Latin America. In an increasingly fluctuating and challenging business environment, companies in Mexico and Central America must prioritize their ability to anticipate and react to operational, technological and security risks. This is how the research "Risks in Mexico and Central America 2025" exposes it.
"Strategic Management and Resilience in the Face of a Challenging Global Environment", carried out by KPMG Mexico, which highlights the most relevant factors of concern for the business sector in the region.
In the future, cyberattacks, fraud, theft, physical vulnerability, and geopolitical disruptions will dominate the risk landscape. In the medium and long term, companies recognize that the lag in innovation and digital transformation could become the main obstacle to the sustainability and competitiveness of their operations.
"Companies are more aware of the need to raise their level of resilience in the face of an increasingly challenging geopolitical, environmental and social landscape," says Juan Carlos Resendiz, Lead Partner of Corporate Governance, Risk and Compliance Advisory at KPMG Mexico.
Physical security and cybersecurity, business priorities
In Mexico, 69% of companies consider insecurity and the lack of the rule of law to be a critical risk. In Central America, 70% of organizations point to cyberattacks, fraud, and theft as their main concerns. These data reflect the urgent need to strengthen physical, electronic and digital security systems, as well as loss prevention and business continuity schemes.
"The success of corporate risk prevention measures depends on the participation of all levels of the organization," says Federico García, Risk Management Advisory Partner at KPMG Costa Rica.
In this context, providers of intelligent video surveillance, video analytics, access control, industrial cybersecurity, remote monitoring and automation of critical processes solutions become more relevant. These technologies allow organizations to act with agility in the face of incidents and optimize the response to security events or operational disruptions.
Technology: an opportunity not yet realized
Despite recognizing the importance of technological innovation, many companies have yet to implement key tools for risk management. According to the study, 39% of organizations in Mexico and 29% in Central America do not currently use technology enablers, although they have short-term investment plans.
"Having comprehensive and timely information is key in risk management, so taking advantage of technology appropriately will allow a timely response to situations that may affect the business," says José Carlos Ortiz, partner at KPMG Mexico.
Comprehensive risk management: policies, training and continuity
As mitigation measures, Mexican companies highlight continuous training (51%), the development of critical scenario management plans (38%) and the development of more robust internal policies (37%). In Central America, the strengthening of the business continuity plan (39%) and the formalization of internal frameworks for crisis action stand out.
In addition, the study shows that companies fear concrete consequences such as loss of customers (71% in Central America and 54% in Mexico), reconfiguration of the business model and suspension of capital investments, which reinforces the need to adopt technological solutions that support both operational security and strategic resilience.
The picture described by KPMG is clear: threats to enterprise security not only persist, but diversify and become more complex. This requires organizations in Mexico and Central America to adopt a comprehensive approach to risk management, incorporating advanced technology, strengthening their physical and cyber security, and developing internal capabilities to anticipate, mitigate, and respond to incidents.
In this scenario, the security industry has a key role as a strategic ally for the corporate sector. Innovation in protection, monitoring and operational continuity solutions will be decisive to build safer, more resilient and future-proof companies.
