance and automate IT workflows, allowing teams to work efficiently and confidently.

Key takeaways from the CER Directive and the role Everbridge can play

The CER Directive represents a significant step forward in strengthening the resilience of critical entities across Europe. By mandating comprehensive risk assessments and resilience measures, it provides a solid framework for protecting essential services from both natural and man-made threats.

Everbridge plays a crucial role in this ecosystem by offering advanced solutions that enhance operational resilience. From physical security management to digital resilience, Everbridge empowers organizations to protect their people, assets, and operations.

For emergency managers, business continuity planners, and chief security officers, understanding the CER Directive and leveraging Everbridge solutions can significantly enhance their organization’s ability to withstand and recover from disruptions.

In a world where threats to critical infrastructure are becoming increasingly complex, the CER Directive and Everbridge solutions offer a path to enhanced resilience. By aligning with these frameworks, organizations can safeguard essential services and ensure their continued operation.

Our comprehensive risk management services are designed to enable businesses to operate safe in the knowledge that everything possible is being done to ensure their people and other assets are protected. We combine deep security expertise with innovative technology to help you deliver the policies, training, protection and responses needed – no matter what.