Operational Resilience – An Overview

The implementation of the EU’s Digital Operational Resilience Act (DORA) is progressing rapidly, while UK financial services firms are under growing pressure from regulators like the FCA and PRA to demonstrate stronger digital resilience. One question remains central: Are we genuinely operationally resilient?

Having worked directly on developing the IT Risk Management Framework required under Article 6 of DORA for a major insurer, I’ve seen first-hand that compliance is only part of the equation. True resilience demands a holistic, strategic approach, extending well beyond policy documents and into cultural change and continuous improvement.

In 2025, the regulatory focus will shift from mere compliance to demonstrating operational resilience in action—supported by smart processes and robust technology.

Beyond Compliance: What Operational Resilience Really Means

DORA, alongside UK regulatory frameworks and broader global finance IT compliance legislation, challenges firms to move beyond traditional IT risk thinking. Operational resilience now means ensuring that critical business services remain available—no matter the disruption.

This calls for a shift in how firms view governance, risk, and continuity—embedding risk intelligence into every layer of the organisation. Solutions like IBM OpenPages with Watson are increasingly being adopted to meet these complex demands.

Key Components of Operational Resilience:

1. Identification of Critical Business Services

Understanding which services are vital to business continuity is foundational. IBM OpenPages IT Governance enables enterprises to map business services to underlying IT assets, infrastructure, and personnel—creating a real-time picture of resilience-critical dependencies. This mapping is a key focus in any data compliance and governance tools review when selecting platforms that support evolving regulatory needs.

2. Scenario Testing and Impact Tolerances

DORA and the PRA both mandate the ability to define disruption thresholds and test them rigorously. IBM OpenPages provides tooling to develop realistic scenarios, document tolerances, and test across departments. This allows organisations to prepare more holistically—especially those navigating global finance IT compliance legislation.

3. Incident Response and Recovery

Manual response processes introduce risk and delay. A leading asset manager was fined for failing to notify regulators promptly due to outdated workflows. IBM OpenPages offers automated incident response and escalation workflows, helping firms reduce regulatory risk and respond with speed and precision.

4. Third-Party Risk Oversight

With increasing ICT outsourcing, third-party risk remains a significant vulnerability. IBM OpenPages Third-Party Risk Management enables firms to track supplier contracts, data residency, and concentration risk via a Register of Information—a DORA requirement.

5. Communication Protocols

Stakeholder trust during disruptions hinges on transparency. OpenPages supports centralised documentation, status dashboards, and escalation chains to ensure consistent internal and external messaging during crises.

Practical Steps for Resilience in 2025

Financial institutions across the EU and UK can take the following steps—many of which are streamlined through IBM OpenPages:

• Ensure your mapping of critical services is continuously updated. Map dependencies to IT systems and third parties, and reflect them in your IT risk register.
• Develop scenario libraries. Leading financial institutions are building repositories of scenarios with varying levels of severity and duration—using OpenPages to facilitate cross-functional collaboration.
• Automate incident response and recovery planning. Tools like OpenPages allow firms to set triggers, streamline investigations, and automate reporting—a key area flagged in recent data compliance and governance tools reviews.
• Strengthen cybersecurity as a pillar of resilience. OpenPages integrates with cybersecurity systems and policies to offer visibility across digital risk vectors.
• Protect your data assets. Sensitive data should be identified, secured, and governed through frameworks supported by OpenPages—essential for both resilience and regulatory scrutiny.
• Embed a culture of resilience. Training staff and encouraging proactive risk reporting is just as important as technology. OpenPages enables distributed access and role-based permissions, helping embed governance throughout the business.
• Ensure all processes are documented and auditable. Regulatory bodies increasingly require evidence of not just controls, but also governance workflows.
• Implement the IT Risk Management Framework in line with DORA Article 6 using OpenPages to orchestrate tasks, controls, owners, and remediation paths.

Technology as a Resilience Enabler

As resilience becomes both a regulatory imperative and a competitive differentiator, firms are turning to AI-powered GRC platforms like IBM OpenPages with Watson. These tools allow institutions to respond faster, scale governance practices, and simplify the burden of regulatory reporting.

OpenPages is particularly relevant for firms navigating enterprise IT governance of AI, as it enables traceability and accountability across AI-driven processes. This is increasingly vital as firms deploy AI models in critical business functions—and must demonstrate both control and compliance in regulated environments.

Looking Ahead: Resilience as a Strategic Asset

In 2025 and beyond, operational resilience will define the winners in financial services. It’s no longer just a compliance checkbox—it’s a reflection of an enterprise’s capability to manage uncertainty, protect stakeholders, and retain trust.

With IBM OpenPages, resilience becomes an integrated and strategic function—empowering organisations to not only survive disruption but to thrive despite it.

About Aligne’s IT Risk Services

Aligne’s IT Risk services form a key component of our Risk Advisory offering, empowering enterprises to build resilience and manage uncertainties effectively. Drawing on deep expertise in GRC (Governance, Risk & Compliance), our team helps design frameworks customised to a client’s specific risk appetite, optimising resource allocation while reinforcing IT governance and cybersecurity. Whether it’s enhancing operational resilience or safeguarding digital assets, Aligne delivers a structured approach to IT risk management that ensures clarity and control across your organisation.

We complement advisory services with advanced technology implementations, seamlessly integrating leading GRC platforms—including IBM OpenPages—to ensure robust IT governance, data quality, and regulatory compliance. From third-party risk assessments to incident response planning, Aligne provides tailored support and scalable solutions, helping clients transform IT risks into strategic opportunities.

Interested to find out more? Get in touch at contact@techstories.ai