In today’s digital age, customers expect not only seamless and personalized experiences, but also the peace of mind that their data is secure. As businesses continue to expand their digital presence, the need for stronger security strategies becomes increasingly important. According to our research with IDC, we’ve found that of the biggest challenges to network digital transformation, security holds the biggest share. By implementing robust cybersecurity measures and transparently communicating about security practices, businesses can enhance customer trust and improve their overall experience.
A Closer Look at Today’s Security Landscape
While the use of advanced tools leaves more doors open for bad actors to enter networks, economic factors can hinder IT staff from prioritizing security. With this increased sophistication of attacks, organizations must balance technological innovation with security measures. When assessing their security environment, organizations frequently encounter these barriers:
Infrastructure complexity
- With innovation occurring at such a rapid pace, organizations must adapt their approaches just as quickly to meet customer expectations. This includes the expectation for efficient, secure, multi-channel communication, meaning organizations must secure various systems, networks and applications. This leads to increased pressure on employees to quickly adopt new technologies like artificial intelligence (AI) to meet customer needs, and while AI can help speed up the pace of decision-making, it also poses risks for securing employee, customer and company information.
Expansive attack surface
- Unfortunately, as organizations rapidly innovate, bad actors are moving just as quickly to develop new and more sophisticated means of gaining access to confidential information. The introduction of AI tools and IoT devices only exacerbates the problem, expanding the attack surface and opening more doors for attackers to enter networks that are not secured properly. Not only are organizations at financial risk of ransomware attacks, but sensitive customer data can be easily compromised.
Resource scarcity
- There are several economic factors at play that make cybersecurity feel like an added burden to IT staff already tasked with delivering an organization’s strategic initiatives. Budget constraints due to higher inflation and rising interest rates mean that security talent is expected to do more with less and security architecture may be overlooked. However, when considering the fiscal and reputational damage of a breach, it is critical for enterprises to secure their networks and customer information.
Driving Customer Value with Security
With a complex security landscape to navigate, it can be overwhelming to balance customer expectations and maintain an excellent security posture. We know that improving interactions and engagements with customers is a key IT outcome required by organizations, so the following will dive into how prioritizing security can lead to better customer experiences.
Business continuity leads to consistent customer interactions
- Managing risk is essential for enterprises, especially when prioritizing innovation and introducing new technologies. A comprehensive strategy that addresses internal and external vulnerabilities is critical to securing customer interactions. With robust incident response plans in place, enterprises can prevent bad actors from compromising networks, and efficiently mitigate the threat if they do. Responsibly managing customer data and safeguarding customer interactions fosters trusting ongoing relationships with customers.
Improving employee productivity to better connect with customers
- As workforces are increasingly distributed, the opportunities to interact with customers are endless, and as a result, vulnerabilities multiply. This complex nature of today’s networks demands more secure integration between tools and systems that directly affect employees’ productivity. With robust security policies embedded into collaboration tools, employees are empowered to integrate security in their day-to-day operations, furthering their ability to make quick decisions and address customer needs. With the right security strategy in place, employees can focus on creating excellent customer interactions without worrying about security-related interruptions.
Customer trust leads to revenue growth and innovation
- With the frequency and sophistication of attacks putting pressure on IT environments, many organizations are forced to expend vital resources on reacting to ever-changing threats rather than on their customers’ needs. It’s important to evaluate how security tools can proactively prevent threats so organizations can focus on their strategic growth objectives. Optimizing security infrastructure allows organizations to assess how well tools are helping to avoid costly incident mitigation. Ensuring that teams can realize the full potential of security investments means they can stay focused on revenue growth and therefore further innovation for the best customer experiences.
How Can Lumen Help?
With one of the largest, most deeply peered backbones in the world, Lumen has unique visibility into new and emerging threats across the globe and is positioned to help you protect your networks and operations. Our advisors help you assess your environment and evaluate tools to maximize your potential investments. Our guidance and expertise can help you develop a proactive and comprehensive security strategy that empowers your employees and prioritizes customer experiences.
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