Digital trust is a crucial element in today’s interconnected world, ensuring that online interactions are secure and legitimate. As technology continues to evolve, organizations must stay proactive in maintaining trust across all their communications and supply chains. To gauge how well enterprise organizations are faring in this regard, DigiCert conducted a State of Digital Trust survey in 2024.
The survey, conducted by Eleven Research of Dallas, Texas, interviewed 300 senior decision-makers in small to large enterprises across EMEA, North America, and APJ. It aimed to uncover key drivers of digital trust, evaluate organizational progress, and analyze the success and challenges of trust initiatives.
The survey revealed that digital trust remains a top priority for enterprises due to various factors, including the rise of remote workforces, expanding network connections, and heightened customer expectations. However, many organizations face challenges in achieving digital trust, such as a lack of staff expertise, the complexity of protecting growing digital assets, and limited resources amidst economic challenges.
When assessing organizational success in digital trust, the survey found that while most enterprises are engaged with the issue, their results varied based on their focus areas. The survey categorized organizations into digital trust “leaders” and “laggards,” comparing their performances in key trust initiatives.
In terms of enterprise trust practices, most organizations managed initiatives like certificate management and endpoint security but only a small percentage described their practices as “very mature.” Digital trust leaders experienced fewer issues related to trust, such as outages and data breaches, compared to laggards.
Similarly, in the realm of IoT and connected device trust practices, most manufacturers were doing well but not exceptional. Digital trust leaders in this category reported fewer compliance issues related to IoT devices compared to laggards.
The survey also examined software trust practices, revealing that many organizations code-sign software source code but only a fraction code-sign environments like containers. Again, digital trust leaders showed better performance in software trust practices, with fewer reported issues.
ESignature trust practices received the lowest rating in the survey, with many organizations facing problems related to digital document trust issues. However, digital trust leaders in this category found that eSignature practices helped drive digital innovation, enhance employee productivity, and boost brand reputation.
To take a proactive approach to trust, organizations are advised to conduct a thorough inventory of their digital trust processes, define policies to support them, and optimize PKI management for future threats. By embracing a forward-looking strategy, organizations can better position themselves to adapt to evolving digital challenges and opportunities.
Overall, the importance of digital trust is undeniable, and organizations must continue to prioritize and invest in trust initiatives to ensure secure and legitimate online interactions. As the digital landscape evolves, maintaining trust remains essential for businesses to thrive in a rapidly changing environment.