SecurityBrief Asia - Technology news for CISOs & cybersecurity decision-makers
Story image
Managing complex risks to protect enterprise assets
Thu, 7th Dec 2017
FYI, this story is more than a year old

There are two major trends occurring simultaneously in the enterprise space but the challenge to fit both of them together can cripple a business.

Those are the words from Eclipse (a DXC Technology company), which says that both digital transformation and cybersecurity threats are both gaining momentum.

“The digitisation of work has delivered significant productivity improvements and has helped businesses improve their ability to compete in a global marketplace. Automating processes that were previously done manually frees up people to add value elsewhere in the business, so companies are getting a better return on their investment in people and in systems,” comments DXC Eclipse global director Microsoft, Paul Timmins.

Eclipse says that digital systems for all aspects of work are part of a necessary evolution that allows people to be productive in locations other than the office. It also delivers more value in less time and can eliminate (or reduce) errors arising from manual tasks.

Facilitating the changes behind that evolution can be a complex challenges for organisations' IT teams, Eclipse explains. Those teams are scrambling to protect myriad endpoint devices that connect to the corporate network for all sorts of purposes.

“Insufficient data security can cripple a business. Beyond the direct results of a cybersecurity attack, which can bring systems down and make it impossible for the business to operate, there are far-reaching consequences. These can range from reputational damage to financial losses and this has put IT security on top of on the boardroom agenda,” Timmins says.

Eclipse acknowledges that board members, CEOs and CIOs do recognise that cybersecurity is important to their organisation's bottom line. As a result, they are demanding more involvement and information so they can keep their business safe from criminals.

The company also says that board members, CEOs and CIOs also understand that digital transformation must include security of all their information assets.

Information assets include data, customer information, trade secrets, inventory and supply chain information. Organisations must not put their customers or suppliers at risk, Eclipse explains.

“While organisations might have standards and policies in place, the reality is people don't always adhere to them, or they find workarounds. Smart organisations are quickly realising that this is not acceptable anymore, and that they need to take appropriate steps to ensure that information systems are architected from the ground up with security in mind,” Timmins says.

“This is essential for business process transformation and to combat the rising cybersecurity threat,” he concludes.