Leaf IT briefing reveals critical cyber resilience gap facing Irish businesses

The event - "From Threat to Action: Cyber Resilience for Irish Businesses" focused on the practical steps organisations can take to strengthen resilience in an increasingly complex landscape

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Left to right: Andrew Johnston, Managing Director at Leaf IT, Steven Wood, Director, Sales Engineering at OpenText, Manny Leon, Senior Territory Manager at eSentire, Hannah Beastant, Sales and Marketing at Leaf IT, Rachel Morrow Senior Sales and Marketing at Leaf IT, Darryl Heanen, Technical Director at Leaf IT, David Tweedale, Head of MSP Channel, UK & Ireland at Mimecast and Stephen Browne, Head of Public Affairs at Dublin Chamber

Business leaders from across Ireland gathered in Dublin this week to discuss one of the most pressing risks facing organisations today – cyber resilience.

At an executive briefing hosted by Leaf IT in partnership with Dublin Chamber, over 50 senior executives, IT leaders and risk professionals came together to discuss the cyber threat landscape facing organisations.

“The threat landscape continues to evolve at an unprecedented pace, and what was clear from today’s discussions is that many organisations remain exposed in practice – particularly around identity security, user behaviour and recovery readiness,” Andrew Johnston, managing director of Leaf IT, said.

He added: “for many businesses, the starting point is not more tools, but better visibility, understanding critical business processes, specific cyber risks and the recovery capabilities.”

The event – “From Threat to Action: Cyber Resilience for Irish Businesses” focused on the practical steps organisations can take to strengthen resilience in an increasingly complex landscape.

Held at Dublin Chamber on 10th June, the breakfast briefing featured insights from leading cyber security specialists at eSentire, Mimecast, OpenText and Leaf IT.

A consistent message throughout the event was that cyber security is no longer solely an IT issue, but a business risk that requires board-level accountability.

Delegates heard that just 8% of employees generate 80% of an organisation’s cyber risk, reinforcing the importance of security awareness, identity protection and human risk management in the age of AI.

eSentire’s latest threat intelligence further highlighted the urgency, revealing a 389% year-on-year increase in credential access and account compromise incidents. The implication is clear cyber criminals are increasingly targeting user identities as a route into organisations.

Recovery readiness is often overlooked, research presented by OpenText found that fewer than 50% of organisations would be able to restore basic business operations within 48 hours following a cyber incident, reinforcing the need for robust backup, disaster recovery and incident response strategies.

The event forms part of Leaf IT’s ongoing commitment to helping organisations across Ireland strengthen their cyber resilience.

Leaf IT’s expert team help organisations understand their risk exposure and prioritise the controls and processes that matter most.

Patryk Goron

Read More: cyber resilience eSentire event Leaf IT