Security and Digital Transformation

The move to the cloud, to the internet of things, and the full embrace of deep learning (AI) is resulting in a massive transformation of enterprise IT, rather like the early embrace of the Internet in the mid-1990’s. This journey in 2018 is still in its infancy, and I posit that the time is now for security professionals to take a front seat at leadership tables and become more vociferous. We must convince our CFOs , CEOs and the board before launching any new IT initiative to first ask a simple question : “How will we secure our efforts?”

It seems obvious, but in the past IT leaders, for the most part, considered security as an afterthought, as a bolt on, or a compliance requirement.

Now that digital transformation is solidly underway across enterprise IT (witness Microsoft's’s 74% annual growth rate of Azure this past quarter), the most important issue is unquestionably security. Let’s promote security as the fundamental pillar for transforming IT. Security is not a hindrance for new digitally driven processes and services. Instead it is an enabler. Without security all digital enterprises fail. And let's not forget all enterprises are now digital enterprises. Better security will lead to better products and services. Let’s enable this journey my fellow security professionals.