It is never too late to add or improve your company’s information security.

BUT, a recent security survey from Dell shows that security is more meaningful when thought about early in project planning.

Security statistics: Security enables business

While many companies may want to just get things started and worry about adding security later when they have more income or a project proves successful, the security survey of IT decision-makers by Dell suggests that security can actually help move a project forward.

• 97% of global respondents say they’re investing in digital technologies to transform their business, including mobile, cloud applications, cloud infrastructures and IoT.
• 85% say security teams can better enable digital transformation initiatives if they are included early in the project.
• Over 90% say the security team can better enable the business if given more resources.
• 5% felt that businesses did not involve security into their digital initiatives because the business believed it could prove a stumbling block; although 63% of respondents do say this fear is baseless.

Businesses are investing in the digital technologies, but security teams fear they aren’t investing in the security to go with it.

Why businesses need to start with security

Security needs to be a priority when implementing new technology. Here are just a few reasons why:

Never too small for a breach

Plenty of small businesses think they can get away without information security because they are “too small” to be a target for hackers. This is far from the truth.  A security repost from Symantec shows that last year phishing campaigns targeted small businesses 43% of the time. A breach can damage a big company and it can destroy a small one.

Customers care about security

Your customers are your livelihood, so it is vital to make them happy. Having their personal or financial information stolen because you didn’t invest in security is not going to make them happy and will certainly make their trust in you disappear.

Enables new technology

While some may see security as a barrier between the company and new technology, when done right, security can enable your business to adapt to the new technology your customers want. If you have a strong, knowledgeable security team, they can be on the look out and create plans for your company to experiment with new technology safely. New technology has flaws, if you don’t have a security team to spot those vulnerabilities, you are creating entry points into your system for hackers.

A data breach can happen to you (or your customers), so whether you are starting a new business or project, security should be top of mind.