Zscaler, Inc. the leader in cloud security, today released the findings of a research report which reveals that businesses often neglect the personal resilience of their IT and security employees while prioritising technological and operational resilience in the face of growing cyber disruptions. This oversight poses significant risks to operations, from costly downtime to weakened business continuity, at a time when resilience is more critical than ever.

The report, ‘The Missing Link: Why Investing in the Resilience of Your People is Imperative for Business Continuity’ underscores the human impact of escalating cyber threats and workplace pressures. Many IT professionals report feeling underprepared and unsupported by their organization. Nearly half (47 percent) of the respondents describe themselves as only “somewhat resilient" or worse, while 50 percent believe that their organizations aren’t aware of the day-to-day stressors of major security incidents or disruptive IT events in their working lives. Inferring that this lack of awareness may be conscious, 51 percent don’t believe that their employers care about their personal resilience in the first place. 

“At Zscaler, we believe that the best cyber resilience strategies feature three key elements: processes, technology, and people,” said James Tucker, Head of CISOs in Residence at Zscaler EMEA. “However, while companies understand only too well how technology and operational processes affect continuity strategies, that last element is frequently overlooked. Everyone’s so focused with technology in continuity planning, but they ignore the human factor, as if it's optional.” 

With 43 percent of IT professionals saying that their organizations do not recognize the link between personal resilience and overall business resilience, it is unsurprising that little attention is being paid to monitoring personal resilience. According to respondents, only 37 percent of organizations explicitly measure individual resilience through employee surveys, and less than a third (29 percent) measure levels of individual resilience at all. 

James Tucker continued: “Enterprises not only need reliable cloud based security solutions like the Zero Trust Exchange platform, but must also consider the resilience of the professionals responsible for executing their business resilience strategies. In a volatile environment of relentless cyber threats, continuous workplace disruptions, and the ongoing pressure of digital transformation, personal resilience could become the element that tips the scales of your resilience strategy that makes the difference between success and failure.” 

Zscaler is on a mission to help enterprises harness the ‘Resilience Factor’, the ability to withstand adversity, adapt operations, and thrive in uncertainty. The report offers a comprehensive roadmap for businesses looking to cultivate resilience not just as a technical imperative, but as a leadership and cultural strength. It also introduces practical tools to help business leaders get started, including an interactive Resilience Superpower Quiz designed to uncover participants’ resilience personality type and superpower.

To download the full report, please visit the landing page for ‘The Missing Link: Why Investing in the Resilience of Your People is Imperative for Business Continuity’.

Methodology: 

Zscaler and research partner INFUSE reached out to IT and security professionals throughout the EMEA region from February through April 2025. A total of 206 qualified respondents completed the survey.