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CISO-as-a-Service: Addressing Cybersecurity Challenges in the Digital Age

Background: The digital transformation and the shift towards hybrid work models have significantly increased the strain on cybersecurity resources. The ongoing pandemic has further amplified the need for skilled security professionals, as evidenced by a recent attack analysis in Asia Pacific (APAC), revealing that web-application and application-specific attacks constitute 74% of all hostile activities.

Rise in Skilled Professionals Required: With nearly three-quarters (83%) of organizations in APAC completely rethinking IT security to accommodate new working models, the demand for highly skilled roles in cybersecurity, data analytics, and cloud technology has skyrocketed. Microsoft forecasts that the digital economy will require 149 million new tech roles by 2025, underscoring the urgency in acquiring such professionals.

Legal Requirements and Compliance: In response to these challenges, legal frameworks such as Singapore's Cybersecurity Act 2018 and other recent enactments in Japan and China aim to enhance defenses for Critical Information Infrastructure (CII). Non-compliance can lead to hefty fines, penalties, and damage to an organization's reputation. Cybercriminals' sophistication and the acceleration of digital connectivity have made security breaches increasingly hazardous.

Addressing Competing Demands: To manage these pressures, organizations must address two fundamental questions: awareness of potential security risks and adequacy of controls for the most critical risks. This task falls under the responsibility of a Chief Information and Security Officer (CISO), a high-cost, skilled position typically requiring extensive experience in information security.

Shortfall in CISO Resources: Most organizations struggle to meet these security requirements due to the critical skills shortage, leading to a challenge in maintaining a resilient cybersecurity posture and fulfilling compliance obligations without recruiting expensive resources.

Solution: CISO-as-a-Service: NTT's CISO-as-a-Service offers a solution to bridge this gap by providing scarce and in-demand cybersecurity skills at a cost-effective rate. This service focuses on achieving organizational outcomes through traceable and intelligence-driven approaches, ensuring both security and compliance adherence.

Service Components:

• Data-Driven Insights: Utilizes research, industry frameworks, tools, and best practices to offer specific, impactful, and relevant insights for accurate peer benchmarking.
• Traceability: Ensures all recommendations align with explicit risks, business initiatives, or regulatory obligations.
• Intelligence-Driven Controls: Offers dynamic, continuously updated security strategies based on acquired intelligence.
• Gap Analysis Roadmap: Prioritizes and addresses the most critical security gaps with defined timelines for remediation.
• Comprehensive Support: From initial security assessments to incident response and legal support, NTT supports the entire cybersecurity lifecycle.

Why NTT: NTT's CISO-as-a-Service is distinguished by its focus on traceability and intelligence-driven strategies, ensuring solutions are economically proportional, aligned with business initiatives, and delivered by highly skilled consultants with industry and professional standards. The service leverages NTT's global cybersecurity community's intellectual property, applying best practices and the latest tools and techniques to address cybersecurity challenges. NTT offers a trusted partnership that can adapt to the specific needs of an organization, supporting from initial assessments through to comprehensive cybersecurity management and incident response.