Sekuro Okta Partnership Zero Trust | Sekuro

Selling the Strategic Imperative of Zero Trust to Your Board

To mark Sekuro’s launch of our Zero Trust Strategy services on the AWS Marketplace, we are delivering a series of blogs that are designed to help you maximise the new offering.

How can Sekuro’s Zero Trust Strategy services on AWS Marketplace safeguard your organisational assets?

As part of our strategy, Sekuro identified endpoint and data protection, combined with identity and network access as the cornerstones of an effective Zero Trust strategy. Along with CrowdStrike, Zscaler, and Okta, we created the Zero Trust Alliance, working collaboratively to deliver world-class solutions to the challenges posed by the evolving threat landscape.

CISOs, CSOs, CTOs and CIOs have long been sold on the importance of Zero Trust: a notion that challenges the traditional security posture by assuming that no entity inside or outside the network should ever be trusted by default. Instead, a ‘never trust; always verify’ principle is embedded into every arena of an organisation, allowing businesses to evolve beyond conventional approaches to cyber security that were not designed for a cloud-security world.

The launch of Zero Trust Strategy services on AWS ushers in greater convenience for our clients to purchase and manage Zero Trust security services. Having Sekuro’s Zero Trust Strategy on AWS Marketplace simplifies purchasing and billing of associated software licences, making a mature and holistic cyber security posture even more accessible – especially to organisations seeking to extend their existing AWS capabilities.

Get your board on board. Achieving true Zero Trust is a journey. It involves rewiring decades-old practices and processes, rebuilding security stacks from scratch, training all employees, and making tough investment decisions. Debunking common myths around Zero Trust will help you communicate its strategic imperativeness to your stakeholders.

Debunking the myths of Zero Trust

1. Myth: it’s too difficult to get started, so why not wait a while?

This is not true – a large number of organisations have already completed their Zero Trust journey, or are well underway with it, and those that are not will be left to face the consequences that come with a lack of investment into resilience.

However, some boards can be nervous about the potential disruptions to existing workflows and operations. Whilst this is true in some ways, the potential disruptions likely to arise from a wide-ranging cyber attack far outweigh the inconveniences of a gradual and carefully-planned update to security systems.

Organisations that once saw Zero Trust as a hypothetical framework have now moved beyond the planning phase and are actioning their strategies. According to Okta’s State of Zero Trust Security report, four years ago, just 16% of companies surveyed said they either had a Zero Trust initiative in place or would have one in place in the coming 12–18 months.

The latest 2023 report shows that, globally, 61% of all organisations now already have a defined Zero Trust security initiative in place, and another 28% plan to implement one within the next 6–12 months.

As of 2023, 80% of organisations are increasing their investment in Zero Trust initiatives.
A vast majority of businesses are now electing to proactively protect sensitive data and ensure business continuity by implementing Zero Trust.

Sekuro’s Zero Trust Strategy is tailored to each organisation’s level of maturity, which is determined through a simple and easy assessment. The Strategy can be applied to businesses that are digitally native, have a legacy footprint, or anything in between.

And whilst the start of the journey may seem insurmountable, it needn’t be if you select the right partner. Sekuro’s unique approach to Zero Trust through its Zero Trust Strategy framework has been created 100% in-house to focus on the areas that give the greatest security benefits whilst being pragmatic and realistically achievable for all organisations.

2. Myth: the user experience will be too cumbersome with Zero Trust

Zero Trust is centred on Identity, and the verification and re-verification of Identity as a core means of proactively protecting any network perimeter, no matter how large or disparate.

More than half of the C-suite respondents in Okta’s State of Zero Trust Security Report 2023 deem Identity as extremely important to a Zero Trust strategy, with another 40% declaring it somewhat important. Compared to the previous year’s findings of just 26% of respondents considering Identity as mission-critical, this demonstrates the increasing pervasiveness of a board-level recognition of Identity’s role in combating cyber incidents.

Identity and the protection and verification of Identity involves introducing new processes to an organisation via Zero Trust. And it’s this concept of constant authentication and authorisation requirements on behalf of users, employees, partners, and customers that many boards mistakenly believe will hinder productivity or cause further problems. 

However, because Sekuro’s Zero Trust Strategy goes beyond simply advising, organisations can configure a way of working that balances security with user convenience. Based on the maturity of the organisation and its available internal resources, Sekuro offers implementation and ongoing support options to ensure investments are maximised and compliance with the Sekuro Zero Trust Strategy is maintained at all user levels.

3. Myth: My board thinks security is only the responsibility of the tech team

Security is a board-level concern and priority, and those who believe it is not are leaving themselves wide open for disaster.

Boards play a crucial role in setting the tone for a cyber security-aware culture and ensuring that a business is prepared to effectively face the challenges posed by an increasingly complex threat landscape.

No longer the concern of the IT team in isolation, organisations embracing best practices in Zero Trust are able to better leverage cyber security strategies across their entire organisation and network infrastructure, creating new efficiencies.

Importantly, Zero Trust is not a one-time effort, but an ongoing process that requires continuous monitoring, adaptation, and improvement. For this reason alone, the board must be involved in not only investment and strategy, but in a pervasive effort to embed the Zero Trust culture from a top-down perspective.

If anyone still harbours doubts about whose responsibility it is to secure the organisation’s network infrastructure — just point them to recent wide-scale cyberattacks and ask them who, if not the leadership team and the board, had to manage the reputational risk, brand trust, and financial implications.

As a strategic and advisory partner, Sekuro can work directly with you to sell the holistic concept of Zero Trust to your board — rather than each point solution directly. Boards may be enticed by the ability to access streamlined procurement, flexible pricing and terms, and centralised governance for Zero Trust alliance software.

The Zero Trust Strategy services are delivered in partnership with CrowdStrike, Zscaler, and Okta as part of the Zero Trust Alliance. You can find more information about the Zero Trust Strategy on AWS Marketplace.

Okta_logo_(2023).svg
OKTA

Okta advocates for a Zero Trust security framework which is grounded in the principle of ‘never trust, always verify.’ This approach puts identity at the very core of an organisation’s cyber security strategy, significantly reducing the risk of unauthorised access and data breaches.


Scroll to Top

Aidan Tudehope

Co-Founder of Macquarie Technology

Aidan Tudehope, Co-Founder of Macquarie Technology

Aidan is co-founder of Macquarie Telecom and has been a director since 1992. He is the Managing Director of Macquarie Government & Hosting Group with a focus on business growth, cyber security and customer satisfaction. 

Aidan has been responsible for the strategy and execution of the investment in Intellicentre 4 & 5 Bunkers, Macquarie Government’s own purpose-built Canberra data centre campus. This facility is leveraged to deliver Secure Cloud Services and Secure Internet Gateway.

With a unique pan-government view on the cyber security landscape, we are invested in leading the contribution from the Australian industry on all matters Cyber policy related.

Aidan holds a Bachelor of Commerce Degree.

James Ng

CISO, Insignia Financial

James Ng, CISO, Insignia Financial

James is a leader with a range of experience across various cyber security, technology risk and audit domains, bringing a global lens across a diverse background in financial services, telecommunications, entertainment, consulting and FMCG (Fast Moving Consumer Goods). He is currently the General Manager – Cyber Security at Insignia Financial and most recently was at AARNet (Australia’s Academic and Research Network) where he oversaw a managed Security Operations Centre (SOC) capability for Australian universities. Prior to this James was the acting Chief Information Security Officer for Belong and led the cyber governance and risk team at Telstra.

Noel Allnutt

CEO, Sekuro

Noel Allnutt CEO | Sekuro

Noel is a driven and award-winning IT leader. He has a passion for developing great teams and accelerating client innovation, and in enabling organisations to create a secure and sustainable competitive advantage in the digital economy. Noel also hosts the ‘Building Resilience Podcast,’ which explores the world of sport and deconstructs the tools and ethos of world-class athletes that can help create growth and optimise business and life.

Audrey Jacquemart

Bid Manager, Sekuro

Audrey Jacquemart, Bid Manager, Sekuro

Audrey is an innovative cybersecurity professional with a versatile profile spanning across Product Management, Presales and Delivery. She has worked within organisations from start-ups to large international organisations in Europe and APAC before joining Sekuro.

Nicolas Brahim

Principal Consultant, CRP and OT

Nicolas Brahim, Principal Consultant, CRP and OT

Nico leads Sekuro’s Cyber Resilience Program and OT Cybersecurity, ensuring continuous support and effective program execution for our clients. With over a decade in the security industry, including the creation and leadership of several Security Programs for IT and OT across Australia, New Zealand, Argentina, Chile and the US, his core philosophy emphasises an equal balance of people, process, and technology in delivering actionable and simple solutions.

Trent Jerome

Chief Financial Officer, Sekuro

Trent Jerome

Trent is a seasoned CFO with over 30 years’ experience in Finance. Trent has broad experiences across Capital raises, debt financing, M&A and business transformation. He is a CPA and member of AICD. Trent works with Boards around risk and risk mitigation plans and assists Boards in navigating the risk mitigation versus cost conversation.

Ada Guan

CEO and Board Director, Rich Data Co

Ada Guan, CEO and Board Director, Rich Data Co

Ada is the CEO and Co-founder of Rich Data Co (RDC). RDC AI Decisioning platform provides banks the ability to make high-quality business and commercial lending decisions efficiently and safely. With over 20 years of global experience in financial services, software, and retail industries, Ada is passionate about driving financial inclusion at a global scale.

Before launching RDC in 2016, Ada led a Global Client Advisor team at Oracle Corporation, where she advised Board and C-level executives in some of the largest banks globally on digital disruption and fintech strategy. She also drove Oracle’s thought leadership in banking digital transformation for Global Key Accounts. Previously, Ada implemented a multi-million dollar program to deliver a mission-critical services layer for Westpac Bank in Australia and formulated the IT strategy that was the basis of an $800m investment program to transform Westpac’s Product and Operation division and complete the merger with St. George Bank. Ada is an INSEAD certified international director and holds an EMBA from the Australia Graduate School of Management, and a Master of Computer Engineering from the University of New South Wales, Australia. She also graduated from the Executive Insight Program at Michigan University Ross Business School and IESE Business School.

Megan Motto

Chief Executive Officer, Governance Institute of Australia

Megan Motto, CEO, Governance Institute of Australia

Megan Motto is Chief Executive Officer of Governance Institute of Australia, a national education provider, professional association and leading authority on governance and risk management. The Institute advocates on behalf of professionals from the listed, unlisted, public and not-for profit sectors.

Megan has over 25 years of experience with large associations, as a former CEO of Consult Australia, as well as holding significant positions in Australia’s built environment sector and business chambers.

She is currently a director of Standards Australia, a member of the ASIC Corporate Governance Consultative Panel and a councillor of the Australian Chamber of Commerce and Industry (ACCI) where she chairs the Data, Digital and Cyber Security Forum.

Megan’s expertise spans governance, risk management, public policy and education. She holds a Bachelor of Arts/Bachelor of Education, a Masters of Communication Management and a Graduate Diploma of Corporate Governance and Risk Management. She is a Fellow of the Governance Institute of Australia, the Chartered Governance Institute and the Australian Institute of Company Directors and is also a member of Chief Executive Women. Megan is also an Honorary Life Trustee of the Committee for Economic Development of Australia (CEDA) and was a 2014 recipient of the AFR/Westpac 100 Women of Influence.

Shamane Tan

Chief Growth Officer, Sekuro

Shamane Tan, Chief Growth Officer, Sekuro

Sekuro’s Chief Growth Officer, Shamane Tan, is passionate about uniting minds and experiences, excelling in aligning C-Suite and Board members with cyber security imperatives. As the author of “Cyber Risk Leaders,” she unravels executive communication nuances and distils C-Suite expectations. 

Her work extends to “Cyber Mayday and the Day After,” a roadmap for navigating crises by mining the wisdom of C-level executives from around the globe. It’s filled with interviews with managers and leaders who’ve braved the crucible and lived to tell the tale. Her most recent book, “Building a Cyber Resilience: A Cyber Handbook for Executives and Boards,” was featured on Forbes Australia’s top list of books for CEOs. 

Shamane has also founded a transcontinental cyber risk and executive meetup spanning Sydney, Melbourne, Adelaide, Perth, Singapore, the Philippines, and Tokyo, fostering mentorship, women’s empowerment and thought leadership. As a strong advocate for the importance of having a voice and helping others use theirs, Shamane Tan has spoken at TEDx and global conferences, including FS-ISAC, RSA, Silicon Valley, Fortune 500 and ASX companies. 

Recipient of the IFSEC Global Top 20 Cybersecurity Influencer award and named among the 40 under 40 Most Influential Asian-Australians, Shamane leverages her unique fusion of technical prowess and business acumen to help organisations progress on their security maturity journey.

David Gee

David Gee, CIO, CISO, NED, Board Advisor & Author

 

David Gee, CIO, CISO, NED, Board Advisor & Author

David has just retired in July 2024 and is building out his portfolio. He is an Advisor with Bain Advisory Network and also an Advisor to JS Careers (Cyber Recruitment) and Emertel (Software Commercialisation).

He is a seasoned technology executive with significant experience and has over 25 years’ experience in CIO and CISO roles across different industries and countries. At Macquarie Group David served as Global Head Technology, Cyber and Data Risk. Previously was CISO for HSBC Asia Pacific. His career as a CIO spans across multiple industries and geographies including – Metlife, Eli Lilly and Credit Union Australia. He was winner CIO of the Year 2014, at CUA where he successfully completed a significant Transformation of Core Banking, Online and Mobile Banking systems.

David is past Chairman for the FS-ISAC Strategy Committee and awarded Global Leaders Award in 2023 for his contributions to the cyber security industry. A regular conference keynote speaker and 150+ published articles for CIO Australia, Computerworld, iTnews and CSO (Cyber Security), David now writes for Foundry CIO.com and AICD.

His most recent book – the Aspiring CIO & CISO was published in June 2024 and David is writing his second – A Day in the Life of a CISO with a number of CISOs from around the world for 2025.

Naomi Simson

Co-founder, Big Red Group and Former Shark Tank Judge

Naomi Simson, Co-founder, Big Red Group

INTRODUCTION

For 25 years as an entrepreneur, Naomi Simson has been bringing people together whether it’s with her business experience, her speaking or writing. Passionate about small business and local community, Naomi is considered a home grown success story.

Naomi had a corporate career with Apple, KPMG, IBM and Ansett Australia prior to becoming an entrepreneur. She is a prolific blogger, podcaster and business commentator, and appeared as the #RedShark in four seasons of Shark Tank Australia and she appears regularly on ABC The Drum. She is a non-executive director at Big Red Group, Australian Payments Plus, Colonial First State and Weebit Nano, as well as the Cerebral Palsy Research Foundation and the University of Melbourne Business and Economics Faculty.

A true business leader and influencer, with more than 2.7 million LinkedIn followers, Naomi is Australia’s most followed person on the business networking platform. She has four seasons of her podcast ‘Handpicked’, and she has authored two best-selling books Live What You Love, and Ready to Soar, and is sought after speaker.

FULL BIO

For 25 years Naomi has been bringing people together whether it’s with her business experience, her speaking or writing. She is a strong advocate of business owners.

Known as an entrepreneur and business leader; following the growth of RedBalloon which she founded in 2001, Naomi co-founded the Big Red Group (BRG) in 2017.

Naomi had a corporate career with Apple, KPMG, IBM and Ansett Australia prior to becoming an entrepreneur. She is a prolific blogger, podcaster and business commentator, and appeared as the #RedShark in four seasons of Shark Tank Australia. She is a non-executive director at Big Red Group, Australian Payments Plus, Colonial First State and Weebit Nano. As well as the Cerebral Palsy Research Foundation and the University of Melbourne Business and Economics Faculty.

A true business leader and influencer, with more than 2.7 million LinkedIn followers, Naomi is Australia’s most followed person on the business networking platform. She has authored two best-selling books Live What You Love, and Ready to Soar, and is an engaging, humorous and insightful speaker. She has four seasons of her Podcast – Handpicked.

Naomi is relatable across a broad variety of audiences and topics, often drawing on her personal experiences to provide thoughtful and valuable views into topics; including the customer obsession, intentional leadership, growth mindset, personal development. She is a regular panellist on ABC The Drum.

Peter Ngo

Product Line Manager, Global Certifications, Palo Alto Networks

Peter Ngo

Peter leads the Commercial Cloud, Global Certifications organisation at Palo Alto Networks which oversees global cloud security compliance efforts to various frameworks and standards including IRAP, SOC 2, ISO, PCI, C5, ISMAP, and IRAP and more for 25+ cloud products.

He has held many roles over the years covering areas of IT Operations, and Governance, Risk, & Compliance (GRC) for a wide range of industries including technology, insurance, and manufacturing.

Peter holds various security and professional certifications, including the CCSP, CISSP, PCI ISA, CISA, CISM, CDPSE & ISO Lead Auditor, in addition to a Master of Science degree in Information Assurance. 

Jack Cross

CISO, QUT

Jack Cross

Jack Cross is an experienced business leader with expertise in digital technologies and risk management. Through a steadfast commitment to integrating people, processes, and technology, he champions the fight against cyber threats while mitigating organisational risks. 

Over the past 15 years, Jack has navigated diverse leadership roles within the Defence and Education sectors, honing his skills in steering multidisciplinary teams through intricate and sensitive technical landscapes. In addition to this experience, he holds numerous formal qualifications such as: a Master of Systems Engineering (Electronic Warfare); CISSP; and CISM certifications.

Nadene Serman

Global CTO, Infotrack

Nadene Serman

Nadene Serman is a leading IT executive with a proven track record spearheading first-of-its-kind technology and business transformation for some of the most prominent organisations globally and in Australia. As the Global Chief Technology Officer of InfoTrack, she is a key protagonist of innovation as an enabler of InfoTrack’s next stage growth. Her energy, commercial acuity and strategic capability have fueled her success.

Nadene leads with clarity, transparency and urgency, uniting people in complex, multi-layered technology and business execution, and go-to-market transformation and innovation. She tackles and resolves complex and seemingly intractable challenges while building support and collaboration – even in times of crisis. Her people-first, ‘think straight, talk straight’ approach makes her a formidable force.

John Doe

President Great Technology

Cyber Resilience Program | Sekuro

Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit. Ut elit tellus, luctus nec ullamcorper mattis, pulvinar dapibus leo.