Most – 69 per cent – of senior security and IT executives say digital transformation is forcing fundamental changes to cybersecurity strategies. That is according to a second annual security survey by IT firm BMC, with Forbes Insights, the research practice of Forbes Media.
Financial and customer information, brand reputation, intellectual property, and employee information were also listed as critical assets to protect against security breaches. New business priorities and technologies also create challenges for IT and security teams, with 65pc of respondents indicating that public clouds have the biggest security implications.
The results of the survey of more than 300 C-level executives in North America and Europe also found that security transformation impacts the technology choices enterprises make to ward off cyber thieves; and the way companies organise internal stakeholders, assess risk, and prioritise future investments.
The survey organisers pointed to accountability and information sharing that must be addressed across organisations, with a focus on prevention, detection, and incident response – or you run the risk of falling prey to continued attacks. About half, 52pc of respondents indicate that accountability for security breaches has increased for their operations teams.
Bill Berutti, president of security and compliance at BMC, said: “Make no mistake, cybersecurity is a critical initiative across the board. Every company, government, and society is seeking new innovative paths to drive our digital future, but all are battling increased threats from phishing, ransomware, and known vulnerabilities. Businesses need to tear down security and operations walls – or keep getting hacked. BMC is continuing to deliver highly sophisticated SecOps solutions that are illustrating our commitment and leadership in addressing these top customer priorities.”
In 2016, enterprises placed greater emphasis on vulnerability discovery and breach remediation as a way to make themselves less attractive to hackers. Enterprises are prioritising the neutralisation of known risks, with 64pc of respondents indicating they plan to prioritise protecting against and responding to known security threats in the next 12 months.
Effective execution of known risks will enable teams to then focus on the unknown risks, or unplanned activities, it is claimed. Some 68 percent plan to enhance incident response capabilities in the next 12 months. The guiding principle is that enterprises should avoid as many incidents as possible by eradicating the known risks with systematic and effective execution, allowing them to focus the best resources at driving out any intruders that nevertheless find a way in.
As digital transformation pushes IT and security leaders to reevaluate their cybersecurity strategies, it is also affecting overall enterprise spending priorities. Some 74 percent of CIOs and CSOs say security was a higher priority in 2016 than in the previous year. And 82pc of executives plan to invest more in security in the coming year, recognising that company boards are more willing to increase in security investments if proposals come with solid business cases. BMC recommends enterprises act now or leave corporate assets vulnerable to hackers.
