“Built-In, Not Bolt-On”: Key Insights on Integrating Cybersecurity in Digital Strategic Initiatives

In the current business scenario, digital strategic initiatives represent one of the primary means for organizations to create and appropriate economic value. However, keeping such initiatives secure amidst a landscape of increasing and more powerful cyber risks is challenging. This is particularly relevant as cybersecurity is often introduced in digital projects with a reactive and bottom-up approach, which frequently fails to address cyber risks comprehensively. Based on the analysis of four exemplary cases, this study provides insights into alignment activities that enable cybersecurity to be embedded into digital strategic initiatives in an integrated manner. The findings reveal that this integration unfolds across three main phases: strategic, tactical, and operational. For each phase, the study examines how integration activities can be shaped by organization-specific factors, and then identifies two key organizational facilitators that support these processes. Ultimately, the research highlights the need for organizations to adopt a contextualized approach to cybersecurity integration, while also identifying common practices that can enhance integration efforts across diverse organizational contexts.