Understanding the Risk

The HCM industry faces unique cybersecurity challenges due to its highly interconnected nature. Organizations within this ecosystem share sensitive data through API connections, creating pathways that threat actors can exploit to move laterally across the industry.

The Contagion Effect

A security incident at one HCM organization can quickly spread:

• Upstream to technology providers and service partners
• Downstream to clients and their employees
• Laterally to integrated service providers

This interconnectedness means that the industry is only as strong as its most vulnerable participant.

Our Approach to Industry-Wide Protection

HCM Defender implements a multi-layered strategy to prevent the spread of cyber threats:

• Unified Standards: We establish baseline security standards that address the specific needs of the HCM ecosystem, creating a consistent security foundation across member organizations.
• Connection Security: We develop protocols and best practices for securing API connections, data transfers, and integrations between HCM service providers.
• Collective Defense: Our members benefit from shared threat intelligence, allowing the entire industry to respond quickly to emerging threats before they can spread.

The Value of Participation

By joining HCM Defender, your organization becomes part of the solution to industry-wide security challenges. Your participation strengthens not only your own security posture but contributes to the resilience of the entire HCM ecosystem.