Akamai Technologies, Inc., the world’s largest and most trusted cloud delivery platform, last week released data noting how companies are struggling with the tug-of-war between advancing digital innovation and ensuring secure digital experiences that maintain user trust and mitigate risk. As part of a commissioned study of more than 350 global information technology leaders conducted by Forrester Consulting on behalf of Akamai, the results also show that the companies defined as being the most digitally mature -- best balancing innovation and security-- grow faster than their competitors.

As the world’s largest and most trusted cloud delivery platform, Akamai has delivered approximately 95 exabytes of data a year across billions of devices. Top financial institutions, online retailers, media and entertainment providers, and government organizations have leveraged the power of Akamai’s cloud platform to deliver exceptional digital experiences to customers. As a result, Akamai has seen firsthand the critical intersection of user experience and digital security, and how it ultimately impacts customer behavior.

“With the help of this research by Forrester, Akamai has created a way to evaluate how digitally mature a company is, based both on the effectiveness of its digital experience and the strength of its security posture,” said Ari Weil, vice president of product marketing, Akamai. “It is imperative for these innovators to strike a delicate balance between seamless digital experience and comprehensive security. We think our research shows how companies are achieving, or struggling to reach, that balance, and Akamai is ready to help usher any organization along a path to digital maturity.”

Those interested in getting a jumpstart on your own digital maturity initiative can click here for a self- assessment to determine how well a company balances digital experience delivery with digital security.

Digital innovation sits at the helm of today’s complex enterprise environment. The Forrester study indicates that delivery of digital experiences is critical to competitive edge, customer satisfaction and even more importantly -- achieving customer trust. For any given enterprise organization, meeting unique customer needs is a challenge -- addressing disparate regions, network connectivity and device usage has complicated the ability to deliver secure, personalized digital experiences.