Hybrid infrastructure as the preferred cybersecurity model
If you’re running an enterprise in 2024, you’re already exposed. Connectivity creates speed. It also creates surface area. And from a cybersecurity perspective, that’s a liability, and an opportunity. That’s why nearly every CISO surveyed, 96% to be precise, is leaning toward hybrid infrastructure. They’re not doing this because it’s trendy. They’re doing it because it works.
Hybrid infrastructure gives companies the flexibility to use public and private clouds, mix in on-premises compute, and isolate sensitive workloads when needed. It’s like giving your organization a choice between driving on a highway or flying above traffic, you use what’s optimal for the problem you’re solving, and switch paths if the terrain demands it. You’re not locking yourself into any one form. The infrastructure adapts to the challenge.
This model isn’t just about security, it’s also about compliance and sovereignty. 97% of CISOs agree it helps them meet regulations around where data is stored and who controls it. In a world where countries are setting stricter data localization rules, this matters. With hybrid architecture, decision-makers can place the most sensitive data exactly where regulators want it, while maintaining operational speed.
Still, you can’t assume hybrid means automatic protection. Responsibility is shared. You need clear alignment across all internal teams and vendors. Michael Green, CISO at Trellix, points out that knowing who is accountable for each service, whether in the cloud or in your data center, is key. That’s where governance tools earn their keep. Without unified visibility and control, you’re flying blind.
This model improves resilience too, but we’ll get to that shortly. The big takeaway here: the companies getting hybrid infrastructure right aren’t only ticking compliance boxes. They’re building agile environments that move fast and stay protected. That’s where the edge is.
Enhanced organizational resilience and business continuity
Cyberattacks aren’t theoretical anymore, they’re expected. It’s not about if they’ll occur, it’s about how well you continue to operate when they do. That’s where hybrid environments show their real value. According to Trellix’s latest report, nearly 90% of CISOs are already working in these environments to ensure resiliency across their operations.
Let’s talk about what that actually means. Hybrid setups allow critical data and systems to be distributed. When a failure hits, whether it’s from a targeted attack or a localized outage, you control what it impacts and can keep moving. The key here isn’t just risk avoidance. It’s business continuity. It’s preventing downtime that costs you market share, revenue, and trust. If a piece of your infrastructure falters, your entire company doesn’t have to.
This isn’t a theoretical model. It’s fully operational in global organizations that understand the risk of centralization and the importance of rapid recovery. The best-performing enterprises create separation between functions, monitor in real-time, and maintain active failover capabilities within these hybrid configurations. That’s how they maintain uptime while others are still responding to alarms.
Executives can’t afford a reactive mindset anymore. High-performing tech stacks reject monolithic thinking. They’re modular, segmented, and equipped with automated triggers for rollback, isolation, and recovery. If your architecture can’t contain a breach without shutting everything down, you’re already behind.
The message from CISOs is clear: hybrid infrastructure isn’t simply a preference, it’s become foundational for stability when under threat. When the stakes are high and seconds matter, distributed architecture is the difference between operational resilience and sustained disruption. Managing risk is important. Staying functional while managing it is critical.
IT and OT convergence for securing critical infrastructure
Cybersecurity has expanded beyond office networks and cloud apps. Now it includes the sensors, controllers, and machines that run manufacturing plants, energy grids, and transportation systems. Leaders are seeing the pressure. In the latest Trellix report, 96% of CISOs say the convergence of IT (information technology) and OT (operational technology) is essential to protecting critical infrastructure.
Here’s the situation: operational systems used to be air-gapped, completely isolated. That separation no longer exists. Digital transformation has connected industrial environments to enterprise networks, enabling real-time operations, analytics, and device management. But that connection also opens the door to external threats. Once malware infiltrates one layer, it can move horizontally unless contained by purpose-built controls.
The challenge now is strategic integration. Bridging IT and OT isn’t just plugging in networks. These systems were built differently, for different purposes, and come with different risk tolerances. CISOs understand this, but many executive teams still underestimate it. Nearly 40% of respondents in the Trellix report said their leadership lacks a strong understanding of the difference between securing OT environments versus IT systems.
That gap matters. OT environments often run legacy systems that can’t be patched easily or taken offline for upgrades. Security in these systems has to be non-disruptive but thorough. Meanwhile, IT security practices, while more mature, can’t simply be copied over. Executives who assume standard IT playbooks apply across the board risk exposing their operations to attacks that evade traditional detection.
To truly protect critical infrastructure, companies need unified security strategies that account for distinct environmental needs. That involves aligning physical and digital teams, investing in monitoring tools built for OT, and strengthening incident response plans that include both cyber and operational consequences. Not doing this creates a blind spot. And for sectors like energy, logistics, and manufacturing, that’s not an acceptable risk profile.
The data confirms it, IT and OT convergence is happening, and it’s urgent. The companies responding with precision and clarity are creating more secure and more adaptable infrastructures. The rest are hoping outdated assumptions still hold. They won’t.
The imperative of resilience planning amid high-impact cyberattacks
We’ve passed the point where cyberattacks are viewed as isolated technical issues. They’re fully capable of disrupting global operations, shutting down production lines, and hitting national economies. Case in point: Jaguar Land Rover. Their 2023 ransomware attack halted production for over a month. The impact on the UK economy was estimated at $2.5 billion. That number doesn’t just represent financial loss, it signals systemic vulnerability.
This is the reason resilience planning can’t be theoretical or delegated. It has to be engineered into how you build your infrastructure, train your teams, and plan for continuity. Operational downtime isn’t just inconvenient, it’s a material risk to revenue, supply chains, and reputation. For companies with global reach, one high-impact breach often creates downstream disruption across multiple regions and partners.
C-suite leaders have to move beyond thinking of cyber defense as a technical silo. It’s a core element of enterprise performance. A mature organization doesn’t only aim to detect and contain threats. It plans for continuity under stress. This means readiness at every level, technical, operational, and executive. It includes layered fallback options, live simulation testing, and integrated supply chain contingencies that are reviewed and updated regularly.
The companies that are ahead understand that resilience is a competitive advantage. Customers remember who stays reliable during disruption. Investors track how quickly you recover. Talent gravitates toward companies prepared for volatility. These aren’t soft benefits, they’re measurable outcomes tied to real performance.
The Jaguar Land Rover breach didn’t just affect their factories, it stretched across their international logistics network, disrupting vehicle shipments and dealer inventory worldwide. Situations like this put an entire brand’s credibility at risk, not just their systems. That’s the new bar for leaders. Cyber preparedness isn’t damage control. It’s preservation, performance, and positioning. And waiting until it happens to act, costs more than planning ever will.
Key highlights
- Hybrid is now the strategic foundation: CISOs overwhelmingly favor hybrid infrastructure to meet compliance demands and manage sovereignty risks. Leaders should prioritize hybrid models to balance flexibility, control, and regulatory alignment.
- Resilience depends on distributed architecture: Nearly 90% of CISOs use hybrid environments to ensure business continuity in the face of cyber threats. Executives should mandate architectural decentralization to reduce single points of failure and sustain operations during attacks.
- IT and OT need unified but specialized security: With 96% of CISOs stressing the importance of IT/OT convergence, leadership must address the knowledge gap among decision-makers to ensure both environments are secured with purpose-built tools and strategies.
- Downtime is now a board-level risk: High-impact attacks like the Jaguar Land Rover breach show how cyber incidents can damage supply chains and national economies. Leaders must treat cyber resilience as a financial risk and invest accordingly in incident readiness and operational recovery.
