Securing the modern enterprise in a digital world

Today's cyberthreat landscape is dramatically different from days past. Gone were the days when organisations can fortify themselves using security approaches that protect the organisation from the outside-in. As devices, data and mobility converge, and the attack surface broadens, securing the modern enterprise in an environment where skilled cybersecurity professionals are in short supply and resources are limited is posing huge challenges to many business and information security leaders.

A Microsoft and Frost & Sullivan study conducted in 2018 estimated the total economic loss as a result of cybersecurity breaches at S$24.2 billion for Singapore, equating to around 6 percent of the nation's gross domestic product (GDP). When comparing the impact of cybersecurity breaches across organisations of different sizes, large organisations with more than 500 staff incur an average of S$18.9 million in economic loss, close to 80 times the average economic loss incurred by a mid-sized organisation with 250 to 499 staff.

With massive economic losses at stake from cybersecurity breaches, there is no doubt that security needs to be the number one priority. According to Forrester, 2019 will be a year of unprecedented cyberthreats. Hence today's leaders must balance these security challenges with business needs to collaborate, innovate, and grow through digital transformation, and this requires a new approach to how organisations protect, detect and respond to cyberthreats.

Rapidly-evolving threat vectors and skill shortage among key challenges faced by security leaders

In my conversations with business and security leaders, balancing security challenges with business needs for innovation and growth is no easy task. In fact, it is a huge challenge for many of them today, especially with the numerous issues that they grapple with on a day-to-day basis. These include:

5 recommendations to enhance digital defence for modern enterprises

As a company that spends a billion dollars each year on cybersecurity, Microsoft analyses 6.5 trillion signals each day to uncover insights into cyberthreat trends across the globe. Drawing from these insights, we recommend five practical keys to help modern enterprises enhance their digital defence.