Cybersecurity Is the Gift Customers Really Want

November 24, 2025

The holidays create a spotlight that brands can’t avoid. Traffic climbs, timelines compress and customers expect smooth, safe digital experiences. It’s a season where small moments shape loyalty in a big way.

 

Every year the same pattern emerges. Trust becomes the most valuable thing a brand offers. Not promotions or product drops. Trust. When a site slows or a checkout fails in December, customers remember how they were treated and whether their information felt protected. Those impressions last well beyond the season and it’s why cybersecurity has moved from background support to a visible part of how brands compete.

 

This season brings higher stakes. Research from RH-ISAC shows that automated attacks during the holiday period may surge by 520% in the 10 days leading up to Thanksgiving as generative-AI-driven malicious traffic ramps up.

 

When pressure rises and teams are stretched thin, threat actors take advantage. A single gap can turn quickly into a public issue. On the other hand, when a brand protects customers during its busiest weeks, it sends a powerful signal about readiness and care.

 

We all know that AI adds even more urgency. Threats adapt quickly. Information moves fast. Systems run hotter than usual. This combination means that cybersecurity must be part of the customer experience.

 

This shift is also changing how companies communicate. Customers want to know they’re safe, especially during a season when people are already stressed and pressed for time. Clear communication builds reassurance, and silence does the opposite.

 

There’s real opportunity for leaders who understand this because strong security earns confidence early. It helps brands separate themselves in crowded spaces. It turns reliability into a differentiator instead of an afterthought.

 

Cybersecurity is now part of how customers decide who deserves their loyalty. It reflects discipline, care and readiness. It shows a company understands the responsibility that comes with holding customer data during high-impact moments. This is the work we focus on at Optiv, as the most trusted brand in our sector. We help organizations build programs that are strong, trusted and aligned with the business, so customers feel safe choosing them when it matters most.

 

Cybersecurity isn’t moving toward differentiation someday. It’s here now, and the holiday season makes that impossible to miss.

Heather Rim
CHIEF MARKETING OFFICER | OPTIV
Heather Rim is chief marketing officer for Optiv. She is a board member of the USC Alumni Association and the USC Annenberg Center for PR Board of Advisors.

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