News stories about cybercrime are proliferating. It seems that there is no password that can’t be cracked, and no firewall that can’t be breached. Adding more will not add more security to your business. It’s time to move your cyber security efforts away from traditional defensive approaches towards a proactive stance aligned with business objectives.
Defending your digital business is becoming a dynamic strategic, activity. In today’s fast-moving digital world, security breaches can affect a company’s customers and reduce its ability to grow profitably. In a new report, Intelligent Security: Defending the Digital Enterprise, Accenture identifies the five most common issues that companies need at address to get started on building intelligent security:
- Link security to business: Tie security programs to overall business goals and actively engage all business stakeholders in the security conversation. Coordinated security functions with clear business performance indicators can help to change the entire organization’s view of security as simply an inhibitor or cost center.
- Think beyond compliance: Unfortunately, compliance does not ensure security. Companies should view it as the minimum acceptable cyber security “bar” they need to clear. Rather, they should align security programs with two key elements: the business itself and the nature of the threats the enterprise faces.
- Govern the extended enterprise: Cloud, mobile and social networking solutions are the “new normal” bedrock components of many mission-critical business systems. Companies should establish appropriate frameworks, policies and controls to protect these extended IT environments.
- Keep pace with persistent threats: Cyber security threats have no regard for compliance objectives, regulatory requirements or entities in charge of running the enterprise, cloud services or mobile and social platforms. Companies need to develop a dynamic approach including intelligence, analytics and response to deal with the widening variety of attacks.
- Finding and nurturing security talent: The shortage of skilled security staff is contributing to the current rise in security breaches, and yet according to CSID, listings for cyber security positions rose 73% in the five years through 2012. Companies need to develop and retain staff experienced in security architecture planning and design, tools and integration to increase the likelihood of successful outcomes.
If you want to find out how Accenture can help you build intelligent security for your digital business, please contact me
