Consumers Increasingly Factor Cybersecurity into Purchasing Decisions
At the Digital as Usual Cyber Security event, Dr. Ivano Bongiovanni, General Manager of AUSCERT, posed a revealing question: “Raise your hand if you choose to buy from specific organisations based on their cybersecurity track record.”
To his surprise, most attendees raised their hands, highlighting a significant shift in consumer behavior—cybersecurity is now a deciding factor in brand trust, just like service quality, reliability, and price.
High-profile cyberattacks on Optus and Latitude Financial have reinforced this trend, prompting major brands to proactively advertise their cybersecurity efforts. As threats grow more sophisticated, companies are shifting more security responsibilities onto individual users, fueling demand for tools like multi-factor authentication (MFA) and VPNs.
“Cybersecurity is now a fundamental part of a company’s value proposition—alongside service quality, reliability, and price.”
— Dr. Ivano Bongiovanni, General Manager, AUSCERT
Dr. Bongiovanni stresses that this shift isn’t limited to consumer-facing businesses:
“It’s no longer a question of if a cyberattack will happen, but when. What matters is how companies communicate their security efforts to customers and, in the event of an incident, how quickly and transparently they respond to mitigate the impact.”
With consumers now holding businesses accountable for cybersecurity, organisations must prioritise transparency and proactive risk management to maintain trust in an increasingly digital world.