Identity-centric security: The killer app for digital transformation

Organizations are measuring the success of IT security beyond just breaches and compliance; they now are including business performance indicators that contribute directly to revenue growth, according to CA Technologies.

The app economy requires a new role for security as a business enabler

The majority of survey respondents said that IT security, specifically identity-centric security, needs to do more in today’s environment than protect the business – it needs to help build the trusted digital relationships that are critical for competing in the application economy and growing the business.

• 82 percent said identity-centric security is critical to the business
• 83 percent of respondents said that security is critical to protecting the brand and can be viewed as a competitive differentiator
• 81 percent said that security needs to be frictionless and not over burden the user
• More than 60 percent of respondents are using metrics such as customer experience, satisfaction and retention; business growth; and digital reach to measure the impact of security on the business.

“This data shows that identity-centric security is the killer app for digital transformation,” said Mordecai Rosen, senior vice president and general manager, Security business, CA Technologies. “Enterprises and government agencies are rethinking their approach to security to protect and enable their businesses. Any successful digital transformation requires an organization to build trusted digital relationships with their customers, employees and partners, and identity-centric security is the foundation of that effort.”

Advanced use of identity-centric security pays off

The study also examined respondents’ current security postures in three areas of identity-centric security: the end-user experience, identity and access management, and data breaches. This information allowed the creation of a maturity model for identity-centric security, categorizing respondents as advanced, basic or limited.

Overall, the global results categorized the majority of respondents as basic users of identity-centric security (64 percent), with a focus on core capabilities such as password management, single sign-on and some analysis and reporting. Twenty-five percent were categorized as advanced users, engaging in capabilities such as adaptive security and behavior analytics, and consistent omni-channel security support.

Consistent, cross-channel approaches to security drive customer experience, but few have achieved it

The analysis showed that advanced users report significant improvements over basic users in areas of customer experience, business operations and security:

• Advanced users saw a 47 percent improvement in business growth and new revenue compared to 40 percent for basic users
• Eighty-seven percent of advanced users reported improvement in customer experience versus 76 percent of basic users
• Advanced users reported a 50 percent improvement in employee productivity as compared to 40 percent for basic users
• And when it comes to security, twice as many advanced users of identity-centric security have seen a reduction in data breaches compared to basic users – 41 percent versus 21 percent.