The endpoint team gave me detailed guidance on the possible
performance degradation and alerts we could expect from another agent we were
placing on user devices in the pursuit of greater security. Later, the security
operations team asked for more resources to address an increasing number of
incoming alerts caused by our large security footprint.
The irony raised by these back-to-back meetings struck me,
and so I asked myself: “How many security tools do we have to protect our environment?”
Finding the answer was not as simple as I had hoped. But
when I was eventually told the approximate number, it was clear to me that we
had a problem – and I was part of that problem. People like me have been in the
industry long enough to have dealt with server sprawl and application sprawl.
Now, we were witnessing security sprawl.
It seems very logical in this world of rapid digital
transformation – where businesses and organizations face constant and evolving
digital threats – to deploy as many defenses as possible to ward off
cyberattacks. The more barriers in place, the more protected you are, right?
Well, I don’t believe I am alone when I say that it is a
logical fallacy to think that having more security tools means better security.
In fact, they could have the opposite effect, according to new research by IT
analyst firm, Frost & Sullivan.
“Understanding the Cybersecurity Threat Landscape in Asia
Pacific: Securing the Modern Enterprise in a Digital World” surveyed 1,300
respondents from 13 countries. This Microsoft-commissioned study drilled down
into how organizations in our region view, approach, and practice
cybersecurity.
One facet of the Study examined the experiences of
organizations with different levels of security in place. What it found might,
at first glance, seem counter-intuitive: Those that had gone to a lot of
expense and trouble to put a wide array of security measures in place often
encountered more security incidents than those with fewer defenses.
Moreover, they often took longer to recover from attacks.
Of the surveyed organizations set up with more than 50 cybersecurity solutions,
only 23% said they had been able to bounce back within an hour of a breach. For
the organizations with less than 10 cybersecurity solutions, the figure was
40%.
The truth of the matter is simple: The number of security
solutions you have won’t necessarily guarantee the safety of your data or
protect your business reputation. The reasons can vary, but often
over-complicated layers of complexity can make cybersecurity issues too hard
for some companies to handle effectively.
Organizations with a multitude of deployed security
solutions can find it difficult and expensive to have full visibility across
all environments. And, that leads to ineffective detection and response. It can
also result in a “passive defense posture” where complexity replaces agility
and effectiveness. In an ocean of alerts, which can easily overwhelm us, we
risk not taking fundamental security measures – such as basic cyber resilience
among employees, patch updates, poor password management, and movement of files
to insecure thumbdrives.
These are just a few of the things that can open the door
to threats, including the four this Study identified as being high-impact in
Asia Pacific:
• fraudulent
wire transfers;
• data
corruption;
• online
brand impersonation, which is when a cyber fraudster creates a bogus webpage or
a social media account, either to harm your brand or simply to gain the
confidence of your trusting customers;
• and data
exfiltration, whereby cybercriminals use various malicious ways to copy,
transfer, or retrieve data from computers or servers.
Most of the Study’s respondents knew about the dangers out
there and regarded them as real threats – with 59% saying cybercrime threats
had hindered them on their digital transformation journeys. But it is
problematic to learn what many were doing, or not doing, to manage the risks
and why.
Firstly, let’s look at the reasons why the organizations
surveyed thought it was a good idea to have a cybersecurity strategy in place.
Only 20% regarded cybersecurity as a powerful enabler of digital transformation
and the key to future business growth and success. In contrast, 41% simply
cited traditional and tactical reasons, like protection from attacks and
differentiating themselves from their competitors.
Most also said that when it came to creating new projects,
security issues were usually considered after – not before – launch.
In this regard, the Study supports an uncomfortable notion
that many of us know to be true: Many business decision-makers in our region
still cling to outmoded ways of managing risks, and this is leaving them
ill-informed and unprepared for mounting cybersecurity challenges that can
ultimately erode their growth prospects.
Digital transformation has made the need for safe and
trusted technology a front-and-center factor for business success. But too many
organizations still regard security as an add-on, or even an afterthought. Some
businesses resist the need to tackle security issues – even as cybercriminals
become more sophisticated and as traditional IT boundaries disappear with new
devices, apps, and data entering the workplace.
To succeed and thrive as digital enterprises in the years
to come, organizations must make security part of the natural flow of their
business processes and cycles. And, to ensure security, privacy, and
compliance, the protection of company data requires a new approach.
That is why Microsoft has a platform that looks
holistically across all the critical end-points of today’s cloud and mobile
world. It acts on the intelligence that comes from our security-related global
threat monitoring and insights. And, we have a vibrant ecosystem of partners
who help us raise the bar across the industry – helping to securely enable our
customers’ digital transformations.
Finally, there is the need for cultural change. The boards
of too many companies still pick up most of their information about what is
happening in cyber from what they read in the media. That’s just not detailed
enough to inform them of their specific risks and the mitigation strategies
they should be supporting. Increasing the dialogue on this topic amongst board
members and IT executives is critical for businesses to thrive in the era of
digital transformation and the inevitable consequences of cyberattacks.
The value proposition of cyber defense is changing.
Traditionally, it has been regarded as a cost. Now it should be seen as an
asset, simply because customers are demanding a level of security and trust.
The more companies digitize, and the more an economy becomes digitally led, the
more cybersecurity becomes a business enabler.
As security professionals, our jobs continue to get more
complicated and vital to our company’s survival. Use this study as a reminder
to ask you yourself two questions: How many security tools do I have to protect
my company? And, what role should security play in my company’s digital
transformation?
As Microsoft CEO Satya Nadella so eloquently states: “right
now Microsoft is probably on the right side of history”. Well, I believe we
security and IT professionals are also on the right side of history.
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