Cyber Security in transition: How companies are shaping the necessary transformation

How far have companies come in optimising cyber security in companies – and what conclusions can be drawn from practice? Answers are provided by the latest IDC InfoBrief on cyber security, supported by KPMG. The title of the publication: „From Reaction to Resilience – Cyber Security Rethought“

Key findings

The IDC InfoBrief is based on a survey of IT security executives from 150 German companies. The survey results show that companies are increasingly recognising the strategic value of cybersecurity in an environment of economic and geopolitical uncertainty. The ongoing further development of the security architecture is not only aimed at minimising risk, but also at increasing efficiency, trust and innovative capacity.

Modified security strategies that use automation and data integration as a basis are particularly relevant. Companies are increasingly investing in digital identities, security operations and incident response in order to increase their resilience and meet regulatory requirements.

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Five noteworthy survey results at a glance:

Maturity level in IAM/PAM remains heterogeneous

The results show a significant spread in the development status of identity and access management structures. Fully optimised approaches are still only limited in scope.

Lack of integration of security tools

A significant proportion of companies cite non-integrated security solutions as a key problem.

Data leaks as a key cloud security threat

The perception of threats in the cloud environment focuses in particular on protection against data leakage.

Increasing use of AI in security operations

Artificial intelligence is already widely used in the operational security environment and will continue to grow in importance in the near future.

Differences in the use of automated playbooks

A comparison between corporations and financial service providers reveals clear differences in the use of structured playbooks.

Larger organisations with over 1,000 employees and high turnover (over €5 billion) demonstrate significantly higher security maturity. Nevertheless, all face complex internal challenges, including dealing with outdated infrastructure, a lack of transparency in the IT environment and inadequate threat analysis. Particularly striking is the discrepancy between financial service providers and corporations in areas such as security operations and incident response – with corporations often rating themselves as more advanced.

Artificial intelligence is playing an increasingly central role in cybersecurity. It is already being used successfully to automate processes, detect threats and support decision-making. At the same time, there is a growing need to secure AI itself – especially with regard to agentic AI identities and governance structures. The majority of companies are still in the planning or research phase here, which indicates an urgent need for action.

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