Digital Business

Rethinking Resilience

Resilience is no longer about having a backup plan. It means being able to adapt – faster than the market shifts, the threats evolve, or the next compliance requirement lands on your desk. In this issue of Digital Business, we explore how South African businesses are rethinking resilience in a landscape that’s as complex as it is fast-moving. Cloud adoption is no longer novel; it’s foundational. But cost pressures, skills shortages, and fragmented architectures are pushing CIOs to do more with less – while still promising scalability, security, and service continuity.

AI adds a new layer of pressure. It’s helping teams automate threat detection and close talent gaps. But it’s also arming attackers with better tools, faster tactics, and increasingly sophisticated deepfakes. In this environment, relying on outdated systems or legacy playbooks isn’t just risky – it’s negligent.

What’s becoming clearer is this: the tech alone isn’t enough. The real competitive edge lies in people – whether that means security teams being upskilled through local bootcamps, business leaders embracing cloud strategy as a boardroom priority, or organisations maturing their operations to unlock long-term value. You’ll find stories in this issue that span deep technical insight, human-centred innovation, and forward-looking strategy. From the economics of cloud optimisation to the ethics of AI in an African context, these are the conversations shaping digital business – not just in 2025, but from here on out. We hope it helps you see not just where the future’s going – but how to meet it on your own terms.

Brendon Petersen. Editor