According to the National Cyber Security Centre’s 2021 annual review, there were three times as many ransomware attacks in the first quarter of 2021 than in the whole of 2019. Consultancy UK’s survey of business leaders illustrates many anticipate a rise in cyber-attacks in 2022, with 61% stating that ransomware, in particular, will pose a mounting threat. As our lives have become increasingly digitally focussed, so has crime. With the pandemic accelerating the shift to working from home, what can organisations do to safeguard themselves from being held hostage by online trojans? Nimbus Ninety members were given a step-by-step guide to understanding ransomware recovery by Stefan Ehmann, Business Lead Object Storage Solutions EMEA and Tom Christensen, Global Technology Advisor & Executive Analyst from Hitachi Vantara.

The theologian William Ellery Channing once described the struggles of human advancement by asserting that “difficulties are meant to rouse, not discourage”. He was referring to the attitude one must embody to tackle some of history’s greatest global challenges: slavery, poverty, and war. Despite this sentiment being over 150 years old, I witnessed a similar conviction from modern-day business leaders when faced with extraordinary and unparalleled adversity in the last 18 months.

As we approach 2022, organisations are looking at long-term strategic approaches to enabling remote work. As IT and business leaders plan a vision for this new future, security and risk mitigation are at the top of their agendas. This shift also requires a new approach towards employee accessibility and trust. Nimbus Ninety and Ping Identity sat down with IT and security leaders to discuss their long-term plans of enabling work-from-anywhere and in particular, how their approaches to security and passwordless authentication.

Following on from Chief Disruptor LIVE: Virtual April 2021 where leaders focussed on recovery and growth from the global pandemic, Chief Disruptor LIVE October 2021 will take a look forwards to a post-pandemic business environment exploring how organisations can flourish in a brave new world. Although the uncertainty and struggles of the pandemic are far from over, our 2021 Digital Trends Report illustrated a newfound optimism amongst businesses. 64% of organisations see opportunities coming out of the impacts of the pandemic with only 16% considering there to be major threats to their organisations. With organisations now looking towards long-term fundamental change as opposed to short-term quick fixes, the prevailing mood in the year ahead is that organisations will no longer focus on surviving but thriving. The year ahead is set to be the chance for businesses to forge new realities out of fresh possibilities. From putting the customer first, to accelerating the journey to data maturity, to navigating hybrid-working and recruiting Gen Z, business and technology leaders are changing their priorities and harvesting the fortuity of the moment. We asked some of our speakers and supporting partners at Chief Disruptor LIVE October 2021 what their top tip is for thriving in a new world. Here’s what they had to say.

Getting more value out of data was considered the number one digital initiative for businesses in the short term, according to Nimbus Ninety’s 2021 Digital Trends Report. Yet, a recent Deloitte survey discovered that 63% of business leaders say that their companies are not yet “analytics-driven”. So, how can organisations cross the gap from aspiration to action?

In 2021, 83% of teams reported that they’re under pressure to accelerate the pace of delivery thanks to DevOps. Establishing a centralised DevOps programme and following proven strategies for evolving traditional packaged application quality processes allows for faster, safer enterprise application releases. But the journey to DevOps maturity is not an easy one: it requires a culture change for organisations, incremental implementation, and a fearlessness in the face of failure.

Consumers are more discerning and demanding, so organisations must find ways to engage and serve clients while improving both the customer and employee experiences. The pandemic has illustrated that these organisations that have not leveraged the capabilities of AI risk being left in the dust by the digital transformation disruptors. According to Nimbus Ninety’s 2021 Digital Trends Report, the number one challenge for organisations when it comes to serving customers effectively is an inability to deliver a consistent experience across all channels.

The pandemic has accelerated the digital transformation strategies of many a strategically languid organisation. This wake-up call from digital inertia has set leaders on the path of a decentralised approach to IT infrastructure, utilising networks, cloud and data to build a digital advantage.

Aside from the pandemic, society has faced multiple seismic shifts in the fabric of society as we entered the 2020s. From Black Lives Matter to the “Me Too” movement, “diversity” and “inclusion” have become the buzzwords of the new decade. So how can organisations be seen to be taking the issue of workplace diversity, inclusion, equity and belonging seriously as opposed to jumping on the social activism bandwagon? At Chief Disruptor LIVE Virtual April 2021, our Senior Editor Shammah Banerjee sat down with Brandie Deignan, Chief Executive Officer of Pier Health Group, Ann Roberts, Chief People Officer of Flo Health, Abigail Wilmore, Chief People Officer at Stella McCartney, and Commodore Steve Prest, Deputy Director Acquisition at the Royal Navy. The group passionately debated the visibility of women in leadership positions, the importance of creating a sense of belonging, and the controversial accusation of organisational “virtue signalling”.

Digital transformation is necessary for businesses to grow, to increase revenue and to reduce costs. However, when it comes to enterprise applications, there are additional challenges around customisations, updates and upgrades that IT teams must keep up with in addition to maintaining business-as-usual. Cost, speed, quality and risk are at the top of the agenda for safe and efficient releases of enterprise application updates, integrations and customisations. So, how can businesses minimise the risk of enterprise application integrations? Tricentis sat down with DevOps experts to discuss the importance of de-risking enterprise application integrations by using end-to-end test automation tools.