NEWSROOM

Recent research has proven that 2023 will be the year of optimization in technology investments. While Gartner's research with technology leaders showed that optimization was prioritized in companies' technology plans, cybersecurity was at the top of the investment agenda.

TURKEY — As digital transformation turns into a competitive prerequisite for every business, the preferences of companies' technology leaders (CIOs) have also gained importance. Gartner's research with more than 2,200 CIOs from companies operating in 81 countries revealed that 2023 would be a year of optimization, not growth, in terms of technology investments. Two out of three CIOs (66%) said they would prioritize their cybersecurity investments in 2023.

Sharing his evaluations on the subject, Berqnet General Manager Hakan Hintoğlu said, “The business world has experienced a rapid digital transformation process in the last three years. 2023 will be a year in which the effectiveness of these investments is measured and improved, and a holistic approach to cybersecurity is developed.”

95% of organizations struggle to develop a vision for digital change

One of the striking results of the research was that 95% of organizations had difficulty developing a vision for digital change. Stating that the recession in the global economy has made the Boards of Directors more cautious, Hakan Hintoğlu said, "Even though everyone accepts that technology is essential for achieving sustainable success in business processes, businesses are having difficulties in where to start optimization."

Emphasizing that cyber security has become an undisputed priority due to changes in working styles, reshaped geopolitical balances, and technologies that diversify with rapid digitalization, Hakan Hintoğlu said, “Boards of Directors and Senior Executives should agree on a common cyber security vision. A strategy determined for cyber security also affects the efficiency of other technology investments. Senior Management needs to work with cyber security teams and lead the creation of risk culture within the organization."

“Efficiency in cyber security is achieved with a holistic approach”

The 2023 edition of the Global Risks Report prepared by the World Economic Forum, with the title of "Pervasive Cybercrime and Cyber Insecurity,” was listed for the first time this year among the 10 major risks with maturities of two and ten years. It was pointed out that the rapid development of new technologies brings its risks and that cybercrime and attempts to disrupt functioning will become widespread in every sector. It was stated that the increasing intertwining of technologies with the critical functioning of societies also increases internal threats.

Pointing out that the developing technology has also increased the opportunities available to cyber criminals, Berqnet General Manager Hakan Hintoğlu concluded his evaluations with the following statements:

“Cyber attacks carried out with different tools from various channels in recent years have reached a level that will affect business continuity of businesses. To combat the increasing threats, investments were made in different products, security infrastructures, and cybersecurity-focused human resources. At the point we have reached today, there is a need for holistic approaches to support efficiency. One of them is SASE (Secure Access Service Edge) architecture, which enables enterprises to easily manage by bringing together basic network and security services on a single platform. As Berqnet, we offer the SASE platform, which we developed with 100% domestic R&D, which provides the integrity needed by the Boards of Directors and CIOs by charging them in Turkish Lira. Turning cyber security into a service model by combining firewall, SD-WAN, Virtual Private Network (VPN), Zero Trust Network Access (ZTNA), Secure Web Gateway, and Threat Prevention solutions, SASE stands out as a solution that provides optimization prioritized by CIOs."