As the Chief Information Security Officer (CISO) of a publicly traded company, making sure system availability would be my top priority to maintain business operations, regulatory compliance, and shareholder confidence. I would have to make sure the company is protected at all times. Availability is one of the core principles of the CIA Triad (Confidentiality, Integrity, Availability) and is critical to preventing downtime, financial losses, and reputational damage.

To make sure I mitigate risks associated with hardware failures and network disruptions, I would implement load balancing, failover tools, and data centers. These measures ensure continuous access to critical systems, reducing the impact of localized outages. Also, having a well thought out Disaster Recovery and Business Continuity Plan strategy is very important. This includes frequent data backups, offsite storage, and regular disaster recovery drills to test recovery time objectives also know as RTOs and recovery point objectives which is also known as RPO. A cloud-based solutions with automated anti-fail capabilities further enhance the ability to with stand potential issues. DDoS Protection and Network Security Distributed Denial of Service (DDoS) attacks can cripple system availability. To counter this, I would deploy DDoS mitigation services, web application firewalls (WAFs), and rate-limiting measures. Implementing a zero-trust design also helps prevent unauthorized access and lateral movement within the network making sure not just anyone can do what they want to do in the system.

I would also adopt Endpoint and Ransomware Protection Advanced endpoint detection and response (EDR) solutions, combined with strict access controls and permanent backups, safeguard against ransomware and malware that can disrupt operations. I’ll also make sure I keep regular patch management up to date to ensures vulnerabilities are addressed promptly.

Last but not least, I would make sure that vendors and Third-Party Risk Management providers adhere to strict SLAs and security standards to avoid supply chain disruptions. Regular security assessments and terminating service providers help mitigate vendor-related risks.

By implementing these protections, I would ensure a strong system availability, minimizing disruptions and reinforcing the company’s protection against cyber threats and operational failures.