Intelligent CISO Issue 35 | Page 62

BUSINESS SURVEILLANCE

WHY CYBERSECURITY WILL SET BUSINESSES APART IN 2021

As the opportunities for cybercriminals are ever-expanding due to the effects of COVID-19 , AT & T Business surveyed 800 cybersecurity experts across the UK , France and Germany to better understand the cyber-risks . John Vladimir Slamecka , Regional President , EMEA , AT & T , explains why adapting quickly is critical to help stop a vulnerability from turning into a catastrophic breach .
s 2020 unfolded

A and our daily lives were turned upside down and inside out by the first , second and now third waves of COVID-19 , one word kept coming to mind . Disruption .

It ’ s been a constant in business for a while now . The shift from physical to digital . The rise of sharing versus renting or owning . Big tech ’ s expansion into everything from collaboration to cloud . And here we are , at the start of a new year , with our personal and professional lives feeling equally ( if not more ) disrupted .
So where does cybersecurity fit into this narrative ?
Millions made the switch to remote working in 2020 and have been working that way for most of the past year . Many now expect , and will perhaps demand , that the flexibility necessitated by the fight against Coronavirus becomes part of the future working contract . That means the patches , the quick fixes and the acceptance of risk that enabled a short-term move to home working , need to be remedied . Quickly .
Businesses that can do this in 2021 will not only help protect themselves from threats , they will also stand out from their competitors as forward-thinking , more prepared , and , ultimately , more trustworthy . According to a recent AT & T cybersecurity survey , a huge majority of companies ( 73 %) ‘ leading ’ in cybersecurity strategies , controls and operations strongly agree that their security approach makes overall business success more likely .
Employees were , and still are , accessing sensitive data from their front rooms ,
John Vladimir Slamecka , Regional President , EMEA , AT & T
bedrooms and dining rooms . Meanwhile , cybercriminals haven ’ t disappeared . Indeed , opportunities for cybercriminals are flourishing thanks to the expansion of potential entry points into company systems as well as distractions related to political and social concerns and unrest .
Is confidence misplaced ?
To understand the risk better , AT & T Business surveyed 800 cybersecurity experts across the UK , France and Germany . We were surprised by what the data told us – we expected they ’ d admit to being unprepared for the rapid shift to remote working back in February and March . Only one in 10 agreed : 88 % initially felt that they were good to go .
But the reality was different and over half ( 55 %) said the switch made
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