Risk reset: Shifting focus from reaction to anticipation (full report)

Whitepaper

Risk reset: Shifting focus from reaction to anticipation is a research programme conducted by Economist Impact and sponsored by Iron Mountain examining key internal and external factors.

17 December 202312 mins
Risk reset: shifting focus from reaction to anticipation (download)

Over the past three years, many organisations have undergone significant transformations in response to emerging threats and global disruptors. This evolution has required all of us to become more resilient, moving away from reactive measures and towards proactive anticipation. By building resilience against potential future threats rather than merely responding to familiar ones, organisations are capable of adapting to unforeseen risks and seizing emergent opportunities.

For over 70 years, Iron Mountain has empowered customers around the world to mitigate risks to their brand, reputation, financial status, and ability to serve their customers, patients, or citizens effectively. We help protect against loss of data, vital information, and historical archives in any format; provide secure destruction of physical and IT assets; recommend policies to ensure compliance with regulators; and offer secure facilities to store inventory and precious artifacts—all within a trusted chain of custody framework.

As you’ll discover in this report, more than 90% of organisations are placing increased emphasis on risk management because of recent global and economic disruptions. In terms of emerging risks, the report highlights sustained concerns over cybersecurity. Another is the proliferation of emerging technologies, with generative artificial intelligence, for example, creating new risks and expanding risk managers’ Foreword by Iron Mountain capacity to spot these threats at the same time. While protecting physical assets remains crucial to our organisation, we recognise that everyone is now more vulnerable to cyber threats, and we have moved with the market to protect customer data in a digital space.

The report findings also show that executives are paying more attention to environmental risks than they have in years past. When it comes to sustainability, our path to net zero focuses on reducing energy use, electrifying our systems and vehicles, installing renewable energy systems, and procuring green power to reduce exposure to rising fossil fuel prices and local emissions regulations. By pursuing our own environmental, social and governance goals and supporting our customers in achieving theirs, we not only mitigate the risks associated with evolving regulations, climate change and social inequality, but also unlock new opportunities.

We’re heartened by the survey results showing that executives are more proactively managing risk and building resilience. This itself is at the core of our mission. The data-driven insights in this report give us a closer look at how we can better prepare ourselves and our customers for the future.