Stuart Jubb, Group Managing Director, introduces our recent report following a survey of over 200 senior cybersecurity professionals and in depth interviews with industry experts. Called 'Strategy and collaboration – a better way forward for effective cybersecurity', the report explores what key issues look like to those who deal with them on a daily basis and concludes with our considered recommendations on how they can best be tackled.
There's a perfect storm facing the world of cybersecurity: escalating cyber-attacks and rapid technological innovation leave companies stretched thin, trying to defend themselves against threats using existig technology, while simultaneously having to understand and secure new tools and services. Even with enhanced cybersecurity tools at their disposal, organisations are more exposed than ever.
Threat actors are organised and determined, so cybersecurity teams
must match them to defend against them. Hackers collaborate, so organisations must too. Yet, as our research makes clear, at present this is happening only to a limited extent. This is particularly true in terms of collaboration, which happens only informally, according to chief information security officers (CISOs) who we spoke to for this report. Increased and better collaboration is vital to a more cybersecure future.
Cybersecurity is a systemic issue that demands a strategic response. But too many organisations are still struggling to get the basics right and are too overwhelmed by day-to-day challenges to plan effectively for the future. That’s the key finding from our survey of more than 200 senior cybersecurity professionals, backed up by in-depth interviews with academics and cybersecurity experts as well as CISOs themselves.
Stuck in firefighting mode, CISOs are constantly chasing the next technology solution, which is never enough. New tools can help, but they need to be deployed as part of a robust strategy, and reinforced with considered and deeply embedded processes and policies if they are to have a notable effect. Instead, cybersecurity teams find themselves stuck solving the same problems again and again. A new and more strategic approach that focuses on forward planning is required to tackle these real and concerning problems head-on. After all, a strategy that only lasts a matter of months really isn’t a strategy at all.
To find out more about the survey findings and our recommendations for a way forward for more effective cybersecurity, read the report. As Group Managing Director of Crossword, I hope you find it valuable.
Stuart