When ransomware groups like Akira and Ryuk started shutting down organisations worldwide, the natural response from the cybersecurity industry was to strengthen firewalls, push more automation, and lock down systems tighter than ever. But as Romanus Prabhu Raymond, Director of Technology at ManageEngine, points out, this defensive posture often created a new dilemma: what happens when overzealous security controls disrupt critical services in hospitals or banks?
The challenge isn’t just stopping threats anymore—it’s ensuring security measures themselves don’t cause harm. This is where ethical cybersecurity is reshaping enterprise security strategies.
Redefining Security Through Ethics
Raymond describes ethical cybersecurity as more than just safeguarding data and infrastructure. It’s about applying security practices responsibly, with accountability to individuals, organisations, and society as a whole.
In today’s cloud-first world, security isn’t a differentiator but a baseline. What sets leaders apart is how ethically they handle data. Using the analogy of neighbourhood cameras that watch public spaces but respect private homes, Raymond explains that cybersecurity must protect without unnecessary intrusion.
ManageEngine applies an “ethical by design” philosophy, embedding fairness, transparency, and accountability into every stage of product development. Crucially, the company refuses to monetise or monitor customer data, holding that ownership belongs entirely to the customer.
Innovation Versus Risk
One of the biggest struggles modern enterprises face is balancing innovation with risk management. Pushing forward too quickly without safeguards exposes companies to breaches and compliance violations, but focusing solely on risk slows competitiveness.
ManageEngine’s “trust by design” approach aims to resolve this paradox. It ensures that every new feature, like endpoint agents, complies with industry standards while enabling innovation. Globally, the company supports this philosophy with datacentres that comply with regional privacy laws and by training employees at every level to treat customer data with integrity.
AI and the Human Factor
Artificial intelligence is now central to cybersecurity, but with this shift comes complex ethical questions. Raymond highlights ManageEngine’s “SHE AI principles”:
- Secure AI to resist manipulation and adversarial attacks
- Human AI to ensure humans remain involved in critical decisions
- Ethical AI to provide explainable reasoning instead of opaque alerts
For example, instead of instantly removing a suspicious hospital computer from the network, the system escalates for human review—acknowledging that security decisions carry real-world consequences.
Balancing Privacy and Protection
Over-monitoring can quickly erode trust, making employees feel like suspects instead of partners. To counter this, ManageEngine emphasises:
- Collecting only necessary data
- Using information strictly for defined security purposes
- Anonymising data for analysis
- Establishing clear access and retention policies
The result is a framework that proves privacy and security don’t have to be mutually exclusive.
Looking Ahead: AI Autonomy and Quantum Risks
Raymond warns that fully autonomous AI-driven security and the rise of quantum computing pose the next big ethical challenges. Autonomous systems must remain explainable and accountable, while quantum computing threatens traditional encryption methods. Biometrics also raise new privacy concerns if not carefully managed.
Practical Steps for Organisations
For companies looking to bring ethics into cybersecurity, Raymond suggests three steps:
- Adopt a board-level cybersecurity ethics charter.
- Weave privacy and ethics into vendor and technology decisions.
- Train employees not just on how to follow protocols, but why they matter.
The future of cybersecurity won’t just be defined by stronger defences—it will hinge on trust. Organisations that prioritise ethical cybersecurity practices will be the ones that thrive, building systems that innovate responsibly while safeguarding both people and data.
Source: https://www.artificialintelligence-news.com/news/manageengine-ethical-cybersecurity-2025/
