Come to think of what went on my mind last week, as I savored a cup of hot chocolate, and looked out at snow laden gardens. It was not just a praise for how beautifully nature takes on, it was my time of throwback and, where are we headed? Technology has taken over the way we operate, look at nest thermostat, phone operated door locks, lights et al.
In technology space, only so much has changed over the years. Each technology as opened up room for threat, uncertainty and security needs. And so much is to change, for good or for worse depending on the preparation levels.
I believe that IT security posture is going to become more colluded and threat prone. For businesses it will translate into greater concentration on IOT Security and CIAM at consumer level. To ensure identity and access checks at enterprise level, Secure SDLC, SUBA, Adaptive Authentication, threat modelling and threat handling posture will see greater focus.
Although, these technologies are still seen as emerging, they could potentially become top 5 IT Security Trends in 2017. Here’s how:
- Trend 1: IoT complexity to see newer ways of combating security vulnerability, CIAM to spread across consumers. Some predictions make us wonder in awe of how technology has changed the way humans function. One of them is Cisco’s Visual Networking Index (VNI) predicting that there will be around 26 billion IP network-connected devices by 2020. On the hindsight, IoT devices have already been under attacks from hackers, which is believed to get worse in 2017. With Internet of Things (IoT) reaching the levels of enterprise networks, government systems and general user’s handsets at such a large scale, security vulnerability will continue to plague these connected devices. Due to complexity in protocols and standards, absence of skilled resources to manage IoT environment, low-quality products with vulnerable security measures, and intricate enterprise IT architectures. It is important to secure IoT devices with customized solutions, a dashboard that brings together all IoT connections can be managed well. The solution will take form in CIAM capabilities.
- Trend 2: Hybrid is the way ahead! Cloud to keep a gain foothold, innovative solutions will integrate cloud with On-premise More information is being shared on Cloud security to encourage organizations to embrace cloud. With this cloud-security expected to gain prominence in the IT security ecosystem. Cloud security certifications such as Certificate of Cloud Security Knowledge (CCSK), Cloud Security Alliance’s (CSA), and Certified Cloud Security Practitioner (CCSP) are providing a refuge to organizations planning to join the cloud bandwagon. Further, best practices and advice from experts will guide corporations to make the most of cloud integration along-with legacy on-premise systems. Investing in Cloud services would make sense for enterprises as looks up for minimizing security breaches and better integration with on-premise systems, while bringing down the cost.
- Trend 3: Bringing Managed Services to circumvent IT skill shortage and achieve optimal use of technology. Finding skilled IT resources will continue to be a major issue for the industry, and with it, newer methods to bridge this gap are also expected to surface. One of the major IT Security trends predicted this year would be using automation to perform certain duties, especially those which are repetitive or redundant. This would help IT professionals in focusing on important tasks at hand and enterprises gain maximum utilization of their manpower. Customized solution will help organizations gain an edge in ensuring optimal utilization of technology, achieving compliance and ensuring IT Security.
- Trend 4: No more of being held hostage by cyber threats ransomware, malware! New age threat intelligence solutions such as Secure SDLC, SUBA to gain ground! A snapshot of threat landscape highlights that Mobile data breach may cost an enterprise around USD 26 million in 2017, as per a study by Lookout, a mobile security company, and Ponemon Institute, an independent research company focused on privacy, data protection, and information security. Also, with proliferation of 4G and 5G services and increase in Internet bandwidth, mobile devices may witness higher vulnerability to DDoS attacks. The world has not come to a realization that IT Security can no longer be tackled in silo. Enterprises need to address the issue by working in a collaborative manner by sharing best practices, analyzing information and tailoring programs to fight cyber threats. Secure Software Development Life Cycle (SDLC), Security User Behaviour Analytics (SUBA) and threat intelligence tactics are the way ahead as they enable responding to cyber risks in smarter 24x7x365, effective and intelligence way.
- Trend 5: Data will be the king, Big Data to call the shots! It is not just basic maths, but dynamic science with variety of combinations and permutations to derive information intelligence. Growing trend of Hadoop becoming a core part of the enterprise IT landscape and in 2017 more investments will be driven towards security and governance components surrounding enterprise solutions. Big data is not just the volume of data – it is becoming sophisticated and taking the form of data science, analytics, variety and velocity. One of the major IT Security trend revolving around Big Data Management and security demands will remain high as businesses will try to capitalizing on data to generate revenue, intelligent insights, growth refinement and predictive analytics.
The speed of technological changes will continue to beat market expectations, providing novelty to businesses and value-added user experience to consumers. The coming year will also not be an exception in terms of technological growth, with the above trends predicted to provide a secure IT ecosystem for businesses to thrive without compromising on user experiences.
Which among the above do you think will make the top IT Security Trends in 2017? Share your opinion with us on the comment section.
