CYBER INDEX AWARDS 2022 WINNERS
GRAND PRIX: SoftBank Group Corp.
SoftBank Group, which owns SoftBank, a provider of mobile communication services, broadband services, and information and communications services for corporate clients, and Z Holdings, a major comprehensive Internet service provider, is actively promoting various initiatives to strengthen information security.
SoftBank discloses detailed information security third-party certifications for the provision and use of cloud services and for securing and protecting credit card and transaction information. The parent company, SoftBank Group, discloses information security reports to explain its information security initiatives to users, business partners and investors, and discloses technical measures and other information based on the "Zero Trust" concept in the reports. These efforts are expected to lead to the development of a safe and secure digital society through the effect of further strengthening the relationship of trust with a wide range of stakeholders.
SPECIAL AWARD: Secom Co., Ltd.
Secom has been widely communicating to investors, customers and other stakeholders the strong management message that “Any leaks of personal or confidential information entrusted to us by a customer have the potential to seriously hinder our ability to provide security services, damage or adversely impact the customer, and result in the forfeiture of our brand image and reputation for reliability.”
Under the corporate message of "providing reliable peace of mind," the company delivers security and disaster prevention services to residences, offices, factories and stores, and digital technology is an important infrastructure for delivering these services to all customers. In this context, it is very important for the company to send out a clear message that information security is the most important aspect of its business, and the efforts to build a strong information security system based on such a policy by management may contribute to society not only in Japan but also in other parts of Asia, where the company has many offices.
SPECIAL AWARD: Dai Nippon Printing Co., Ltd.
Dai Nippon Printing has announced that it will implement a cybersecurity education program to develop personnel with “Plus Security” knowledge for all group employees (approximately 30,000) in Japan and overseas. By educating not only employees in the IT sections but also those in the non-information technology departments on advanced cyber security knowledge, Dai Nippon Printing is working to create a system that enables all employees involved in normal business operations to avoid risks such as the occurrence of unforeseen events and the expansion of their impact without relying on the information systems department.
As cyber attacks become more diverse, there is an urgent need to raise the level of literacy throughout the company, including non-IT departments. The "all-employee participation" type Plus Security personnel training initiated by the company is a unique initiative among Japanese companies, and we expect it to spread to more and more companies.
“Plus Security” knowledge
The concept presented in the Cybersecurity Strategy approved by the Japanese government's cabinet in 2021 promotes a system that enables executives and management-level personnel without specialized knowledge or work experience in IT or security to acquire additional skills to collaborate with security specialists inside and outside the company in any situation as needed. The strategy also states that “the government will push forward with efforts to create an environment” where executives and managers without IT or security expertise or work experience can acquire additional skills to enable them to collaborate with security professionals inside and outside the company in any situation.
(Note) An independent review committee consisting of leading cybersecurity experts from industry, government and academia reviewed companies that received high marks in a survey by the Information Technology Federation of Japan (ITrenmei) of 500 companies listed on the Tokyo Stock Exchange regarding their cybersecurity initiatives and information disclosure. In order to highlight the excellent efforts of as many companies as possible, previous winners were included in the evaluation but excluded from the award nominations.
About the CYBER INDEX AWARDS
(Organised by Nikkei Inc., in cooperation with Nikkei Business Publications, Inc.)
In line with the aims of the Cyber Initiative Tokyo, Nikkei Inc. has established the Cyber Index Awards in 2021 to recognise companies and initiatives that are achieving outstanding results in cybersecurity, a key area for significant progress in the digital transformation (DX) of the economy and society. An independent jury consisting of leading experts in the field, with the cooperation of Information Technology Federation of Japan, which conducts a large-scale survey on corporate cybersecurity, select the awards. By recognising outstanding initiatives, the awards aim to promote and disseminate best practices throughout industry and society at large.
CYBER INDEX AWARDS 2021 WINNERS