{"id":92085,"date":"2023-05-25T17:58:06","date_gmt":"2023-05-25T17:58:06","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.techrepublic.com\/?p=4099707"},"modified":"2023-05-25T17:58:06","modified_gmt":"2023-05-25T17:58:06","slug":"withsecure-launches-outcome-based-security-at-sphere23-conference","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/cloudnewshub.com\/?p=92085","title":{"rendered":"WithSecure launches \u2018outcome-based\u2019 security at Sphere23 conference"},"content":{"rendered":"
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At its Sphere23 event in Finland, security company WithSecure unveiled offerings focused on collaboration, business goals and outcomes. <\/p>\n<\/div>\n

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\"cybersecurity\"
Image: Getty Images\/iStockphoto<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

The WithSecure Sphere conference in Helsinki, Finland, kicked off with a speech Wednesday by CEO Juhani Hintikka on the deck of the racing schooner, Galiana. As the boat\u2019s team looked on, Hintikka drew comparisons between the collaborative imperatives of boat racing and WithSecure\u2019s own concepts of outcome-focused and collaborative \u2014 or \u201cco\u201d \u2014 security.<\/p>\n

Co-security was a central theme of the event, a poignant one given Finland\u2019s proximity to Russia and Ukraine\u2019s reliance on partners and IT volunteers in both public and private sectors during its conflict with Russia.<\/p>\n

Jump to:<\/p>\n

Collaboration is key: Ukraine\u2019s cyber chief<\/h2>\n

The event featured a virtual presentation by Victor Zhora, deputy chairman and chief digital transformation officer at the State Service of Special Communication and Information Protection of Ukraine, who spoke about how partnerships have played key roles in how it has addressed the protean challenges of cyber aggression from Russia, including DDoS and wiper attacks in early 2022, to recent phishing attacks on civilians.<\/p>\n

SEE:<\/strong> Finland has also been targeted<\/a> by Russian DDoS attacks.<\/p>\n

Outcome, not reactions, should drive security, WithSecure CEO says<\/h2>\n

The company also announced several new products at the event, including Cloud Security Posture Management available for customers using WithSecure Elements, a cloud-based security platform. The new WithSecure Elements module aligns with an outcome-focused approach to security, which Hintikka explained aims to integrate cybersecurity and defense postures with a company\u2019s larger strategic goals.<\/p>\n

\u201cHistorically, cybersecurity practice has been threat-based, responding to what has already happened,\u201d he said, citing Forrester research showing that 64% of companies still take a traditional, reactive approach to security.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe evolution of the business landscape through digitalization means IT needs to evolve,\u201d he said. \u201cWhat we would like to propose is the next step: what is it a company actually wants to achieve. How does a company connect cyber goals with business goals?\u201d<\/p>\n

Hintikka said that for a chief information security officer, the key questions are how to prioritize and what to invest in. He cited another Forrester statistic: 83% of companies are interested in outcome-focused security and that most want to partner with others to achieve that, versus securing basic vendor relationships.<\/p>\n

\u201cCybersecurity can no longer be an add-on. You have to start designing processes for security, as is done in design for manufacturing,\u201d Hintikka said. He told TechRepublic that the idea has merit because of the breadth of the threat landscape and the diversity of threats.<\/p>\n

SEE:<\/strong> WithSecure discusses<\/a> the importance of security aligned with business goals.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe look at all of the products and services out there, so if you put yourself in the shoes of a CISO, how would you decide how to prioritize and how would you have that discussion with your company\u2019s business leadership? Smart companies know that investing in cybersecurity posture is an existential question. You need to do it or you might be out of business,\u201d he said. \u201cEvery company, in a way, is a software company today and is therefore vulnerable. So there are real questions as to where to put your money,\u201d he added.<\/p>\n

Outcome focus helps security drive corporate goals<\/h2>\n

Laura Koetzle, who leads Forrester\u2019s European research organization, explained that the outcome-focused approach encompasses co-security \u2014 cybersecurity as a collaborative endeavor transcending traditional vendor-customer relationships.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe idea is you pursue security outcomes that businesses are trying to pursue. If you are, for example, trying to grow your customer base by 10%, you would ask how your security [posture]  will help achieve this goal,\u201d Koetzle said.<\/p>\n

\u201cIf you are an established business and have, over 15 years, built up a lot of security infrastructure, policies and procedures, what you almost never do is say what stuff should we stop doing?\u201d she added.<\/p>\n

She said an enterprise like WithSecure, rather than approaching customers solely as a solutions vendor for security vulnerabilities, will instead query a company\u2019s strategic goals and organize security around achieving those goals. \u201cIt requires you to think differently,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n

New module to secure cloud-based infrastructure<\/h2>\n

The company described its new Cloud Security Posture Management module as complementary to its Elements\u2019 endpoint protection, endpoint detection and response, as well as to its vulnerability management and collaboration protection modules. Its CSPM product is intended to manage risks related to vulnerabilities and misconfigurations in popular cloud-based infrastructure as a service platforms and provides support for Amazon Web Services and Microsoft Azure.<\/p>\n

The company said that the new module includes:<\/p>\n