KPMG has recently released its annual “cyber considerations” report for 2020, titled “All Hands on Deck.” The report highlights six major cybersecurity trends and requirements that should be top of mind this year. They are:
- Automating essential tasks
- Improving the consumer authentication experience
- Preparing for new cloud threats
- Improving the business acumen of the security team
- Aligning business and security
- Preparing for more regulation
The ascendancy of these six specific priorities can largely be tied to the fact that enterprises are moving to the cloud at scale, moving sensitive applications and workloads into the cloud and launching new, transformative digital initiatives. The increasingly advanced threat landscape is another factor, as it injects uncertainty into these efforts.
The study notes that different cloud service providers provide entirely different native security tools, and this exacerbates visibility and coordination of efforts across the enterprise. The reality of the multi-cloud trend is that organizations must expend significant effort to integrate the security architecture across clouds and with the on-premises data center. The driver for this priority is the need to automate security processes to maximize the contributions of scarce cybersecurity talent and to demonstrate compliance with myriad regulations and standards. And all of this is driven by the need for IT—and cybersecurity—to be aligned with the priorities of the business.
The priority around consumer authentication revolves around customer experience, but keeping the interactions secure remains the top priority. Online brand loyalty is fickle, and as brick and mortar declines, those with the best customer experience will be successful. Reducing friction with authentication methods like biometrics and behavioral analysis will be a priority.
KPMG notes that aligning security with the business is a job for the entire security teams—not just the CISO. The report asserts that “[s]ecurity teams should regularly communicate with business leaders about what the organization needs to worry about in today’s evolving ecosystem.”
Written by The CISO Collective Editorial Team. Powered by Fortinet, Delivered by IT Vortex.