In the realm of cybersecurity, Germany has witnessed a significant rise in the focus of many companies. This heightened attention can be attributed to the increasing number of cyber-attacks and the evolving nature of these attacks.
Deloitte, a renowned consultancy firm, conducted a Global Future of Cyber Survey 2024, which delved into the disparities between the DACH region and the rest of the world when it comes to cybersecurity. The survey, which gathered insights from 1,200 executives across 43 countries, including 101 from the DACH region, aimed to unravel the nuances in cybersecurity strategies and priorities.
The findings of the survey revealed that effective cybersecurity strategies aim to enhance the resilience of organizations, improve compliance standards, and support new digital business models essential for a competitive edge in the future. Consequently, companies worldwide, as well as those in the DACH region, are actively engaging in cybersecurity measures.
In the DACH region, top priorities include measures such as safeguarding customer identities through access controls and identity management, maintaining software component inventories, and developing strategic and operational cyber plans.
On a global scale, cybersecurity plans take precedence as the top priority for users. In comparison, DACH companies exhibit a higher level of commitment in implementing cybersecurity strategies. Particularly, they concentrate on risk assessment to gauge the value contribution of cybersecurity investments.
Moreover, two-thirds of DACH companies are planning to increase their cybersecurity investments, as opposed to 57% globally. DACH firms also place a greater emphasis on protecting customer identities and identity management, while global companies prioritize strategic cyber plans.
Both global and DACH companies recognize the critical importance of cybersecurity; however, disparities exist in their priorities and actions. Many companies worldwide, as well as in the DACH region, report a loss of trust in technological integrity due to cyber risks. This underscores the strategic significance of cybersecurity in digital transformation, where DACH executives fear further consequences like loss of revenue and stock devaluation following cyber incidents.
Another differentiating factor lies in the priorities of cyber measures. While the establishment of strategic and operational cyber plans takes precedence globally, DACH companies place greater emphasis on customer identity protection and identity management as well as securing software component inventories.
The role of Chief Information Security Officers (CISOs) is also gaining prominence in the DACH region. A significant proportion of CISOs in the DACH region report to Chief Information Officers (CIOs), surpassing the global average. Furthermore, the involvement of CISOs in strategic discussions regarding technological investments in the DACH region is more pronounced than the global average.
The integration of cybersecurity into business operations is progressing, primarily through early incorporation of data protection in product development. Ethics and customer benefit play pivotal roles in this integration. Investments in cybersecurity are often embedded in IT or digitalization budgets, despite the presence of separate budgets.
Cybersecurity is particularly crucial for cloud technology, industrial robotics, and ERP systems, and in the DACH region, for IoT and data analytics.
Companies are increasingly leveraging AI for cybersecurity defense, with DACH companies slightly ahead of the global curve in integrating cybersecurity investments into other budgets like IT or digital transformation. Protection measures against quantum cyber threats remain scarce, with notable differences between DACH and global regions in the importance of industrial robotics and the corresponding heightened cyber activity in the DACH region.
In conclusion, these disparities underscore the progressive stance of DACH companies towards cybersecurity and its strategic significance in digital transformation.