Cybersecurity in the C-suite and Boardroom

Why The Intersection of Technology and Business Growth is Making Cybersecurity A Boardroom Issue

As more organizations embrace digital transformation initiatives, cybersecurity is increasingly becoming a business decision that requires informed decision making on the part of the executive team and the board. Initiatives like cloud computing, IoT and application development are becoming inextricably linked to business growth, creating a potential gap between the fiduciary responsibility of the board and their understanding of the requirements and risks the business is increasingly facing. In short, cybersecurity has become a boardroom issue.

However, cybersecurity is highly technical which begs the question: do executives and board members really understand the role of cybersecurity in the business? And are they investing appropriately in the right places to drive an effective security strategy and culture in their organization?

To explore the answers to these and other questions, ESG surveyed 365 senior business, cybersecurity, and IT professionals at organizations in North America (US and Canada) and Western Europe (UK, France, and Germany) working at midmarket (i.e., 100 to 999 employees) and enterprise-class (i.e., 1,000 or more employees) organizations.

In this study ESG and BitSight sought to:

• Explore the role of cybersecurity in the business.
• Uncover where progress is being made and areas that need more focus and investment.
• Examine the relationships between security and business executives.
• Compare the actions of leading organizations with those that lag behind.

“A majority of survey respondents say that their organization perceives cybersecurity as either entirely or mostly a technology area with some emphasis on business.”

Download the ESG report “Cybersecurity In The C-Suite and Boardroom” to learn where the gaps in security communication are and how they impact business performance.