In business and society today, we are too often focused on bolting on cybersecurity in a hyphenated manner. We want “security-enabled” this, “security-enhanced” that. But cybersecurity cannot be an add-on. Rather it must be built into every product and system from the moment it is conceived. To achieve such integration, we need to address four fundamental leadership challenges:
1) Real-time information sharing
The pace of the digital world continues to increase exponentially. To keep up, security professionals have to address threats and security weaknesses rapidly, before cybercriminals strike. Speed is fundamental to an effective cybersecurity strategy; cybersecurity systems must keep up with the increasing speed and volume of internet traffic. Speed of reaction is vital as well. Too often, there are long lag times in addressing cybersecurity problems. Criminals can – and do – take advantage of this.
But speed requires visibility. To act fast, we must share threat information in near real-time. Cybercrime has no borders. In a world that is so deeply interconnected by digital technology, cybersecurity and global security are the same thing. No single organization, public or private, can have a complete view of the entire cyber landscape. Senior leadership must insist organizations share information to put the pieces of the puzzle together. Otherwise, we will be flying blind.
