Duncan Brown
Research Director, European Security Practice
Digital transformation (DX) is the biggest driver of IT across Europe. Importantly, DX is a business-led initiative often championed by the CEO – what this means is that DX programmes and projects happen, whether IT and security operations are involved or not.
DX involves the use of four pillar technologies: cloud, mobile, social and big data/analytics. These technologies are combined to create business process innovation by changing the ways in which organizations engage with customers, partners and suppliers, and employees. DX also has the effect of eroding traditional organizational perimeters: cloud and mobility render perimeters particularly porous. Security operations cannot afford to attempt to block the use of cloud and mobile: users will find a way around barriers, because of the business imperatives in play. If security operations cannot stop DX, what should they do?
The answer is to engage in Digital Security. Digital Security is IDC’s term for a range of processes and technologies that secure DX. Some of this involves deploying new types of technology to secure cloud and mobile. Applying traditional signature- and perimeter-based technologies are insufficient in this era of a dynamic threat landscape. New technologies that help organizations to discover assets and protect them quickly and robustly are necessary.
But often Digital Security involves new thinking and new processes. For example, cloud is not inherently insecure (as some commentators assert). The cloud is at least, if not more, secure than most organizations could affordably achieve using on-premise capability. But it is different, requiring different technologies and approaches that are non-traditional. Contractual obligations and liabilities need to be hammered out, and with the application of GDPR looming focus on data location and data transfers becomes business-critical.
Digital Security is an important concept for all organizations to grasp as they progress their DX initiatives. IDC’s Digital Security conference in March 2017 is a great opportunity to learn more about the topic, to hear from IDC’s experts, network with peers and get updated on the latest technology innovations and solutions.
In anticipation of the Conference, and to give you some insights and facts about Security across Mobile and Cloud, we are hosting a complimentary webcast on December 13, at 2 pm GMT. Watch Duncan‘s invitation below and contact him for more info on this topic.
