Skip to main content

Retailers Embracing Zero Trust to Strengthen their Network Security Posture

Independent survey highlights the security risks raised by growing migration to cloud environments and a permanently distributed workforce

Dallas, Texas | July 27, 2021 | Retailers have not only had to contend with the business disruption resulting from the COVID-19 pandemic, but they have also experienced increased security risks in the work-from-anywhere environment that has accelerated their transition to the cloud. Furthermore, communications between security operations staff have become more complex, with network downtime also increasing. This is according to independent research sponsored by FireMon.

An independent survey of cybersecurity leaders at retail businesses across the United States and Europe, the Middle East and Africa, highlights how security remains a crucial component as these organizations take steps towards digital transformation and transitioning more of their operations to the cloud. With 43% of respondents indicating that the pandemic has resulted in them accelerating their IT infrastructure transition to the cloud, network security teams are dealing with increased complexity at the same time rates of change are increasing significantly. These changes have brought about a rush to implement a zero trust architecture, with 81% of respondents affirming that they have already implemented or will do so in the next two years. In support of this is the popularity of utilizing a SASE platform. The majority (80%) of respondents are in alignment that achieving zero trust, reducing cost and complexity, and enabling a predictable user experience are the forces driving their network security posture in 2022.

“The modern, digitally-enabled retailer cannot afford to experience any disruption whether that is caused by network downtime or cybersecurity incidents. In the wake of the pandemic, customers have higher expectations than ever before when it comes to fulfilling their online orders. They want a consistent, integrated, and smooth shopping experience. If a retailer cannot provide that, it is a case of moving over to a competitor who can. This indicates just how important effective cybersecurity has become for retailers. Many are managing clients at a global level with the attack surface increasing exponentially because of that,” said Tim Woods, VP of Technology Alliances at FireMon.

The importance of bolstering cyber defenses is evident considering how 89% of retailers said unplanned downtime to business-critical and customer-facing applications disrupted operations over the last nine months. Given the evolving cyberthreat landscape when it comes to e-commerce threats for retail stores with an online presence, most organizations (63%) said that having the best security technology in place is essential, even if that means using multiple vendors. To meet an increasingly dynamic business environment retail IT teams are looking to security automation, with 98% of respondents stating its importance to ensuring overall security, compliance, and team efficiency.

“We’ve seen our retail customers at the forefront of security innovation as we emerge from the pandemic,” said Woods. “They’re moving to the cloud, they’re automating security and compliance processes, and they’re adopting new zero trust architectures – all in the service of increasing agility and responsiveness.”

To discuss more of the insights in the independent research, FireMon will be hosting a Black Hat Lunch & Learn session. In this session, the company will discuss the retail security environment in the context of the rapid digital transformation taking place. This will be followed by a view of the practical steps companies are taking to manage the security of their systems better to safeguard not only their brand but also the customer experience.

About FireMon
FireMon is the only agile network security policy platform for firewalls and cloud security groups providing the fastest way to streamline network security policy management, which is one of the biggest impediments to IT and enterprise agility. Since creating the first-ever network security policy management solution, FireMon has delivered command and control over complex network security infrastructures for more than 1,700 customers located in nearly 70 countries around the world. For more information, visit www.firemon.com.

Contact:
Sarah Shkargi
FireMon
[email protected]

February 27, 2024

Retail Cybersecurity: The Importance of Compliance and Risk Management

February 14, 2024 in Compliance Buyers Guide

Network Security: A Top Priority for Healthcare Organizations

Why Act Now? Why Choose FireMon? How is FireMon Better Book a Demo Healthcare companies have a responsibility to protect sensitive patient data and ensure compliance with regulations like HIPAA.…
Read More
January 22, 2024 in Data Privacy

Building a Privacy-Centric Organization with FireMon

How FireMon Can Help You Integrate Privacy into Your Business Foundation As organizations increasingly rely on technology to streamline operations and connect with customers, the need for robust privacy measures…
Read More
November 3, 2023 in Cloud Defense

Empower Incident Response with Real-Time, Just-in-Time Alerts and Access

Here at FireMon we have a bit of a different take on Cloud Security Posture Management. Cloud Defense was built from the ground up to support real-time security operations. Our…
Read More
October 31, 2023 in Cyber Asset Management

Securing Australia’s Critical Infrastructure: The Role of Asset Visibility in Meeting SOCI Obligations

As Australia has grown increasingly connected, the security of critical infrastructure has never been more paramount. In response to the evolving threat landscape, the Australian government enacted the Security of…
Read More

Get 9x
BETTER

Book your demo now

Sign Up Now