Gartner estimated that global security spending would reach over $150 billion in 2021. However, as ransomware and other cyber threats continue to spike — along with the average cost of a breach — many startups may be wondering how they can improve security practices without breaking the bank. After all, with security threats showing no sign of slowing down, there are only so many goals incremental increases to cybersecurity budgets can achieve. The answer? Creating a security-first culture in which all employees play a part in securing customer and company data.
In many traditional organizations, data security is considered a responsibility of the information technology (IT), cybersecurity and compliance departments. While security specialists are still essential, data security cannot be a siloed effort. And in startups, security leaders have the opportunity to do security differently by adopting a security-first culture.