How to resolve AdBlock issue? As digital infrastructure expands, FM regional boss warns ‘resilience cannot be left behind’
AS THE PACE of data centre and digital infrastructure development continues to accelerate, organisations are investing in resilience to protect this crucial industry, according to new research from Economist Enterprise, sponsored by FM.
Yet the global survey of 1,800 senior executives found a significant preparedness gap: only about 30% of organisations test compound-shock scenarios, despite increasingly interconnected risks across cyber, energy, climate, supply-chain and other systems. 
“Energy availability, climate exposures and growing digital dependence are creating a new set of challenges for business leaders,” FM operations manager for Australia and New Zealand, Andrew Stafford said.
“Resilience increasingly shapes how organisations think about growth, investment and long-term performance.”
Organisations across the digital infrastructure ecosystem are under pressure to move quickly, from developers and operators to tenants, investors and the partners that support them.
The opportunity is to strengthen long-term preparedness as they grow, manage costs and scale new technologies, helping ensure resilience and protection measures remain top of mind throughout every stage of a project’s lifecycle.
The global survey — covering 21 markets — found a persistent tension between resilience and near-term business priorities. While 75% said they have dedicated resilience funding in place, nearly seven in 10 respondents (69%) cite short-term financial and growth targets as a barrier to strengthening resilience further.
For many data centre tenants, growth, efficiency and AI-related priorities can sometimes compete with longer-term resilience objectives, underscoring the challenge of balancing immediate business demands with future preparedness.
The research shows the most significant disruptions increasingly emerge when risks interact, creating the potential for operational, financial and growth impacts that are difficult to anticipate when risks are assessed in isolation.
Interconnectivity a help and a hazard
The research has highlighted how digital infrastructure is becoming increasingly critical to business activity and increasingly interconnected with energy systems, supply chains and other physical infrastructure. More than nine in 10 respondents (91%) said they had experienced a material disruption during the past five years.
Cyber risk remains one of the most widely recognised threats, with 88% of respondents saying cyber-attacks could have a systemic impact on digital infrastructure and 87% identifying cyber-attacks as a likely source of disruption. In response, 91% of organisations are implementing cyber-security measures.
Energy availability is also emerging as a major challenge. More than three-quarters of respondents (77%) identified grid capacity constraints as both a likely source of disruption and a potential systemic challenge and 87% are adopting energy demand management strategies.
Despite the range of risks organisations face, the research suggests preparedness for multiple simultaneous disruptions remains less developed. This leaves many organisations testing individual threats in isolation, even as digital infrastructure becomes more exposed to cascading risks across cyber, energy, climate, supply chain and operational systems.
Other key findings
88% believe cyber attacks could have a systemic impact on digital infrastructure, while 87% identify cyber attacks as a likely source of disruption.
More than three-quarters (77%) identify grid capacity constraints as both a likely disruption risk and a potential systemic challenge.
91% have implemented cyber security measures to strengthen resilience.
87% have adopted measures to manage energy demand, highlighting growing concern about the relationship between digital infrastructure growth and power availability.
75% report having dedicated resilience funding or capital allocation in place.
69% cite short-term financial and growth targets as a barrier to further strengthening resilience.
Only around 30% test for compound-shock scenarios involving multiple interconnected risks.
Understanding risks across the system
“Our research shows how a single constraint, such as limited grid capacity or water scarcity, can have a cumulative, knock-on effect across the digital infrastructure ecosystem,” Economist Enterprise global head of thought leadership, Jonathan Birdwell said.
“The challenge is that each stakeholder in the value chain is more focused on securing their own facility or connection, whereas genuine resilience requires understanding how risks interact across the system.
“It also requires balancing the pace of growth with long-term constraints such as energy, land and technology,” he said.
“Closing the gap between where risk lives — at the level of the system — and where it is managed will be a defining challenge for the industry over the next decade,” Mr Birdwell said.
The Economist Enterprise research is available at:
About the research
Built for what’s next is an Economist Enterprise research program sponsored by global property insurer FM. It examines how risks across energy, people and technology combine to disrupt digital infrastructure, and how organisations can prepare for those shocks.
The analysis is based on expert interviews with global industry experts, an expert panel discussion and a survey of 1,800 senior executives from across the data centre value chain in 21 countries: Australia, Belgium, Canada, Denmark, France, Germany, Hong Kong, India, Italy, Malaysia, the Netherlands, Saudi Arabia, Singapore, South Korea, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, Thailand, the UAE, the UK and the US. The survey was conducted in February and April 2026.
The program is part of Economist Enterprise Resilient Futures leadership initiative, which aims to equip policy and business leaders with the evidence and clear thinking they need to abandon endless crisis management in favour of systemic redesign. https://www.economistgroup.com/press-centre/the-economist-group/the-economist-group-launches-economist-enterprise
Sponsor FM is a global company, established nearly two centuries ago, that today is a leading mutual insurance company with its capital, scientific research capability and engineering expertise solely dedicated to property risk management and the resilience of its policyholder-owners. These owners, who share the belief that the majority of property loss is preventable, represent many of the world’s largest organisations, including one of every four Fortune 500 companies. They work with FM to better understand the hazards that can impact their business continuity to make cost-effective risk management decisions, combining property loss prevention with insurance protection. More on FM is available on LinkedIn, Instagram and Facebook. www.fm.com
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