News
Comment from Fujitsu: UK businesses less aware of digital risks than European counterparts
July 2017 by Rob Norris, VP Head of Enterprise & Cyber Security EMEIA at Fujitsu
UK businesses are less aware of digital risks than their European counterparts, according to research released this morning by the Gowling WLG Digital Risk Calculator. The comment from Rob Norris, Head of Enterprise & Cyber Security EMEIA at Fujitsu, on the implications of this news for UK businesses and the measures that organisations must take to protect their future competitiveness.
“It’s alarming that UK businesses are identifying significantly fewer digital risks than their counterparts. Cyber security is possibly the biggest threat to businesses across Europe today, and the risks facing businesses are immense. It’s clear from previous attacks such as Yahoo that breaches can have a serious and long term impact on companies’ value, while the introduction of GDPR will add potentially crippling financial penalties into the mix. Ignorance on cyber security issues is a serious vulnerability for businesses – and one that could directly impact their long term competitiveness.
“Business leaders must ensure that their organisation has a comprehensive cyber security strategy, today. This has to include investment in the IT team, to ensure that they have the capabilities and resources to respond quickly when attacks do occur. It must also include active testing of the network, to spot and address vulnerabilities. Crucially however, businesses must also take the time to educate the whole workforce on the best practice in cyber security, as every employee is now on the frontline in the battle against criminals. When cyber-attacks do occur, this preparation could determine which companies survive and which fall. Optimism in the face of digital risks is not an option.”
