TALKING BUSINESS
Enabling a
secure digital
transformation
C R Srinivasan, Senior Vice President, Global Product
Management & Data Centre Services at Tata Communications
O
rganisations today are embarking on their own distinct
journeys of digital transformation as advances in
new technologies like 5G and AI change the face of
business. There is a common misconception that security
hinders innovation, and limits the rate at which organisations
can transform. The reality is that failing to factor in security
at the outset of a digital transformation journey increases risk
from outside threats. Periods of digital transformation should
be seen as an opportunity to strengthen security in parallel
with transforming your business.
Data breaches are a concern for the general public and
businesses alike. Only recently, the UK’s National Health
Service (NHS) was the target of a sophisticated ransomware
attack that ground emergency services at some hospitals to a
crawl and genuinely endangered lives as a result.
Hacks can also be reputationally and financially damaging to
a business, as it was for Yahoo. When details emerged in 2016
about a 2013 data breach that affected one billion accounts,
the company faced harsh criticism for not disclosing the event
www.intelligentcio.com
There is no such thing as an
unsinkable ship, but Tata
Communication’s Senior Vice
President, C R Srinivasan,
advises four distinct security
mechanisms to form a
comprehensive, constant
protection for organisations at
every stage in the life cycle of a
security threat.
sooner, and had a considerable financial impact when Verizon
announced that the breach would have a ‘material’ effect on
their acquisition deal.
In addition, the regulatory implications of large-scale attacks
are mounting. Under the European General Data Protection
Regulation (GDPR) for example, which will come into full
effect in 2018, organisations may be fined up to 4% of global
turnover or €20 million (whichever is greater) following a
breach, if the regulators decide that the organisation did not
take the necessary precautions to protect the data.
All of this considered, it’s clear that the landscape of digital
threats has seen considerable advancement in recent years
but organisations are failing to adapt. Many organisations are
using outdated methods of protection that focus too heavily
on blocking and prevention mechanisms. These methods
are decreasingly effective against the advanced threats
from today’s motivated, advanced hackers. There is no such
thing as an unsinkable ship, and there is no such thing as
impenetrable prevention against attackers.
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