Cyber resilience is fast becoming a measure of operational excellence, and Irish organisations have a clear opportunity to lead. PwC's 2027 Global Digital Trust Insights Survey, which gathered views from 3,934 business and technology executives across 71 countries and territories including Ireland, finds just 17% of Irish leaders strongly agree that cyber risk is integrated into enterprise risk management, against 41% globally. Only 23% strongly agree they regularly run realistic incident response exercises, compared with 41% worldwide.

The survey is a risk management roadmap as much as a readiness benchmark. Leonard McAuliffe, Partner, Cybersecurity and Privacy at PwC Ireland, said closing the gap supports clearer ownership and better-informed investment decisions. Cyber resilience, he noted, should become a business capability embedded in C-suite decision-making from the outset. Three themes stand out: AI governance, third-party resilience, and board-level ownership.

AI governance comes first. Irish leaders are notably measured: just 6% would authorise fully autonomous AI agents for cyber defence, against 22% globally, while 37% would let agents recommend actions subject to human approval. Some 69% cite AI reliability and maturity as a top-three barrier to greater autonomy, compared with 55% globally. On quantum security, 68% of Irish respondents are piloting, testing, or exploring quantum-resistant measures, against 65% globally.

Third-party resilience and supply chain management form the second theme. Globally, 91% of organisations report material obstacles. Irish organisations are responding: 51% plan to strengthen third-party and supply-chain risk management, 51% will localise critical infrastructure, and 49% intend to expand threat intelligence and geopolitical monitoring. Moira Cronin, Digital Risk and Resilience Partner at PwC Ireland, described third-party resilience as a business challenge, not an isolated supplier-management issue.

Board-level ownership is the third. Some 43% of Irish respondents strongly agree that cyber risk is a standing board agenda item, against 47% globally, and 40% say the same of executive meetings, compared with 45%. Globally, only 39% of leaders have a fully formalised operational continuity plan addressing cyber threats. Yet 84% of global leaders expect cyber budgets to rise in 2027, up from 78%, so investment momentum is strong.

Three practical steps follow for Irish business leaders. First, integrate cyber risk into enterprise risk management with clear executive ownership. Second, run realistic incident response exercises regularly and link them to business continuity plans. Third, map critical third parties and decide, as Cronin suggests, whether to mitigate a resilience gap, explicitly accept the risk, or find an alternative.

PwC's findings show Irish organisations are cautious, deliberate, and ready to act. The gap is real, but so is momentum. Those that embed cyber risk in enterprise decision-making, test their responses, and govern AI with confidence will turn operational resilience into lasting advantage in Ireland and across global markets.