Critical Event Management in the Age of AI

A Conversation with Everbridge’s Dave Wagner and Bryan Barney

The operating environment for global organizations is undergoing a structural shift. Disruptions once seen as isolated anomalies are now recurring features of doing business — and their impact is compounded by interconnected markets, complex supply chains, and heightened regulatory scrutiny. As the cadence and complexity of these disruptions grow, the ability to detect, assess, and respond to critical events is emerging as an enterprise‑wide competency, not just an operational function.

In this BizTechReports vidcast interview, we present insights from Dave Wagner, President and CEO of Everbridge, and Bryan Barney, Chief Product Officer, on the evolving discipline of critical event management (CEM). Their perspectives illustrate how CEM has matured from an emergency alerting capability to a multi‑layered discipline encompassing governance, operational coordination, economic justification, and technology enablement.

This discussion is organized into four areas: 1) Strategic Imperatives, 2) Operational Implications, 3) Financial and Economic Outcomes, and 4) Technology Implementation Issues. Together, these offer a detailed look at how organizations can strengthen resilience in the AI era while aligning crisis preparedness with broader business performance goals.

Here is what they had to say:

STRATEGIC IMPERATIVES

BTR: From a strategic perspective, why has critical event management become a boardroom concern?

Wagner: Boards are becoming much more sophisticated in their assessment of risk. Frameworks that originated in cybersecurity are now propagating into physical security, business continuity, and crisis management. The planning group and the chief security officer are coming together more tightly than ever before. It’s about making sure that when a critical event occurs, you’re executing practiced motions — not starting from scratch.”

The strategic conversation has shifted. In years past, organizations tended to treat major disruptions as unpredictable outliers. Today, executives are forced to assume that disruptions will happen — the only question is how prepared they will be when they do. This mindset shift is transforming CEM into a continuous governance discipline.

BTR: How do you see the role of resilience evolving in corporate strategy?

Barney: We don’t live in a world where black swan events are black swan events anymore. They happen with a lot of frequency. Modern organizations must manage those events systemically, with the right tools and trained professionals, to maintain resilience.”

Strategically, resilience is being reframed as a competitive capability that underpins brand strength, investor confidence, and customer trust. It is also becoming a deciding factor in strategic partnerships, M&A due diligence, and regulatory compliance posture.

BTR: What about regulatory dynamics?

Wagner: Regulations matter, but the stories of success matter more — companies that invest in resilience not only avoid damage, they elevate their brand and strengthen market position.”

The regulatory environment — particularly in the EU with measures like the Digital Operational Resilience Act (DORA) — is formalizing resilience expectations. Yet the strongest organizations are not simply meeting these standards; they are embedding resilience in their enterprise risk frameworks in ways that go beyond compliance.

OPERATIONAL IMPLICATIONS

BTR: How is cross‑functional integration changing operational readiness?

Barney: Critical events are almost always a cross‑functional issue, and the response has to be cross‑functional. Getting modern organizations to operate that way isn’t always easy, but companies that take this seriously are getting quite good at it. Business continuity planning that integrates with critical event management keeps the plan current and front‑of‑mind for the people managing the security operations center.”

The traditional separation between physical and cyber security, between facilities management and IT operations, is giving way to shared responsibility models. CEM is most effective when embedded in operational routines, ensuring that intelligence gathering, escalation paths, and decision authority are clearly defined and practiced.

BTR: How important is training and simulation in this model?

Wagner: You can’t just have a plan sitting on a shelf. Tabletop exercises — structured simulations — are becoming essential. By joining business continuity planning with critical event management, the plan actually informs the response.”

Forward‑looking organizations are making simulation exercises a recurring operational requirement. These simulations increasingly incorporate real‑time threat intelligence and dynamic resource allocation models, giving teams a realistic environment in which to test their readiness.

BTR: What does that look like in practice?

Barney: In a modern SOC, you might run a simulation where a major weather event disrupts a regional supply chain. You’ll test not only your emergency communications but your ability to reroute materials, shift workloads, and maintain compliance. That’s operational resilience in action.

FINANCIAL AND ECONOMIC OUTCOMES

BTR: Resilience planning was once viewed purely as a cost. How is that changing?

Wagner: It was Ben Franklin who famously said an ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure. In today’s environment, that same ratio — one to 16 — is about what the studies show when you invest in resilience. Companies that invest in preparedness avoid damage, protect their revenue streams, and strengthen their brand.

The economic rationale for resilience is compelling. Analysts have noted that well‑prepared organizations often recover faster and lose less revenue during disruptions. Moreover, resilience capabilities can be a market differentiator, particularly in industries where customers depend on uninterrupted service.

BTR: Can you give an example of resilience as a competitive advantage?

Barney: Avoiding a prolonged outage, protecting customer access, and keeping the lights on isn’t just risk mitigation — it’s a competitive differentiator. We’ve seen companies that handle crises well actually gain market share.

The financial upside is often indirect but measurable. Proactive communication during a crisis can strengthen customer loyalty, protect long‑term contracts, and even position the organization as a trusted partner during competitors’ vulnerabilities.

BTR: Are boards starting to demand ROI metrics for resilience?

Wagner: Absolutely. The days of resilience being a vague insurance policy are over. Boards want to see metrics — reduction in downtime, time‑to‑recovery, customer retention rates post‑incident. That’s part of the governance evolution we’re talking about.

TECHNOLOGY IMPLEMENTATION ISSUES

BTR: How is AI changing the critical event management playbook?

Barney: Like almost every industry, AI is poised to transform ours. It’s particularly useful in generating risk events, helping you understand the world around you, and preparing for those threats. AI can bridge the gap between generic threat intelligence and the specific vulnerabilities of your organization.

AI is already enhancing risk detection and impact modeling. By processing large volumes of structured and unstructured data, AI can surface emerging threats sooner and suggest tailored mitigation strategies.

BTR: What about generative AI?

Wagner: Generative AI can accelerate message creation during a crisis. But we’re focused on the human decision‑maker. The human in the loop will continue to be the most important part of a proper crisis response.

Generative AI is proving useful for crafting incident‑specific communications at scale — but human oversight remains non‑negotiable to maintain trust, regulatory compliance, and operational accuracy.

BTR: Are there adoption hurdles?

Barney: One challenge is making sure AI is seen as an augmentation tool, not a replacement for experienced crisis managers. That’s partly a cultural shift, partly a training issue.”

Another challenge lies in integrating AI‑driven systems with existing infrastructure. AI‑enabled CEM platforms must connect with security tools, ERP systems, HR systems, and communications platforms to deliver real operational value.

Bottom Line

Critical event management is no longer an auxiliary security function — it’s a core enterprise discipline. The market is moving toward continuous resilience, where governance, operations, economics, and technology form an integrated capability. The winners in this environment will be those that:

• Treat resilience as a strategic asset, not a defensive expense.

• Embed CEM in cross‑functional operational routines.

• Justify resilience investments with clear economic metrics.

• Leverage AI and automation while preserving human oversight.