Security is often seen as a barrier to digital transformation, being brought into the process too late to make a meaningful impact, according to a new study by Dell.
In its global Digital Transformation Security Survey, it found that more than three in four (76 per cent) of respondents said security is brought in too late to drive digital transformation initiatives, with 85 per cent saying security teams can better enable digital transformation initiatives if they are included early in the project.
More than 90 per cent said the security team can better enable the business if given more resources.
The study, fielded by Dimensional Research, polled 631 respondents globally, of which 100 were from Australia.
Dell said security teams often have been perceived as barriers to the business’s seamless adoption of new technologies because keeping the business secure trumps the benefits of technologies that foster employee productivity.
It added that today’s sophisticated, constantly morphing threat landscape makes it critical for organisations to evaluate their approach to security and ensure it spans not just the business, but also the devices accessing it and the practices used to enable that access.
But the study found that security is a key component for digital transformation in Australia and Germany.
Twenty per cent of Australian respondents acknowledged security teams have been brought across all digital technology projects - this is compared to 23 per cent in Germany, 18 per cent in the US, and 16 per cent in the UK.
The survey also found that 97 per cent of respondents are currently investing in digital technologies to transform their business. Those technologies include mobile, Cloud applications, Cloud infrastructures and IoT.
But when looking to implement digital technology, Australian business care more about competitive pressure – 47 per cent of Australian respondents said this is a key driver behind their company’s digital transformation.
This compares to 37 per cent as a global average.
Of the four key digital technologies companies are investing in, Australian companies stand out with 51 per cent looking to leverage the IoT - this is below the global average of 55 per cent.
In addition, 27 per cent of Australian businesses are looking to leverage Cloud platforms or Infrastructure-as-a-Service (IaaS), well above the global average of 20 per cent.
Meanwhile, 75 per cent of global businesses say the need to increase employee productivity is the driving force behind digital transformation initiatives, while 67 per cent cite business growth.
