I was recently doing some research on cybersecurity I came across a very interesting statement that caught my attention; “Cybersecurity is the chessboard where hackers and defenders are looking to checkmate each other.”
While it is a very innovative way of talking about cybersecurity, what’s also important is that it brings out the undiluted truth about cybersecurity, the one where one cannot talk about enterprise security without having to mention the threats that engulf an Enterprise today. In my last blog post, I highlighted the top threats that 2019 bought to us, I thought it a good idea to also write about the top cybersecurity measures that an enterprise should be in the know-how about in 2020. So, here are my top 5 cybersecurity trends that you as an enterprise surely need to start thinking about:
Trend no. 1: AI is becoming integral to Cybersecurity
It is a known fact that data gives a competitive edge to any company that pays attention to it. To make a logical sense of data today, AI is the tool that many organizations are relying on. AI is the new arms race. AI can efficiently analyze user behaviors, deduce patterns, and identify all sorts of abnormalities or irregularities in the network. With such data, it’s much easier to identify cyber vulnerabilities quickly. With AI stepping into cybersecurity, experts and researchers can use its potential to identify and counteract sophisticated cyber-attacks with minimal human intervention.
Trend no. 2: Bridge that skill gap in Cybersecurity
While the prominence of a CISO may have improved in a boardroom, yet that isn’t a telling picture of the cybersecurity skills gap many organizations are faced with today. A survey conducted by ESG in 2018-2019 revealed that 53% of organizations are facing a cybersecurity shortage. While hackers are not stopping, and businesses still want to be in business, it is imperative that this skill gap is addressed as an immediate measure. While poaching security talent may plug short-term gaps, outreach and education will solve the long-term shortfall in IT security professionals.
Trend no. 3: Integrate Cybersecurity in your Business Continuity Plan today
With COVID-19 literally forcing every organization to reevaluate their work situation and forcing them to adapt to the new norm of working remotely, business continuity and how to secure their remote workers is top of mind for everyone. In today’s hyper-connected world, cybersecurity concerns and business continuity are inseparable. In such challenging times, there’s no denying that cybersecurity and business continuity must be two sides of the same coin. Once considered two separate entities altogether, they should now, ideally, work together to minimize costs, protect data, and streamline a timely and effective response to any attacks or data breaches.
Trend no. 4: A measured approach to Cloud Security is here to stay
Cloud was never believed to be safe, so cloud adoption was less. But with business dynamics changing, agility in rolling out more business services became more important, and a trade-off was made with security. Now with better cybersecurity tools and models, cloud security is back in the game. Organizations today are increasingly becoming apprehensive about their data safety on the cloud. The cloud bubble burst has made one more thing amply evident as more and more businesses move to the cloud so will the focus of cybercriminals. Despite years of cloud maturity and examples of highly sensitive and regulated workloads, security remains one of the top reasons companies don’t move specific workloads to the cloud, especially in highly regulated industries.
Trend no. 5: Automation and integration a priority
The pressure to do more with less will increase the dependency of security professionals on automation and integration with third-party apps. The skill gap that we discussed earlier in the article will play a big role in literally forcing organizations to adapt to automation and integration to work effectively. The vast array of web applications combining several web services is not only difficult to secure but impossible to manage, and automation and integration solutions are becoming a necessity to reduce the workload on understaffed teams without hindering productivity.
This approach of automation & integration is what brings into the picture the need for SecOps & Cyber Fusion Centers. To make their Security and Operations teams more agile and efficient many enterprises today lean on SecOps. The Cyber Fusion Center, on the other hand, offers a more pre-emptive and integrated approach to dealing with potential threats by bridging the gap between multiple teams through intelligence synthesis and inter-team collaboration.
I hope these top five trends help you to make the right decisions in your cybersecurity journey. What’s most important and pertinent across each of these trends is the decision to invest in the right technology. So, think, research, and discuss instead of getting blind-sighted into making an investment in any technology that later becomes a burden to scale for your organization. Being prepared against 2020 cybersecurity threats will put your business ahead of competitors and boost productivity.
With a decade of experience in Digital Marketing, I understand that content is key to everything Digital today. With a flair for writing and a passion for understanding the nuances of the Tech industry, I choose to read and understand about the things that are making ripples in the technology space and then give a layman’s perspective to things that seem complicated on the surface. I like to strip out the complexity of technology and make it as simple as I can for my readers. Apart from reading and writing about everything under the sun, I have gained a new found joy in running.