Global Insight | October 2025

How Smart Companies Use IT Audits to Save Money and Time

Many CFOs and CEOs still see cybersecurity as a compliance checkbox. In reality, cyber resilience is a strategic enabler minimising downtime and financial loss, and protecting reputation.

The misconception persists: “We’re too small to be a target” or “We have backups, we’ll be fine.” In truth, most cyberattacks are automated and indiscriminate targeting vulnerabilities, not brand names.

“Even if you just have €5-20 million in revenue… you can be a target,” notes Christoph Schillinger a cybersecurity specialist at Nexia Austria. “Cybersecurity is on the list, but it keeps getting pushed down the list.”

Cyber planning equals business continuity planning. IT security isn’t just to prevent attacks, it’s there to recover fast and avoid cascading failures. One firm took 21 days to restore its systems, costing it fines, lost sales, and reputation damage. A business can go under in that time. Another firm with mirror servers and a recovery plan was back up in 48 hours.

Backup doesn’t equal recovery. Many firms have backups, but they don’t plan the infrastructure needed to use them quickly. A backup is only useful if you have somewhere to restore it, you know the order in which systems must come online, and your team can act within hours, not weeks.

Think strategically about recovery “Everyone is starting to think: ‘OK I need to set up my ERP (Enterprise resource system).’ That’s cool, but think what you need to get running first. If you need to do payments, so you don’t get any fines, maybe you need to ensure the payment system can be installed in less than three minutes,” Schillinger explains.

This is where Business Impact Analysis becomes crucial. Smart companies identify which systems are genuinely critical for immediate operations versus nice-to-have services that can wait.

The business case is compelling. Cyber planning protects revenue and cash flow. It’s a one-time investment in audits, hardware, and documentation that repays itself during the first incident. It also builds trust with clients, partners, insurers, and regulators.

Treat cybersecurity the way you treat key staff: as a core asset worth protecting and empowering. Companies that do this well aren’t just safer—they’re more stable, competitive, and insurable.

The payoff isn’t just protection, it’s competitive advantage through superior business continuity.