CXOInsights by CXOCIETY
CXOInsights by CXOCIETY
PodChats for FutureCFO: How CFOs can finance cyber resilience for data-driven growth
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In 2026, APAC CFOs face a stark reality: AI and cloud expansions are fueling explosive data-driven growth, yet 76% of regional organisations suffered material cyberattacks in the past year. These incidents trigger 90% revenue hits, 89% ransom payments (40% exceeding US$1M), 73% earnings guidance adjustments for public firms, and 74% of private firms diverting growth budgets to recovery. Slow restores (97% >24 hours) and “data icebergs” expose hidden vulnerabilities.
Cyber resilience is now a core financial imperative. By reallocating budgets toward AI-powered detection, validated recovery, and response capabilities—at least one-third of cyber spend per Cohesity predictions—CFOs protect revenue streams, ensure PDPA compliance, safeguard market confidence, and unlock safe innovation. Financing resilience isn’t a cost; it’s the enabler of sustainable 2026 ambitions.
In this PodChats for FutureCFO, Eric Brown, CFO and COO at Cohesity shares his views on How CFOs can finance cyber resilience for data-driven growth.
1. With APAC enterprises accelerating AI and cloud investments for 2026 growth, what emerging data vulnerabilities are CFOs most underestimating, and how are these “data icebergs” creating hidden financial risks?
2. Cohesity’s recent APAC research shows 76% of organisations faced material cyberattacks with 90% reporting revenue impact—what specific financial consequences (downtime, ransom, churn, regulatory fines) are CFOs now modelling in their 2026 forecasts?
3. What shifting Board expectations are forcing CFOs to treat cyber resilience as a balance-sheet issue rather than an IT line item? Any one recommendation for responding to this?
4. From your observations, how are finance leaders beginning to co-own cyber strategies with CISOs, and what governance frameworks are proving most effective? Is this repeatable in APAC?
5. With 78% of global organisations (per PwC) planning cyber budget increases in 2026 and Cohesity predicting at least one-third reallocation to response/recovery, how should APAC CFOs prioritise and phase these investments without derailing growth initiatives?
6. What practical checklist can APAC CFOs use in Q1 2026 to audit data risks across hybrid/cloud environments, including ransomware readiness and PDPA compliance?
7. How can CFOs quantify and measure the ROI of cyber resilience investments—particularly AI-driven backups and immutable recovery—so they can justify them to boards amid tight capital allocation?
8. Given APAC’s position as the region with the highest volume of cyberattacks globally, what unique regional factors (data sovereignty, sovereign cloud trends, regulatory fragmentation) should Singapore-based CFOs factor into their 2026 resilience strategies?
9. Looking at organisations that recovered fastest post-attack, what common decision-making traits distinguish “risk-ready” finance leaders from those still exposed?
10. For APAC CFOs balancing aggressive 2026 revenue growth targets with escalating cyber threats, any advice on making cyber resilience a competitive advantage rather than a drag on innovation?
