Technology is accelerating at a faster rate than we are used to. The threat landscape is constantly changing as well. As a result, organizations find themselves struggling to protect their assets even though they've spent billions on traditional security measures.
Enterprise security must adapt and evolve to keep up with today's technology, which is developing at an exponential pace. Therefore, business leaders must start seriously exploring how to secure their systems in a world that's shifting more and more towards cloud computing, Web 3.0 and artificial intelligence.
1) Cloud Computing
According to a survey reported by BMC Blogs, 92% of enterprises use a multi-cloud strategy, while 83% have adopted the hybrid cloud strategy.
However, while the cloud provides many benefits, it is equally important to consider the potential threats that may materialize due to adopting several cloud-based applications, services and solutions. For instance, adopting multiple cloud environments complicates visibility from a security outlook.
The lesson here is clear: the cloud should be considered a significant enabler of holistic security management, not just another place to mount traditional on-premises solutions.
Enterprises should leverage their technology infrastructure to increase visibility into users, applications and security-critical environments to detect breaches quickly and respond accordingly.
This is where cloud security access brokers (CASBs) come in, as well as cloud workload protection platforms (CWPPs) and other cloud-specific protection solutions. They establish the foundation for continuous auditing of cloud footprints.
In addition, as the cloud grows, so will the need to protect it. The global cloud computing market is expected to grow to $947.3bn by 2026, from $445.3bn in 2021. In protecting cloud investments, the adoption of zero trust security technologies is likely to accelerate, as they encourage a shift away from legacy infrastructure and practices.
2) Web 3.0
The third iteration of the web will be the most decentralized yet, which means that security must rely on different technologies than previously available.
In this context, the future of digital security is not just about data but also about privacy, identity verification and authorization. From this, it is clear that cybersecurity must be embedded into any enterprise's core technology, processes and organizational structure for Web 3.0 to succeed.
Fortunately, recent advances in the blockchain and decentralized systems hold promise and offer an opportunity to advance technology in a way that can add security to the forefront of development.
While the challenges may be daunting, the returns are endless. The Web 3.0 model brings with it an opportunity to rethink and redesign security models that minimize risks and increase the efficiency of data collection.
In the end, the future of security depends on the ability of organizations to get beyond data and treat enterprise security as a holistic concern of infrastructure, identity and behavior.
The biggest takeaway here is the importance of moving beyond protecting or securing data and focusing on protecting people and their information. That’s the promise Web 3.0 holds.
3) Artificial Intelligence
AI in cybersecurity is a double-edged sword. On the one hand, malicious actors have mastered using AI and ML to launch highly sophisticated attacks through deepfakes, data poisoning and deep phishing, among others.
More so, AI-based attacks are more stealthy, enhancing the power of attackers to wreak havoc unhindered.
On the other hand, only AI defenses can combat these advanced attacks. Hence, it is no surprise that the market worth of AI in cybersecurity is expected to grow to $46.3bn by 2027.
The future of the cybersecurity industry will come from developing ways to make computers and humans more alike by using artificial intelligence to sharpen the accuracy of human perception and reaction to detect cyber-threats.
While not a magic bullet for all problems, AI should be hard at work in helping businesses improve their defenses by identifying threats, preparing for attacks and increasing the effectiveness of current solutions.
One of AI’s main strengths is the speed and accuracy of data processing. As the world’s total data volume is expected to reach 151 ZB by 2025, it only makes sense to beef up AI-based defenses to comb through vast amounts of data to detect risky faults and errors.
AI has already gained use in biometric authentication, especially on mobile devices; in the coming years, AI applications in enterprise cybersecurity will increase further.
Conclusion
All three of these areas – cloud computing, web 3.0 and AI – will eventually be used to take digital security to new heights, and more enterprises will ultimately adopt them.
There’s no doubt that the approaches discussed above will be instrumental in enabling organizations to move forward into the ever-changing landscape of digital technology and security.
The critical assumption here has been that the world of tomorrow can be much more volatile than the one we live in today. As such, enterprises would do well to start thinking strategically about building security into their technology plans.