CASE STUDY overall business transformation which is dependent on significant Digital Transformation projects and the speedy delivery of innovative digital products and services with cybersecurity built-in from day one . As part of this transformation , we have been navigating a fullscale shift to the cloud that is now close to completion which meant that when the pandemic hit we were fully able to support remote working . It is my responsibility to ensure that both our day-to-day operations and our Digital Transformation are delivered seamlessly and securely , as well as making sure that we have the right people and technologies in place to protect the business as a whole from sophisticated attacks .
What business / cybersecurity challenges were you looking to address ahead of your work with Darktrace ?
We are a long-standing user of Darktrace and we understood early on that to meet the challenges of securing our infrastructure across disparate environments and tools , we needed a technology that was able to work across any area of our infrastructure to detect and , critically , respond to attacks as they happen .
As a business which had to pivot quickly online once the pandemic hit , cloud and SaaS platforms proved incredibly useful and innovative tools for us . However , this new infrastructure came with its own challenges – as the traditional network perimeter was redefined , the attack surface has widened . In addition , with new partners and third parties being thrown into the mix , the risk of supply chain attacks is constantly growing . Yet , as we have come to depend on these platforms for the long-term , security has now become a crossdepartmental , board-level issue and we rely on Darktrace to adapt in lockstep as our business evolves to help us address new challenges that emerge .
As one of the leading global lifestyle brands , how important is having reliable and effective protection against cyberthreats ? credentials or other sensitive information , successful social engineering attempts are able to grant attackers a foothold into an organisation . These sorts of attacks are notoriously challenging to counter and detect , and the number of human engineers needed to defend against this level of attack is immense . Humans alone are never going to be able to stop attacks as they happen . The only way of doing so is by using AI to do the tasks that humans fundamentally cannot – responding with proportionate , precise actions , without shutting down business operations .
Can you tell us more about the Darktrace AI platform and its benefits ?
Darktrace AI interrupts in-progress cyberattacks in seconds , including ransomware , email phishing and threats to cloud environments and critical infrastructure . Its Self-Learning AI works across all digital environments – including cloud , SaaS , email , IoT , endpoint and on-premise network , and builds up an understanding of ‘ on the job ’ of the regular patterns of behaviour of every user , device and system . It uses this understanding – known as a ‘ pattern of life ’ – to detect subtle indications of threatening activity and respond proportionately with no disruption to the wider business .
What specific higher-value tasks does the solution allow your team to focus on ?
With technologies like autonomous response and automated investigation , attacks are mitigated before they develop into a crisis . This buys us critical time that we need to ensure all systems are updated with the latest patches , proactively checking for potential vulnerabilities and supporting our wider Digital Transformation agenda by ensuring cybersecurity is designed-in to all systems and processes .
How do you predict Ted Baker will evolve , from a cybersecurity perspective , over the next 12 months ?
Even before the pandemic hit and cybersecurity was thrust onto board level agendas , attackers had been proliferating and innovating . This year , we ’ ve seen organisations of all kinds and sizes fall victim to attacks – often with incredibly disruptive consequences – which is why for us at Ted Baker , cybersecurity has long been a top priority . We need to ensure that not only our employees , but also our customers and partners remain secure as we work with them .
In particular , we have seen a rise in social engineering attacks which target the weakest link in the chain – the human . By deceiving just one user into handing over
Over the next year , our focus will be on further strengthening our cloud defences as we complete our full migration to the cloud as part of our overall business transformation activity . A great example of this is our new global e-commerce platform that goes live early next year . By designing-in cybersecurity from the very start , there have had to be no compromises in the customer experience . We will be continuing to work closely with third-party supply chain vendors to ensure that these do not become a point of ingress as well . Our human security team will continue to focus on the higher order proactive activities such as red-teaming and challenging ourselves with ‘ what if ’ modelling . p
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