Year: 2017

One of the most popular breakout sessions at Evolution17 featured a great merger and acquisition (M&A) scenario: Midway through the deal, critical information leaks, devastating the value of the deal. How can you figure out how much info leaked—by whom and to whom?

Here’s why that storyline was so riveting: 2016 saw more than $3.5 trillion in M&A deals. And the vast majority of those deals revolved around valuations of intellectual property (IP), which today makes up about 80 percent of a typical company’s value. If you’re a buyer organization, consider these questions:

• Are you aware of all the IP within the target company?
• Can you be sure all this IP will come with the deal?
• Can you be certain it won’t leak to a competitor?

Data loss is a growing M&A problem
For most buyers, the answers to the questions above are no, no and no. This lack of visibility and security for the very assets a company is buying is startling, and it’s increasingly impeding the success of M&A deals. A 2016 survey of dealmakers found that about three in four M&A deals end up getting delayed—sometimes indefinitely—by data loss. Those that eventually get back on track often end up hobbled by missing data. Experts say this is a big part of the reason that 80 percent of M&As fail to achieve their potential or expected value.

M&A amps up the insider threat
Data loss is increasingly common in M&A for the same reason it’s increasingly common throughout the business world: More than half of all enterprise data now lives on endpoints, beyond traditional visibility and security tools centered on a network drive or central server. If the target company can’t see what its employees are doing with data on their laptops and desktops, then a potential buyer has near zero visibility. Couple that with the unique circumstances of an M&A deal and you’ve got a much higher risk of insider data theft. Laid-off employees freely take their endpoint data—sometimes for personal gain, other times just to sabotage their former employer. Those that do stick around tend to feel little loyalty toward their new company, lowering their inhibitions toward selling or taking data for personal gain.

There’s a better way to protect IP during M&A deals
IP is what an acquiring company is buying—the info that is critical to the value and competitive advantage gained through a deal. To make the most of an M&A opportunity, buyers need a better way to collect, protect and secure all data living on a target company’s endpoints—before, during and after a deal. Fortunately, with the right tools, a buyer can gain complete visibility of all endpoint data, take control of valuable IP and drive a deal to its most successful outcome.

Don’t let data loss sink an M&A. Read our new white paper, Best Practices for Data Protection During Mergers and Acquisitions.

Jeremy Zoss, Managing Editor, Code42

[Cloud Security Alliance Blog]

Other than a college degree, how can you validate your knowledge and skills? Certifications represent a way for professionals to validate their knowledge and expertise, as well as a path for continued education and professional development.

But what about value? Why are cybersecurity certifications essential today? What is the value of a cybersecurity certification?

Proves Your Worth
According to the 2017 (ISC)² Global Information Security Workforce Study (GISWS), when respondents were asked for the reasons why their organization requires staff to have information security certifications, employee competence was the most common answer. You can spend years working to prove your knowledge, but a third-party validated measure of competence displays your expertise (i.e., your worth) to your employer, colleagues and peers in your network. Not only do certifications require the testing of one’s knowledge and skillsets, but many certifications also require continuing professional education credits to ensure that the learning process doesn’t stop once certification is obtained. Certification also proves a candidate’s commitment to their respective profession – if they are dedicated enough to study for a lengthy exam and go through the entire certification process, that exemplifies commitment.

Instant Street Cred
Certifications are often difficult to obtain. Many people spend hours, weeks, even months studying for certification exams. When your managers and colleagues know that you’ve been validated by a third-party organization as having certain knowledge and skills by passing a tough exam, you earn credibility. When hiring managers are making decisions for staffing, 70 percent of GISWS respondents said it was at least somewhat important that the candidate has information security certifications. When asked if their organization requires its IT staff to have information security certifications, 40 percent said yes.

Catapults Your Career
Once you’re hired, you’ll probably start to think about career advancement and how to get to the next level. As part of the GISWS survey, respondents who hold certifications were asked how relevant their current certifications are to their potential career advancement. An incredible 90 percent of respondents said they are at least somewhat relevant. Members of (ISC)² (certification holders) also make a higher average annual salary than those who are not members – $103,000 for members compared to $76,300 for nonmembers. With certain certifications being required to obtain cybersecurity positions, it’s no wonder that they can be the way in the door and up the ladder.

Attaining certifications can be a key component in planning for and building a successful, well-respected career in cybersecurity. Certifications will show your value as a cybersecurity professional by helping to prove your worth as an employee, show street cred as a team member, and catapult your career, setting you up for a lifetime of success.

Validate your expertise and show your boss you have what it takes to protect your organization with a globally recognized (ISC)² certification. Choose which certification is right for you and download The Ultimate Guide.

[(ISC)² Blog]