Page 33 - Cyber Defense eMagazine June 2020 Edition

The Stats on Cyber Security Perception Heading into the

COVID-19 Challenge

By Stephen Stott, Founder & CEO, Stott and May

There is a lot of debate currently around whether the cyber security profession is recession proof.
Answering that question largely depends on board level perceptions around the strategic importance of
the function and how that shifts over the coming months. Business is business, as they say, and ultimately
for security functions to sail through largely unscathed they will need to be able to help the board deliver
value for shareholders in the short, medium and long term.

A recent Stott and May report suggests that 55% of security leaders believe that their business see cyber
as a strategic priority, with a further 31% suggesting it’s a very real technical problem. In high growth mid-
market firms that number is even more prominent, with 83% pointing towards its strategic significance.
The overwhelming majority of respondents (69%) also outlined that the security function had a key role
to play in enhancing the value proposition for customers.

It’s fair to say that both B2B and B2C consumers have become far more educated on the issue of cyber
security and see this as an important feature in purchasing decisions around products and services going
forwards. This will be an important point for CISO’s to home in on in the months ahead.

Cyber Defense eMagazine –June 2020 Edition 33
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