Building a More Trustworthy Digital World

ISACA CEO - David Samuelson
Author: David Samuelson, ISACA CEO
Date Published: 3 May 2022

Technology is truly driving global innovation and the world economy. That has been the case for a while, but the ways in which we all have increasingly relied upon technology during the pandemic these past couple years underscores just how central trusted technology has become to companies’ success.

Creating and maintaining trust in our digital world has become increasingly challenging in an era when high-profile security, privacy and ethical missteps have become commonplace. There is significant progress that needs to be made, and the ISACA community has an unmatched opportunity to lead the way in this critical area.

Digital trust is the confidence in the relationship and transactions among providers and consumers within the digital ecosystem. This includes the ability of people, organizations, process and technology to create and maintain a trustworthy digital world. Think about a digital space with fewer attacks, more innovation and business growth, and enhanced confidence, with IT professionals leading the way. That is the future ISACA is working toward.

Our global community of like-minded IT professionals works together to uphold the key tenets of digital trust, including quality, security, privacy and ethics. More trust means more success—and ISACA professionals are key enablers of that success.

What are some key components of digital trust? Consumers consider six key factors when determining the trustworthiness of an organization. They are:

  • Quality
  • Availability
  • Security and privacy
  • Ethics and integrity
  • Transparency and honesty
  • Resiliency

These components of digital trust are all directly related to ISACA’s focus areas: security, privacy, risk, assurance, capability and quality, and governance practices. Each of these aspects is critical to upholding digital trust.

ISACA is now launching its first wave of digital trust resources, including a free white paper, articles, videos and more. Visit a new digital trust area of our website to take a look at these and other ISACA digital trust resources.

And there is much more to come. We’re developing a course, a webinar, global research and more, as well as a digital trust framework coming at the end of this year. Some of you may have participated in the public exposure of that framework a couple weeks ago.  All of these learning opportunities and resources will be available in the coming months, with some coming as soon as later this month.

It’s an important time to be a part of this cultural shift. The adage of “Move fast and break stuff” is in the past. Security by design, privacy by design and DevSecOps all are strengthening our digital transformations through digital trust, and I am looking forward to how the ISACA Digital Trust Framework will further help the cause.

By playing a leading role in pursuit of digital trust, the ISACA community will be at the forefront of creating a trusted digital ecosystem that will lead to stronger bonds between enterprises and their customers, sustainable business models and a thriving workforce throughout the digital trust professions.