1. Cyber security vs cyber resilience
Hive Barometers are based on detailed surveys conducted with Retail Hive members. Each edition gives a clear snapshot of how retailers are thinking and acting today, and what conditions might be coming over the horizon
Retail has entered a new phase of cyber risk, one shaped not just by increasingly sophisticated threats, but by the scale and speed of digital transformation in the sector itself. The question is no longer whether attacks will happen, but whether organisations have the operational capability to contain and recover from them when they do.
Digital estates are expanding rapidly as platforms, integrations and third-party dependencies multiply. Yet cyber teams are often expected to manage this growing complexity without structural change to operating models.
Governance is improving and leadership awareness is rising, but operational resilience is not keeping pace with exposure. In many organisations, cyber is still framed as an insurance function rather than a capability that underpins commercial continuity. Recent incidents have made the stakes tangible. Disruption now cascades into supply chains, customer experience and workforce stability. The challenge for retail leaders is not simply to invest more, but to rethink how resilience is designed into the business.
This barometer, produced with Tanium, examines where retail genuinely stands and where the gaps between governance ambition and operational reality are widest.