In recent years cybersecurity has become a global priority for businesses, consumers and governments alike. High-profile data breaches and new federal safety regulations have produced challenges for companies struggling to comply and protect sensitive data. These digital safety initiatives have created the need for a new, specialized approach to the complex issue of digital security.

“You have to bake it in, and I think the best way to bake it in is to see this as an opportunity to do better business with your customers, your consumers, your patients, your citizens, your students,” said Eve Maler (pictured), vice president of innovation and emerging technology at digital identity management company ForgeRock Inc.

Maler spoke with Jeff Frick (@JeffFrick), host of theCUBE, SiliconANGLE Media’s mobile livestreaming studio, during Data Privacy Day in San Francisco, California. They discussed how ForgeRock is transforming secure customer interactions in an era characterized by new government regulations and increased risk.

Authenticate and identify everything

ForgeRock attacks issues of cybersecurity from the identity angle, leveraging data points that could potentially be used by hackers to instead protect the individuals sharing their information through services and devices.

“Identity is actually a solution. … What you want to do is have an identity and access management solution that reduces the friction to solving those problems,” Maler said.

Maintaining persistent storage of an individual’s digital identity that can be withdrawn at their request gives businesses an opportunity to fight cyberattack and comply with federal mandates all at once.

“You’re starting to need to authenticate and identify everything. Services, applications, piles of data, smart devices, and people — and keep track of the relationships among them,” Maler stated.

Though the frequency of data breach news over the past year may be creating some fatigue among consumers, governments across the globe are doubling down on efforts to stop cyberattacks and protect sensitive data. The General Data Protection Regulation requires any company doing business with Europe to provide extra protection for customer data, and the EU’s second Payment Services Directive (or PSD2) enables more secure transactions by requiring stronger identity checks for online payments and allowing merchants to retrieve payment info directly from banks.

Despite the pressure these mandates put on businesses, Maler insists that they are actually a positive development in the fight for cybersecurity. “One of the interesting things about PSD2 and this open banking mandate, they want to get digital business to be more attractive. They’re demanding strong customer identification,” Maler said.

Maler predicted a future of security that is less reliant on passwords and more protected by sophisticated forms of authentication. Despite the challenge businesses face in complying, Maler is certain these new regulatory changes are adapting to digital transformation and have the potential to benefit overall security.

“They’re aware of the API economy; they get it,” she concluded.

Watch the complete video interview below, and be sure to check out more of SiliconANGLE’s and theCUBE’s coverage of Data Privacy Day.

Photo: SiliconANGLE