[OR] [AmB] [E2] [P1] [S3] [C5] Developing Strategy and Roadmap

Develop Strategy and Roadmap: Bridging the Gap to Resilience at AmBank Malaysia

(Part of the “Plan” Phase in Operational Resilience for Metrobank)

Introduction

The “Develop Strategy and Roadmap” stage is a crucial component of the “Plan” phase in AmBank Malaysia’s Operational Resilience Planning Methodology.

This stage ensures that insights from prior assessments—such as business impact analysis (BIA), risk assessment, and dependency mapping—are translated into a structured plan that aligns with AmBank’s strategic goals.

By bridging the gap between the current state and the desired level of operational resilience, this stage creates a practical, actionable roadmap for strengthening AmBank’s ability to withstand disruptions and continue critical business services.

Implementation Steps

Define Resilience Objectives and Strategic Priorities

Purpose: Establish clear resilience objectives that align with AmBank’s business strategy, regulatory requirements, and risk appetite.

Implementation:

• Set measurable resilience goals, such as reducing recovery time objectives (RTOs) for critical banking services.
• Prioritise areas for resilience enhancement based on previous assessments, focusing on high-impact functions such as core banking systems, payment processing, and regulatory reporting.
• Ensure alignment with Bank Negara Malaysia (BNM) guidelines on operational resilience.

Example:

If a prior assessment identified real-time payment processing as a critical function vulnerable to cyber threats, the resilience objective might be:

“Ensure that the real-time payment system can recover within 30 minutes of a cyber disruption, meeting regulatory requirements and minimising customer impact.”

Develop Resilience Strategies for Critical Business Services

Purpose: Establish specific strategies to enhance resilience across critical areas such as people, processes, technology, and third-party dependencies.

Implementation:

• Technology Resilience: Implement backup systems, data replication, and cloud-based recovery solutions.
• Process Resilience: Develop alternative workflows for disrupted services.
• Workforce Resilience: Cross-train employees and establish backup teams.
• Third-Party Resilience: Engage with key vendors to ensure alignment with AmBank’s resilience expectations.

Example:

To ensure uninterrupted digital banking services, AmBank might adopt a hybrid cloud strategy, allowing seamless failover to a secondary cloud provider in the event of a primary data center outage.

Define Key Milestones and Timelines

Purpose: Establish a phased approach to implementing resilience strategies with defined timelines and milestones.

Implementation:

• Break down the roadmap into short-term (0–6 months), medium-term (6–18 months), and long-term (18+ months) goals.
• Assign responsibilities across business units, technology teams, and risk management.
• Integrate resilience initiatives into AmBank’s annual strategic planning cycle.

Example:

A short-term goal could be implementing an enhanced incident response framework for cybersecurity threats. A medium-term goal might involve conducting resilience testing for AmBank’s digital banking infrastructure.

Align the Roadmap with Regulatory Requirements

Purpose: Ensure that the operational resilience strategy complies with local and international regulations.

Implementation:

• Map resilience initiatives to BNM’s Risk Management in Technology (RMiT) guidelines and other relevant regulatory frameworks.
• Develop a compliance checklist to track progress against regulatory expectations.
• Establish governance structures, such as a Resilience Steering Committee, to oversee implementation.

Example:

If BNM mandates a maximum recovery time for critical services, AmBank could integrate this requirement into its technology resilience strategy, ensuring compliance through regular testing and audits.

Secure Leadership Buy-In and Allocate Resources

Purpose: Obtain executive approval and ensure adequate resources for successful implementation.

Implementation:

• Present the resilience roadmap to senior leadership with a business case demonstrating ROI.
• Secure funding for key initiatives such as cyber resilience enhancements and third-party risk assessments.
• Integrate resilience KPIs into leadership performance metrics.

Example:

If AmBank’s executives are concerned about financial impacts, presenting cost-benefit analyses of investing in AI-driven fraud detection or automated incident response can strengthen the case for resilience funding.

Establish Monitoring and Continuous Improvement Mechanisms

Purpose: Ensure resilience strategies remain effective amid evolving threats and business changes.

Implementation:

• Define key performance indicators (KPIs) for tracking resilience progress.
• Conduct regular resilience testing, including simulated cyberattacks and disaster recovery exercises.
• Integrate resilience monitoring into AmBank’s enterprise risk management (ERM) framework.

Example:

AmBank could implement an automated resilience dashboard tracking system to monitor uptime, incident response times, and recovery success rates, ensuring continuous oversight.

The “Develop Strategy and Roadmap” stage transforms assessments into action, creating a structured path toward operational resilience at AmBank Malaysia.

By setting clear objectives, defining strategic priorities, and aligning efforts with regulatory expectations, AmBank can enhance its ability to anticipate, withstand, and recover from disruptions.

This roadmap serves as the foundation for the next phase: Implementation and Testing, where strategies are put into practice and resilience is rigorously validated.

Gain Competency: For organisations looking to accelerate their journey, BCM Institute’s training and certification programs, including the OR-5000 Operational Resilience Expert Implementer course, provide in-depth insights and practical toolkits for effectively embedding this model.