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through partners and vendors, that number rises to 70 percent when organizations are asked if they see
the same as a risk they will have to deal with in the next two years.

It’s not all doom and gloom; the research also goes into detail about what companies are doing correctly
to keep cybersecurity on pace with digital maturity.

- Education is key; 87 percent of companies reported that general staff represented the greatest
cyber risk within their organizations. More cyber- mature organizations invest in continuous
training that bakes security into the culture of the organization, not only a quick onboarding.
- Investment is crucial; however, even more important is a well-rounded and evolving investment
strategy. Too much investment in technology without investment in skilled cybersecurity talent is
a recipe for disaster; however, the reverse is true too – not even the most skilled cybersecurity
talent can function effectively without the right tools of the trade.
- Engagement is necessary. This engagement should be at the C-suite and board levels.
Companies should consider recruiting leaders with information technology and cybersecurity
expertise. An organization must ensure that the leadership team is given a clear picture of cyber
preparedness, improvements in risk identification and knowledge of the cyber talent/technology
portfolio of the organization.
The impact of cybersecurity incidents is disruptive – to operations, finances and reputation. The stakes
are too high for organizations to not have well-rounded cybersecurity plans in place connected to their
overall digital maturity. Business leaders must embrace network security just as readily as they embrace
new avenues of digital customer interaction, and The Cybersecurity Imperative shows that they are not
alone in this journey.

About the Author

Joe Gittens is the director of standards for the Security Industry
Association. In this capacity, he is the staff liaison in direct support of the
various technical efforts underway in the SIA Standards subcommittees
and working groups. Joe provides leadership in assessing and educating
SIA members on emerging technologies that require the industry’s
attention – advancing the continued convergence of physical and
information security. He was recognized as a 2016 American National
Standards Institute Next Generation Standards award winner for his
work with SIA and liaising with other standards development
organizations. Joe holds degrees in mechanical engineering and
economics from the University of Virginia and spent his early career
performing technical research in various fields ranging from information
technology to financial services.

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