INSIGHTS

We recently held our fourth CIO Roundtable this year－this time with a focus on security. Our special guest for the discussion was KnowBe4, the world’s most popular platform for security awareness training and our latest portfolio company.

We welcomed CIOs from the manufacturing, financial services, pharmaceutical, IT and e-commerce industries. Unlike many CIOs with Japanese companies who tend to be generalist business managers with rudimentary knowledge of IT, these CIOs are subject matter experts and innovators who are passionate about transforming their companies and leading their industries.

Yasu Fukuda kicked off the discussion at the Ritz-Carlton Tokyo by addressing the rise in security incidents despite increased investments in cybersecurity. Fukuda-san highlighted KnowBe4’s unique focus on fostering a security culture and addressing the human factor in cybersecurity.

The roundtable provided a valuable platform for industry leaders to exchange insights on cybersecurity trends, training strategies, and investment challenges. The discussion underscored the importance of building a security-first culture, where both technology and human factors are considered critical components of an organization’s defense against cyber threats.

Following are key takeaways that should be of interest to global SaaS leadership who want to know what’s on the minds of Japan’s most innovative and influential CIOs.

Key Takeaways

• Investments in security are more justifiable than general IT investments due to the perceived risks－that said, striking a balance between security and operational productivity seems to be an ongoing dilemma for many CIOs
• Securing connected equipment and devices on the factory floor (IoT) presents a significant opportunity given the size and importance of Japan’s manufacturing industry
• Security is an attractive category because investments need to be ongoing and adaptive, not one-time outlays－Japanese companies are particularly interesting because they are in the midst of going online
• Security is an attractive category because it is enterprise from the start－leadership involvement and cross-departmental collaboration are critical to building a security-first culture
• Engaging CIOs is key to accessing security spend, as well as IT spend, as most CISOs at Japanese companies report to the CIO (by contrast, roughly one-third of CISOs at U.S. companies report to the CIO, with others reporting to the CFO and Chief Risk Officer, according to a survey cited by ISC2)

Japan Cloud CIO Roundtables

We will hold our next CIO Roundtable in Tokyo in November. These forums are getting rave reviews from our portfolio companies－the insights and the revenue generation opportunities they offer are proving invaluable. CIOs from various industries are interested in participating as well. Japanese executives are always eager to learn about global trends and leading companies, making Japan Cloud an important asset to them. Yasu Fukuda and I are focused on engaging these executives and making them a key part of our growing local ecosystem.