Digital transformation is changing industries. Organizations are investing heavily in cloud, AI, and data analytics to drive growth and agility. Yet cybersecurity is often brought into this process too late and viewed as a technical protective measure rather than a strategic enabler.
According to a new BDO-sponsoredstudy byInternational Data Corporation (IDC), only 40% of organizations integrate cybersecurity into the planning phase of digital initiatives. This delay poses risks that can hinder progress and undermine trust.
When cyber teams are involved at an early stage, they help design secure architectures, anticipate threats, and align control mechanisms with business objectives. This proactive approach strengthens resilience and accelerates time to value: the time it takes for a customer to realize the benefits.
Take, for example, a retail company launching a new e-commerce platform. If cybersecurity is included from the outset, the team can advise on secure payment integrations, privacy compliance, and fraud prevention. If cybersecurity is only brought in later, these risks may only come to light after launch, which could damage customer trust and require costly remediation.
To integrate cybersecurity at an early stage of digital transformation and make that process successful, it is necessary to:
Cyber budgets are increasing, but performance remains mixed. Data from IDC shows that even organizations with flexible budgets report an average of five incidents per year. The problem is not a lack of funding, but how that funding is used.
Effective investments in cybersecurity start with strategic alignment. Budgets must support capabilities that reduce risks and enable digital transformation. Think proactive detection, automation, and collaboration between departments. Organizations that integrate cybersecurity into the planning phase report fewer delays and greater confidence among stakeholders.
Take, for example, a private equity firm that invests in cloud migration together with its portfolio companies. This often involves looking at application redesign, data migration, modernization, operational efficiency, and system availability. However, cybersecurity is often overlooked, particularly in areas such as regulatory impact assessments, secure programming practices during the development phase, and the security of interactions between applications and other systems. Without proper controls, sensitive data can be exposed. A more effective approach is to align the budget with the transformation roadmap, integrating security into every layer and step of the process.
Late involvement leads to remedial work, missed deadlines, and lower returns. To achieve maximum impact, cybersecurity must be approached as a strategic partner, not as a reactive solution. This need for strategic alignment naturally leads to the following question: how often do organizations take the time to reevaluate their cybersecurity approach?
In a rapidly changing environment, taking a moment to reflect can sometimes seem counterproductive. But it is essential. Cyber leaders must regularly review their strategies to ensure they remain aligned with business priorities.
Annual reviews, results-oriented measurement methods, and cross-departmental collaboration help teams remain relevant and effective. Reflection also reveals outdated practices that hinder progress. By transitioning to agile, business-focused approaches, cybersecurity teams can drive innovation and achieve better results.
This approach strengthens collaboration between cyber and business units, breaks down silos, and builds trust. It's not just about keeping up, but about purposeful leadership.
A leading retailer known for its technological innovation has continuously improved customer engagement through personalized experiences designed to foster loyalty. With multiple business units, the organization wanted to increase brand awareness, gain insight into spending behavior, and deliver tailored offers that would differentiate them from niche competitors. Their technological transformation was linked to business evolution, with cybersecurity playing a central role in supporting new digital capabilities.
Although regular reviews were part of their routine, the latest developments led to the need to reevaluate the overall strategy. This included integrating new features, aligning success criteria with expected business results, and ensuring that the strategy remained in line with changing needs. The availability of the system was essential for customer acceptance, while the protection of customer data was crucial for maintaining trust.
The revamped strategy introduced ongoing collaboration with business units, improved communication channels, and the establishment of key performance indicators (KPIs). These included data on system availability (uptime metrics) and security scorecards, enabling risks to be quickly identified and addressed. This proactive approach ensured optimal system availability and strengthened consumer confidence in the brand.
When organizations reflect and adjust their course, they must also consider how maturity in execution affects their ability to respond to threats.
A large budget does not guarantee security. Findings from IDC show that process maturity is the strongest predictor of resilience. Organizations with proactive detection and investigation capabilities report fewer incidents and recover faster.
Mature organizations track leading indicators such as detection time, patching rates, and training effectiveness. These metrics provide insight into operational health and help bridge the gap between perceived readiness and actual capacity.
Management teams are increasingly asking for proof of risk reduction in the area of cybersecurity. Without process-oriented metrics to supplement outcome-oriented indicators, organizations run the risk of overestimating their resilience. True maturity comes from disciplined execution and continuous improvement.
For example, a financial services provider changed its strategy and prioritized measuring key results aligned with specific, performance-enhancing objectives. By looking at threats from the attacker's perspective, they developed a detailed threat model that exposed the most common threats within their industry. This comprehensive research included an overview of potential attack vectors, along with an assessment of the organization's ability to withstand these types of attacks.
By collecting data on similar organizations that had been affected by security incidents, the security team identified patterns in attack types and incorporated these insights into a prioritized protection framework for the company. Working with business leaders, the team developed service levels linked to performance and outcomes, emphasizing metrics that improve resilience against the most common attack types. This approach enabled resources and budget to be allocated in a targeted manner to areas of highest risk.
The security team increased the organization's credibility among board members and business stakeholders, while improving operational efficiency through a significant reduction in security incidents. This level of maturity becomes even more important as organizations embrace emerging technologies such as GenAI.
Emerging technologies such as GenAI are transforming business functions and introducing new risks. Cybersecurity must continue to evolve to keep pace.
Organizations should integrate GenAI into their governance frameworks, train developers in building secure systems, and align cyber investments with transformation goals. Automation, outcome-based measurement methods, and strategic partnerships are crucial for success.
Cybersecurity is not just about protection. When integrated early and executed in a mature manner, it acts as a catalyst for agility, competitiveness, and sustainable growth.
Cybersecurity must be leading, not following. By placing cybersecurity at the heart of digital transformation, organizations can scale up safely, innovate with confidence, and be prepared for what lies ahead. Curious about all the insights? Download the IDC research and discover how cybersecurity leaders are dealing with transformation and aligning strategy and execution.
