AI-Enabled Smart ICT Infrastructure: Building Resilient Networks for a Disaster-Ready Future By Kiran Elias
DEFINING RESILIENCE IN THE ICT CONTEXT
solutions. This includes AI-powered predictive maintenance systems that can detect degrading components before they fail, preventing a minor issue from escalating into a major service interruption. For preparedness, the model emphasizes the use of technologies to build resilience into planning stages, which accounts for roughly two-thirds of AI's potential to prevent natural disaster costs. 1 Real-time monitoring and early-warning systems, enabled by the internet of things (IoT) and AI, are fundamental components of this phase. During a disaster response phase, ICT infrastructure is a lifeline. Swift, agile, and flexible communication and data management systems are required to manage surges in demand and coordinate resources. Real-time data processing and analysis provide situational awareness to emergency responders, helping them to quickly assess damage and allocate resources efficiently. Finally, in the recovery phase, technologies like AI can rapidly assess damages, allowing leaders to swiftly restart critical economic activity and rebuild communities. The model supports the cyclical nature of recovery, where rebuilding and response often happen simultaneously. TECHNOLOGICAL AGILITY: HARNESSING THE POWER OF IOT, AI, AND EDGE COMPUTING The "smart" component of this model is enabled by the synergistic integration of three core technologies: the IoT, AI, and edge computing (Table 1). Their value is not in their individual application, but in their combined ability to create a continuously aware, self-optimizing, and resilient system. • IoT : IoT provides the sensory layer of the smart infrastructure. It involves connected devices such as sensors, drones, and communication tools that gather and analyze data in real time. These sensors can be deployed in disaster-prone areas to monitor environmental changes, such as water levels or seismic activity, providing the foundation for early warning systems. Case studies show how IoT sensors and satellite imagery were used to create Thailand Flood Sensorweb and how IoT-enabled
Resilience in critical infrastructure is defined as the ability to adapt to changing conditions, withstand, and rapidly recover from disruption. It is the capacity of a system to resist, absorb, accommodate, adapt, transform, and recover in a timely and efficient manner from hazards. This article is structured around the four-phase disaster management cycle: prevention & mitigation, preparedness, response, and recovery (i.e., PPRR model).
Prevention & Mitigation : Proactive measures to prevent a disaster or reduce its potential impact.
• Preparedness : Planning and implementing strategies to prepare for a disaster before it occurs.
• Response : Actions during or immediately upon a disaster to save lives and protect property.
• Recovery : Restoring and redeveloping a system to its pre-disaster state or adapting to a new and resilient one. THE PURPOSE OF THE SCALABLE MODEL This article intends to present a vendor-neutral, globally-applicable model for ICT infrastructure that transitions from a reactive to a proactive posture. The model is designed for special premises such as airports, stadiums, and hospitals, due to their status as critical public services and their unique operational demands. By demonstrating how a cohesive, integrated framework can be tailored to these diverse environments, the PPRR model provides a universal blueprint for enhancing resilience in any critical facility. FOUNDATIONAL PILLARS OF THE RESILIENT ICT MODEL RESILIENCE LIFECYCLE: PREVENTION, PREPAREDNESS, RESPONSE, RECOVERY The proposed model is a strategic framework built to support every phase of the disaster lifecycle. In the mitigation and prevention phase, smart infrastructure systems provide preventative, detective, and responsive
In an era where ICT is the lifeblood of nations, our networks face unprecedented threats—from climate extremes and cyberattacks to urban congestion. This article explores a groundbreaking, scalable resilience model, proven in the UAE with an extensive reduction
of modern critical infrastructure. A failure in one system can have cascading effects on others, disrupting essential services and jeopardizing public safety. The technologies that enable modern society, from power grids to transportation systems, are becoming increasingly dependent on a robust ICT backbone. Consequently, a holistic approach is essential, one that transcends siloed defenses to achieve a unified strategy for resilience. This is why experts now include data storage and processing systems as part of critical infrastructure, recognizing their growing centrality in modern societies. The ICT infrastructure has become a "lifeline system," intimately linked with a community's economic well-being, security, and social fabric. in field faults. Discover how shared infrastructure, climate-hardened components, AI-driven monitoring, and hybrid power systems are forging future-ready networks, offering a vital blueprint for global stability and economic continuity.
THE CRITICALITY OF ICT IN AN AGE OF CASCADING FAILURES The Evolving Threat Landscape
The global landscape is characterized by an increasing frequency and intensity of hazards, encompassing both natural disasters and sophisticated, human- driven threats. Over the past 15 years, natural disasters have resulted in an average of nearly $200 billion in annual infrastructure losses, a figure projected to increase to approximately $460 billion by 2050. 1 This evolving threat profile is compounded by the rising danger of hybrid attacks, where adversaries leverage both physical and electronic means to inflict compounded harm. A central challenge is the interconnectedness
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ICT TODAY
January/February/March 2026
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