Security Strategy Is Now Part Of Tech Strategy And Not An Afterthought

Proven and results-driven, Vikas has been empowering IBM's Cloud vision for the India and South Asia region. As a proven, results-driven and people-oriented leader, he has banked on expertise in Enterprise Services and Telecom, and Professional Services, to help many enterprises start and support their cloud transformation journeys.

- Vikas Arora

How would you compare the Indian cyber security market with the global one?

IBM recently announced a study conducted in association with Ponemon Institute, which found that the average cost of a data breach in India this year was estimated at USD 119 million, a 7.9 percent increase from the last year report. The threat scenario shows a significant rise in both number and sophistication of breaches in this year’s report, which is alarming as it continues to rise in India. Further, the average mean time to identify data breach in India increased from 170 days from previous year to 188 days. ‘Malicious or criminal attacks’ took 219 days on an average to be identified. The report further highlighted that the average mean to contain data breach in India, increased from 72 from previous year to 78 days. Average time to contain ‘Malicious or criminal attacks’ took 99 days.

Hence, companies in India need to fortify their security strategy to leverage a secure Cloud environment and build a strong AI strategy. They need to identify the many hidden expenses which must be considered, such as reputational damage, customer turnover, and operational costs. Knowing where the costs lie, and how to reduce them, can help companies invest their resources more strategically and lower the huge financial risks at stake next year.

Security teams are struggling to keep pace with the fast-changing, hard-to-control environment. What security measures would you suggest to tackle this challenge?