Strengthening Operational Resilience in the Financial Sector

13.01.2025

In today’s fast-evolving digital landscape, financial institutions face an increasing need to safeguard their operations against service interruptions, outages, and cyber threats. The Digital Operational Resilience Act (DORA) emphasizes the critical importance of resilience in all areas of operations, ensuring that institutions can not only recover from disruptions but also proactively defend against them.


To achieve this level of resilience, institutions must implement robust disaster recovery plans supported by a strong technical foundation. 

 

Here’s what’s required to make this vision a reality:

 

1. Protection Against Outages: Proactive and Reactive Measures
   • Intrusion Detection and Prevention Systems (IDPS): Implementing systems capable of identifying and neutralizing threats in real-time to mitigate risks of intrusion or fraudulent transactions.
   • Fraud Analysis: Advanced systems to analyze and detect anomalies that may indicate fraudulent activities, ensuring customer trust and operational integrity.

 

2. High Availability and Redundancy
   • Reliable Infrastructure Components: Firewalls and network components must be configured in high-availability setups to maintain uninterrupted services.
   • Scalable Systems: Servers and software need the ability to dynamically adjust to varying loads, ensuring that partial component failures do not result in total system outages.

 

3. Resilience Across Network and System Layers
   • Network Resilience: Building redundancy into both devices and routes to prevent single points of failure.
   • Server Failover: Deploying automatic failover mechanisms to maintain operational continuity even during server failures.
   • Regularly Tested Backups: Ensuring that backups are not only created but also tested for reliability and restoration efficacy on a scheduled basis.

 

4. Secure and Tested Software
   • Pre-Deployment Testing: Updates and new software implementations must undergo rigorous testing to prevent introducing vulnerabilities into the system.
   • Data Protection Compliance: Safeguarding sensitive data in accordance with stringent European data protection regulations.

 

5. Continuous Improvement Beyond Initial Implementation
Implementing resilience measures is not a one-time activity. True operational security is a dynamic process that requires constant vigilance and iteration:
   • Regular Testing and Audits: Simulating disaster scenarios to ensure readiness.
   • Employee Awareness: Providing ongoing training to all staff about emerging risks and security protocols.
   • Interdepartmental Communication: Maintaining clear communication among teams to foster a collaborative approach to resilience.


Institutions must also consistently evaluate their security posture by asking critical questions:
   • Are all systems patched and updated promptly?
   • Are we leveraging the best available technologies to protect our customers and partners?
   • Are our employees and teams equipped to recognize and respond to risks effectively?

 

Our Quantum Network: The Next Frontier in Financial Security
To meet the high standards of DORA and beyond, our true quantum network offers unparalleled security for the financial sector. By leveraging quantum technologies, we provide an unbreakable foundation for secure communication, ensuring that sensitive data remains protected against even the most advanced threats.


Our capabilities align seamlessly with the requirements for resilience, allowing financial institutions to fortify their operations while adhering to regulatory demands. Together, we can enable a safer, more secure future for the financial sector.