Your Supply Chain Is Only as Strong as Its Weakest Cloud

Picture this: You stroll into Sainsbury’s for some trail mix and milk, blissfully unaware that behind the scenes, a cyber attack has thrown a major software vendor, Blue Yonder, into chaos. Blue Yonder powers critical supply chains for grocery giants across the US and UK, and yet here I am, walking the aisles, noticing nothing amiss.

That’s resilience. Sainsbury’s had backup systems ready, keeping operations smooth while their vendor scrambled to recover. But for many businesses, the question isn’t just if a disruption will strike, it’s when. And more importantly, how prepared are you to deal with it?

Let’s break this down. Resilience isn’t just a buzzword; it’s a system of layers that many businesses miss. Here are three areas where organizations need to dig deeper.

1. Resilience: Beyond the Basics

Having an incident response plan is great, and practicing it is better, but let’s be honest, that’s the bare minimum. True resilience means going far beyond the basics.

First, can your organization detect an incident before it spirals out of control? Early detection is everything. If your systems can’t flag anomalies quickly, you’re giving attackers time to dig in, and that’s a luxury no business can afford.

Next, let’s talk about costs. Do you know what an incident would actually cost your business, day by day? Quantifying the financial impact of downtime, whether it’s lost revenue, operational disruption, or reputational damage is critical. Without that understanding, how can you justify your security budget or prioritize your investments?

If you don’t know the cost of an incident beforehand, you’re flying blind. It affects:

• Where you focus your security investments.

• How you prioritize protection for critical assets.

• Your ability to make fast, informed decisions under pressure.

True resilience isn’t just about bouncing back; it’s about knowing exactly what’s at stake and ensuring you’re ready to protect it.

2. Data: More Than Just Knowing Where It’s Stored

Here’s the thing about data: It’s not just about where it’s stored but what it contains. If you don’t know the specifics, what data lives in which file, folder, or platform, and how critical it is, you’re setting yourself up for failure.

Think about it. If you can’t assess the value or criticality of your data, you can’t accurately measure the material impact of a breach. In that case, you’re left with no choice but to assume the worst, and that’s a dangerous position to be in.

This lack of clarity ripples into decision-making at the highest levels:

• What do you protect?

• What level of protection should you adopt?

• Which assets are worth the most investment?

Without clear answers, you’re throwing money at security without a strategy, and hoping for the best. That’s not resilience. That’s gambling.

3. Supply Chains: The Risks You Didn’t Know You Were Inheriting

Supply chains are critical, but they’re also a maze of risks, many of which you inherit the moment you bring on a third party.

Here’s what people often miss: when you work with suppliers, you’re not just inheriting their controls, you’re inheriting their vulnerabilities. A poorly secured supplier can become your problem overnight, introducing risks you didn’t account for.

Even worse, some suppliers inherit risks from their partners, creating a chain reaction of vulnerabilities. Do you know how far these risks extend? Have you traced them back?

Understanding the technical layers of supply chain resilience means asking hard questions:

• What risks are baked into each partnership?

• What vulnerabilities might you be inheriting?

• How secure is the entire chain, from end to end?

Sainsbury’s handled this brilliantly. While Blue Yonder was scrambling, they activated contingency measures that kept shelves stocked and customers happy. That’s the level of preparation every business should aspire to.

Walking through Sainsbury’s that day, I couldn’t help but think about the systems they must have in place. While their vendor faced a crisis, Sainsbury’s resilience ensured uninterrupted service. They didn’t just hope for the best, they planned for the worst.

When I am not shopping, I am helping businesses ask these critical questions and strategically guide them to a business-aligned system and processes that answer these questions. Resilience isn’t just about reacting to incidents; it’s about preparing for them, understanding your vulnerabilities, and knowing the true cost of failure.

Because resilience isn’t optional in today’s interconnected world. It’s the difference between surviving disruption and thriving through it.