The Shift from Cybersecurity to Product Security: A Business Imperative
Peter Wong, Head of Information Security and Compliance, Apac, Edenred
Peter Wong, Head of Information Security and Compliance, Apac, Edenred
Traditional cybersecurity has focused on protecting IT infrastructure such as networks and endpoints. However, as businesses become more reliant on digital products, cloud applications and API-driven ecosystems, their attack surface has expanded beyond traditional defenses. Modern threats—such as supply chain attacks, API abuse and fraud—target vulnerabilities within the product itself, exposing businesses to financial losses, reputational damage, and regulatory penalties.
Product security is not just about mitigating technical threats—it is about business resilience. Companies that fail to integrate security risk customer distrust, loss of market access, and operational disruptions. Security must be embedded throughout the product lifecycle— from design and development to deployment and continuous monitoring. This shift demands a proactive, business-driven approach where security is seen as a market differentiator, not an operational cost.
Recent breaches such as Log4Shell, SolarWinds, and MOVEit highlight the risks posed by software supply chain vulnerabilities. Product security is essential for trust, regulatory compliance, and long-term business success. Companies that integrate security throughout the product lifecycle ensure regulatory compliance, protect their reputation, and prevent security incidents that could disrupt operations.
The Distinction between Product Security and Traditional CybersecurityTraditional cybersecurity focuses on infrastructure, endpoints and perimeter, while product security is embedded into business workflow, data inventory and attack surfaces.
While traditional security teams (e.g., SOC analysts, cybersecurity engineers) remain crucial, product security must be driven by cross-functional leadership. Product owners, CTOs and Operations Heads must embed security considerations into business decisions, ensuring security is a core product feature rather than an IT afterthought. Security teams act as enablers, providing expertise, frameworks and governance to align security with business objectives.
Core Principles Of Product SecurityProduct security extends beyond attack prevention—it is a key business enabler. Organizations must embed security into their products from the initial design phase rather than applying reactive fixes. A strong product security strategy includes:
• Business Risk Driven – Regulatory compliance is critical for market access but compliance alone does not guarantee security. Major breaches—such as Equifax (2017) and Capital One (2019)—happened despite organizations meeting regulatory requirements, proving that businesses must adopt a proactive, risk-based security approach. Instead of treating compliance as the end goal, companies must embed security at the design stage, conducting product risk analysis, secure coding reviews and attack surface monitoring.
• Secure by Workflow – Security must be embedded into business workflows, ensuring secure data flow, system interactions and external integrations. Understanding how data is exchanged and processed is key to minimizing risks.
• Fraud & Abuse Prevention: Implementing real-time transaction monitoring and anomaly detection to prevent financial losses.
• Supply Chain Risk Management: Securing third-party components and monitoring software dependencies.
• Customer Trust & Compliance: Ensuring secure authentication, data protection, and adherence to regulatory standards (e.g., GDPR, SOC 2).
Key Steps to Achieving Product Security Success1. Empowering Product Ownership – Product owners must take responsibility for IT resilience, data security, fraud prevention, and regulatory compliance. Working with the security team and treat security as a core component of product strategy, not an afterthought.
Product Security Is Not Just About Preventing Attacks—It’s A Business Enabler. Companies That Embed Security From Design To Deployment Gain Market Trust, Reduce Breach Costs, And Ensure Resilience, Turning Security Into A Competitive Advantage Rather Than Just A Regulatory Requirement
2. Embedding Security in Product Risk Management – Security teams and product teams must work together to analyze security risks in business workflows, data flows, and user interactions related to the digital product. This includes:
• Data Inventory & Classification – Identify and classify sensitive data assets, determine ownership, access levels and track how data is exchanged across business processes throughout its lifecycle.
• Business Process Mapping for Security Risks – Analyse end-to-end workflows to detect potential security gaps in data handling, system interactions and external integrations.
• Validate & Challenge Security Assumptions – Conduct risk analysis, penetration testing, security audits, etc., to assess security risks such as excessive user permissions, vulnerable data exchange flows, insecure API design and implicit trust in third-party integrations to uncover hidden risks and challenge security-by-default assumptions.
• Developing a Product Risk Mitigation Plan – Security, product, and business teams must collaborate on risk prioritization and mitigation strategies. A well-structured risk mitigation plan should balance risk mitigation with user experience and business efficiency, ensuring security measures do not introduce unnecessary friction (e.g., fraud prevention without impacting legitimate transactions).
3. Tracking Product Risk and Continuous Updates – Regular tracking and updates ensure that security strategies remain aligned with evolving threats and business priorities. This includes:
• Periodic security briefings to keep stakeholders informed.
• Risk assessment updates to reflect new threats.
• Tracking mitigation progress to maintain accountability and adjust the security roadmap accordingly.
ConclusionBusinesses that embed security into their product strategy gain faster market access, reduce breach costs by up to 40%, and build customer loyalty through trust-driven security practices. Organizations that fail to adapt will face not only regulatory penalties but also financial loss, operational disruptions, and declining customer confidence.
Product security is no longer just an IT requirement—it is a competitive differentiator. Companies that invest in security-by-design today will lead the market tomorrow.
Will your organization drive the shift—or be left behind?
