Building digital resilience in a changing world – Thoughts from two industry leaders
Without digital resilience, companies risk standing still while the market moves forward, or becoming vulnerable when circumstances change. For IT managers, it is no longer just a matter of keeping systems running, but of building an organization that can adapt quickly when conditions change.
But what does digital resilience mean in practice? And how can IT managers create an IT landscape that not only withstands disruptions, but also enables growth and innovation? Fredric Travaglia, Business Architect at Epical, and Christina Backlund, CEO of Shibuya, share their perspectives on what it takes to build a resilient business.
Information flows as a strategic success factor
Today, organizations are expected to be able to deliver reliable, real-time information around the clock, year-round, whether it's product data, delivery status, or customer information. Demands for speed, transparency, and precision are constantly increasing, while IT environments are becoming increasingly complex.
"What we are seeing today is an exponential increase in complexity in both technology and business processes. We are storing more data, using more applications, and more types of devices than ever before. All these applications must be able to handle processes and share information without interruption or failure. Therefore, both the infrastructure and how you connect your systems are critical and strategic success factors in achieving better margins, a superior customer experience, and a larger market share," says Fredric.
But it's not just about technology. Christina believes that the issue of information flows is fundamentally a business issue.
"The most important strategic factors are growth and competitiveness—securing revenue streams and creating new opportunities. But to do that, you also need to understand your dependencies and vulnerabilities. Securing your business is about having control over the entire chain, from infrastructure to the end-user experience," says Christina.
Christina also highlights an important aspect that many overlook: that responsibility for information flows cannot be limited to a specific department or level in the organization.
There is really no point where responsibility ends. The strategy must be built from the bottom up, layer by layer, so that every technical choice and every process supports the overall business objectives.
Mistakes that undermine a robust and flexible information flow
Many organizations want to create flexible and resilient information flows, but often get it wrong from the start. Christina believes that people tend to start at the wrong end, focusing too much on technology and losing sight of the business.
"Decision-makers often want to optimize for a single parameter, such as saving costs, improving the experience for a specific customer group, or achieving a faster time-to-market. But when business requirements are not translated correctly throughout the organization, there is a risk of losing sight of the big picture. This leads to technical decisions that do not meet the external requirements that the company actually faces," says Christina.
Fredric agrees that the lack of a holistic perspective is a major problem and emphasizes the risks of either thinking too narrowly or trying to build a comprehensive solution from the outset.
"Many people forget to involve those who will actually use the systems or produce the information in the decision-making process. This results in solutions that no one benefits from. At the same time, there is another pitfall, which is trying to come up with a perfect overall solution from the outset, a large monolith that will work for all time. But the IT landscape is constantly changing. The solution must therefore be iterative, so that it can be developed, tested, adapted, and improved in line with new requirements," says Fredric.
The key, they both agree, is to find the balance between technology and business. Organizations need to see integration as a strategic issue rather than an isolated IT project. You need to understand the business needs, translate them into technical solutions, and at the same time weigh up costs, resources, and risks along the way.
"The technology must satisfy both business needs and work technically. This requires an organizational perspective where you understand the big picture and the consequences of each decision," says Christina.
However, creating resilience is not just about weighing costs against business benefits, but also about understanding the risks that affect long-term flexibility. Fredric emphasizes the importance of taking a strategic perspective that evaluates both technical and organizational dependencies, rather than simply optimizing for short-term goals.
"Two other common mistakes are either putting all your eggs in one basket, such as a technology stack, ecosystem, partner, or building in-house expertise that may not be available in the long term. Or thinking that everything will stay the same, that there will always be peace between Sweden and our neighboring countries, for example. There are no significant risks that are zero, so you should include this in your planning and investment horizon in order to drive the business forward in a responsible and constructive manner," says Fredric.
If the risk is not zero, it should be included in planning and investment horizons in order to drive the business forward.
Christina points out that she would like to see a shift in perspective, especially in security and compliance:
"Many people see security solutions and compliance as a necessary evil and deal with the issue in isolation from business requirements. But in today's landscape, security work must be included as a natural part of the rest of the business. You need to have multiple layers of preventive work in place to avoid being attacked. And you need to ensure that you have a sufficiently robust management system that can withstand disruptions and threats, regardless of the situation."
The role of leadership in building digital resilience
Resilience in IT has long been about metrics such as uptime and recovery time, but today the concept is much broader. It is no longer just about systems functioning properly, but about the organization as a whole being able to withstand disruptions, adapt quickly, and continue to deliver value to its customers.
"In the past, resilience was seen as a technical issue, linked to availability or data loss. But today, we have to look at it from a business perspective. Not all companies are involved in IT, but all companies are IT companies in one way or another. If you don't have your information supply in place, like a well-functioning machine, then you can't create the customer experiences or the innovative capacity needed to be competitive," says Fredric.
This places new demands on leadership. Christina emphasizes that digital resilience begins with an approach where openness and humility are central to making the right decisions in complex environments.
"To create digital resilience, you need to be open to new knowledge, whether it comes from customers, partners, employees, or suppliers. As a leader, you must constantly ensure that you base your decisions on the right information and the right merits, not on old hierarchical structures. We need inclusive leadership where all roles can contribute their expertise. You have to be allowed to test and make both mistakes and get things right in order to create an effective organization. Those closest to the problem often have valuable insights that can change the direction of an entire organization," says Christina.
Fredric adds and emphasizes the importance of relationships and networks as the basis for resilience:
"In a dynamic environment, resilience is stronger the more of us there are who share knowledge and support each other. This applies not only internally, but also between companies, suppliers, and partners. Then we can build networks that make us better equipped to face disruptions together. When we create solutions collaboratively, we more often find win-win strategies that provide long-term value. It's a bit like knowing your neighbors: the better we work together, the stronger we are together."
Learn more about how companies can build long-term resilience through partnerships in the recorded webinar with Fredric and Christina (please note that the webinar is in Swedish):
Future threats and opportunities
When we talk about threats to information flows, it's easy to think of external attacks. But according to both Fredric and Christina, the biggest challenges are often closer than that, within the organizations themselves.
"Many people underestimate the importance of having order and clarity in their information landscape," says Fredric. "You need to know where your information is, who is responsible for it, and that it is reliable. This is a question of competence. Without this insight, organizations risk being very vulnerable, even without any external threats having occurred."
Christina agrees, but believes that the perspective needs to be broadened further:
External threats will always exist, but the real problem arises when organizations fail to build their own resilience. You become your own biggest risk if you don't prioritize resilience and secure access to data.
Both point to geopolitical tensions, rapid technological development, AI, and quantum technology as external factors that will shape IT strategies going forward.
"If Sweden is to remain competitive, we must invest more in innovation, both as a country and as individual companies. We risk losing market share if we don't create better conditions for companies to grow, retain talent, and attract new talent. Instead of comparing ourselves to the US or China, we need to focus on strengthening our own strengths, developing what sets us apart, and digging where we stand," says Christina.
Fredric adds that, in addition to innovation, stronger entrepreneurship and technological understanding are required, and emphasizes the importance of collaboration:
"Sweden's strength has historically lain in our collaboration between the state, regions, academia, and industry. We need to carry on that tradition and create new arenas for collaboration on innovation, AI, and information management. This is absolutely crucial if we want to remain competitive as a nation in the future."
Want to take the next step toward digital resilience?
At Epical, we work with Shibuya to help businesses build long-term sustainable, secure, and flexible information flows that meet today's demands and create conditions for growth and innovation over time.
Feel free to contact us to discuss how you can strengthen your integration strategy, increase business value, and reduce the vulnerability of your IT architecture.
