Secure Digitalization – A Prerequisite for Future Competitiveness
Johan Elsner
Strategist transforming chaos into order by aligning tech with core business goals
Digitalization is often associated with risks, threats, attacks, and complex security systems. Security becomes a necessary constraint, preventing organizations from freely navigating the digital landscape. To succeed in the digital transformation journey, the perspective must shift—from seeing security as a "necessary evil" to recognizing it as a competence that, once mastered, enables future innovation and development. By integrating secure digitalization into daily operations, organizations can gain the confidence to digitalize, experiment with new technologies, and enhance their competitiveness.
This article explores how to build a security culture, what measures need to be implemented, and how a systematic approach to secure digitalization can support an organization’s digital journey.
Secure Digitalization – More Than Just Technology…
When discussing “secure digitalization,” it’s easy to think about IAM (Identity and Access Management), passwords, firewalls, antivirus programs, and encryption. While technical solutions are, of course, important, security is about much more than that. The reality is that security is largely a matter of behavior and culture. The majority of incidents affecting organizations can be traced back to human factors—unintentional mistakes, poor routines, or knowledge gaps. By focusing on raising awareness of security issues and establishing clear processes for how employees should act in different situations, many risks can be mitigated before they become serious problems.
Viewing secure digitalization solely as a cost also creates a misleading perception. A strong security culture provides the foundation for new digital initiatives. When an organization knows it can consistently manage risks and comply with regulatory requirements, it also dares to be more innovative, launch new services, and invite customers and partners into collaborations that strengthen its competitiveness.
How Do We Achieve This in Practice?
As stated in previous articles, culture and change work are not merely “projects” or “functions.” A crucial starting point is that secure digitalization must be everyone’s responsibility. Organizations need to establish initiatives that reinforce the message that security is part of the organization’s DNA. Managers and team leaders should actively participate in security efforts and encourage employees to report suspected incidents or potential vulnerabilities—without fear of negative consequences.
To engage employees, organizations can implement regular training and awareness sessions. While it may seem trivial or time-consuming, simple initiatives like phishing simulations or short e-learning modules on password management and data protection can make a significant difference. Integrating security concerns into continuous improvement processes can also help employees feel that their insights and observations are valued and lead to real changes.
Secure Digitalization is “Here and Now”…
A common mistake is to tie security efforts to project work or treat them as an additional step in a development process. This often leads to costly adjustments and frustration in both development and operational phases. Secure digitalization must be a natural part of the process from the very beginning, whether it involves developing a new app, establishing a partnership with a supplier, or modifying internal systems. A “Security by Design” approach—proactively integrating security aspects throughout the development cycle—is highly recommended.
Defining clear guidelines and checklists for how security requirements should be addressed in various projects can create predictability and make it easier for employees to understand expectations. However, these guidelines must be accessible and integrated into agile work methods, such as "security stand-ups" or including security-related tasks in team sprint planning. The goal is to ensure that security is not perceived as an external disruption but rather as an inherent part of everyday work.
Systematic Measures for a Secure Environment
Beyond cultural and organizational aspects, organizations also need a framework to manage technical security challenges. A first step is conducting a risk assessment—identifying the most critical assets, determining their locations, and analyzing the most relevant threats. Based on this assessment, organizations can establish policies and procedures for access control, data protection, incident management, and business continuity planning.
An effective way to work systematically is to follow established standards and comply with evolving regulations. Using these as guiding frameworks for secure digitalization provides a solid foundation for best practices and can serve as a roadmap for structuring security efforts. These frameworks also create a shared language for communicating security levels internally and externally, which is particularly valuable when collaborating with partners or suppliers.
Incidents Will Happen…
Despite all precautions, security incidents are inevitable. When they occur, it’s important to treat them as learning opportunities. Organizations with clear incident response plans—outlining who to contact, how to document information, and how crisis management should be handled—can minimize damage and restore normal operations faster than those that are unprepared. It’s also crucial to analyze what went wrong and use those insights to improve procedures, training, and technical solutions.
A transparent approach to incidents builds trust. When customers and employees see that an organization takes security seriously and assumes responsibility for any consequences, it strengthens its reputation and credibility. Conversely, secrecy or a lack of information about security breaches can damage trust and lead to speculation and rumors.
How Does Secure Digitalization Strengthen Competitiveness?
When security is embedded in an organization from the ground up, it becomes a tool for faster growth and development. By maintaining control over risks and data management processes, organizations can confidently engage in more advanced partnerships, test new services on the market, and participate in digital ecosystems without constantly worrying about severe security incidents. The ability to securely share information between different stakeholders is often a prerequisite for creating real value in today’s interconnected environment.
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Moreover, security efforts help organizations meet the growing expectations of customers and society regarding data integrity and protection. As new laws and regulations around data usage continue to emerge—especially in Europe—secure digitalization becomes a fundamental requirement that also enhances competitiveness. Organizations that can demonstrate responsible and secure data handling will not only satisfy customers but also become attractive employers and business partners.
Secure digitalization does not have to be viewed as a necessary evil; with the right approach, it can serve as a powerful enabler of digital development. By fostering a security culture where all employees feel responsible, integrating security aspects into business processes, and systematically managing risks using well-established frameworks, organizations can gain the confidence needed to fully embrace digitalization. When security becomes a natural part of operations, it creates space for innovation, collaboration, and growth—laying the foundation for a future where both customers and businesses can operate with trust and confidence.
V?ster?s 2024-01-14
(Translated using ChatGPT 2025-02-16)
Other articles in the series "Prerequisites of Digitalization"
Article 10 - Ethical and Responsible Digitalization: A Necessary Reflection in the Age of Technology
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