Businesses increasingly view cybersecurity as a strategic investment that strengthens resilience, improves efficiency and supports long-term growth, according to a Kaspersky study. — Photo courtesy of the company

HCM CITY — Organisations globally and across Asia-Pacific (APAC), including those in Việt Nam, increasingly view cybersecurity as a strategic investment that goes beyond protecting against cyber threats to help drive digital transformation, enhance business resilience and foster sustainable growth, according to a new global study by Kaspersky.

The study, conducted by Kaspersky's Internal Research Center, surveyed 1,800 IT and cybersecurity decision-makers across 18 countries and multiple industries, including IT, manufacturing, finance and retail, to understand what enterprises actually get out of investing in cybersecurity.

Data protection was identified as primary value delivered by cybersecurity enhancements,, cited by 32 per cent of APAC respondents. The figure reached 39 per cent in Malaysia, while India and Thailand each recorded 32 per cent, Việt Nam 31 per cent, China 30 per cent and Indonesia 28 per cent.

As firms process increasing volumes of sensitive business and customer information, protecting data has become essential not only for mitigating cyber risks but also for ensuring operational continuity and regulatory compliance. With evolving privacy laws and stricter enforcement, robust cybersecurity measures have become a crucial tool for organisations to stay compliant while protecting both their assets and their customers.

The second most frequently cited benefit is the ability to improve operational efficiency, which includes reducing the number of incidents and optimising workloads. This was identified by 26 per cent of APAC respondents. China recorded the highest share at 29 per cent, followed by Malaysia (27 per cent), Việt Nam and Indonesia (26 per cent), Thailand (24 per cent) and India (23 per cent).

The desire to prevent attacks rather than deal with their consequences was also cited as one of the main benefits of developing IT security functions, highlighted by 24 per cent of the APAC businesses surveyed. Malaysia led at 29 per cent, followed by Thailand and Indonesia (27 per cent), while Việt Nam and India each recorded 22 per cent and China 17 per cent.

Businesses increasingly recognise that investing in capabilities to identify vulnerabilities and intercept attacks before they occur is far more cost-effective than managing the aftermath of a breach. More importantly, beyond financial considerations, prevention helps strengthen organisational resilience against potential reputational damages that can be difficult to recover from.

The study also highlights that previous experience with cyber incidents influences business priorities. Firms that avoided security incidents over the past year are more likely to associate cybersecurity with improving operational efficiency and maintaining compliance with regulatory requirements, while companies that experienced incidents place greater emphasis on the ability to safely adopt new technologies, reducing financial and human error risks and strengthening their competitive position.

Adrian Hia, Managing Director for Asia Pacific at Kaspersky, said businesses often associate productivity gains with technologies such as AI, cloud computing and automation, but overlook cybersecurity as a key driver of business performance.

"By strengthening cybersecurity resilience, organisations can improve operational efficiency and focus on growth rather than recovery. True business advantage comes when firms not only scale, but do so securely and confidently," he said. — VNS