The statistics from the Coalition's 2023 Cyber Claims Report underscore the escalating challenges that businesses encounter in the realm of cybersecurity. Adhering to industry regulations necessitates a concerted focus on maintaining credible backups, both operationally and offline. This approach serves as a critical layer of defense against both 'everyday' incidents and the increasingly prevalent ransomware threats.

However, the effectiveness of backup measures relies heavily on the existence of a robust testing strategy. This imperative involves comprehensive assessments of both applications and the supporting infrastructure. It goes beyond merely checking boxes; instead, it necessitates validating the entire system's capability to recover effectively in the event of an incident.

Testing protocols should encompass a spectrum of scenarios, including simulated ransomware attacks, to ensure the resilience of applications and their interdependencies. Relying solely on storage solutions may prove inadequate, as comprehensive recovery extends beyond data restoration to encompass the functionality and integrity of applications.

In conclusion, while maintaining credible backups is essential, the true resilience of an organization lies in a well-designed and thoroughly tested recovery strategy that spans applications and infrastructure. This proactive approach is paramount for ensuring the effectiveness of cybersecurity defenses and the ability to recover swiftly from unforeseen incidents.  Within the z-ecosystem, software such IBM Z Batch Resiliency - NOT JUST BATCH - (IZBR) plays a critical role both operationally and for cyber events.