Let’s not sugarcoat it: most organisations aren’t protecting their data; they’re preserving the illusion of security. And it’s costing them dearly.

Every week, another breach hits the headlines. Customer data stolen. Operations paralysed. Share prices shaken. And yet, the same flawed thinking persists. Too many businesses still believe that traditional cybersecurity defences are enough. Firewalls. Access controls. Endpoint monitoring. These tools might tick a compliance box, but they don’t stop breaches.

Boards sign off on expensive security investments that reinforce the perimeter, while the crown jewels, the data itself, remain exposed. Make no mistake: hackers will get inside your network. Simon Pamplin, CTO, Certes, asks the question – so why wouldn’t you protect your most valuable asset?

Perimeter Security Won’t Stop a Breach

IBM’s most recent Cost of a Data Breach report found that 84% of breaches involve stolen or compromised credentials. Attackers aren’t smashing through defences; they’re walking through the front door using stolen keys. Once inside, if the data isn’t protected, it’s exposed. And if it’s exposed, it’s gone. No amount of forensic analysis, post-incident comms, or cyber insurance can undo the reputational and financial damage with real-world consequences for those at the top.

Clearly, cybersecurity isn’t just IT’s problem anymore. It’s a boardroom issue. So why does the industry keep reverting to perimeter-first thinking?

Part of the issue is cultural. Many organisations still view cyber threats as something to be kept out, a problem of intrusion. That mindset leads to heavy investment in network security, identity management, and endpoint controls. These are necessary, but they’re not sufficient. Attackers are adapting faster than defences. They exploit weak links, use legitimate credentials, and often dwell inside systems for weeks or months before detection.

Data Breaches are Inevitable

We must accept that breaches are inevitable, so the priority has to shift. The goal is no longer just to keep attackers out. It’s to ensure that when they get in, they can’t access or use the data.

This is where data-centric protection must become the norm. It’s not about chasing threats. It’s about neutralising their objective.

Yet in many boardrooms, data is still treated as something that “sits” somewhere – in a database, on a server, in the cloud. But modern data doesn’t sit still. It moves constantly across networks, between devices, into third-party platforms and backup environments. If protection only applies at the perimeter, it disappears the moment data moves.

To truly protect data, we need persistent controls that follow it wherever it goes, not just within the boundaries of a “secure” network. That means building protection strategies that are independent of infrastructure and user identity. It means making data useless to attackers, even if they exfiltrate it.

The Quantum Threat Looms – Action is Needed Today

We also need to look ahead. Quantum computing is almost upon us, and when it arrives, it will break the cryptographic foundations most organisations still rely on. Many attackers are already harvesting encrypted data today with the intention of decrypting it later, a strategy known as “harvest now, decrypt later.” The idea that your data is safe simply because it’s encrypted today is dangerously outdated.

This future risk demands present action. Post-quantum readiness must be part of every long-term cybersecurity plan. It won’t be optional, and waiting until quantum computers are commercially viable will be too late.

As a sector, we must shift our focus from building higher walls to protecting what matters inside them. That means prioritising data integrity, enforcing control at the asset level, and embedding resilience into every part of the data lifecycle.

It also means holding leadership to account, not just when breaches occur, but in how security decisions are made in advance. Regulators expect demonstrable oversight from the board, and clear evidence that appropriate measures were taken to guarantee data protection. “We didn’t know” or “We thought we complied” won’t cut it. Leadership is expected to prove that the right security decisions were made with full visibility, before the breach happens.

Data-Centric Protection Is the Only Way Forward

Pretending to protect data leaves businesses vulnerable and exposed to legal, financial, and reputational disaster.

The time for reassurances and checkbox compliance is over. The only strategy that stands up to modern threats is one that protects the data itself. Anything less is a false sense of security,  and a risk no business can afford.