Intelligent CIO Europe Issue 12 | Page 50

FEATURE: 2019: THE CIO’S PRIORITIES ///////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////// IT’S IMPORTANT TO ENSURE THAT EMPLOYEES ARE FULLY UP TO DATE WITH THE LATEST SECURITY PROTOCOLS AND PROCESSES IN THEIR COMPANY TO HELP COMBAT THE EVER-INCREASING TIDE OF CYBERATTACKS. Gary Watson, Founder and CTO, Nexsan ransomware, phishing and viruses can be. When you buy a bike, you should purchase a helmet for safety and security just as IT pros should be purchasing the right protection for their technology. Equally important is to have a second line of defence in place when the inevitable does happen. Organisations should consider investing in archive storage – it’s a stable, reliable solution for storing data on a central, secure repository, both at home and at work. My advice for IT pros navigating through the modern technology world would be to buy your protection, put on your helmet and enjoy the ride.” developments. As it is, encryption is being seen by IT operations as a tick-box exercise, with point solutions encrypting only segments of network infrastructure. There is little to no push from leadership to ensure there is a universal encryption policy over the entire network. Without this overarching encryption solution with centralised key management, businesses create weak links in their armour.” Consider new approaches and emerging technologies However, as the threat landscape evolves, it may be time to consider new and emerging “It’s more important than ever to use all the tools available and layer them where you can. For example, Artificial Intelligence (AI) is now available in backup and recovery software to help you spot when a ransomware attack is taking place, so you can take remedial action. It will even automatically extend retention just in case you need to go further back in time. The same AI can also provide reports on whether you can meet recovery targets and will even re-schedule things and make other changes to help you meet them.” Investment in the right infrastructure management is also a theme that Luke Brown, VP EMEA, WinMagic, raised as a key part of minimising risk and meeting legislative requirements – both key parts of modern cybersecurity: “IT security teams are doing their best to protect themselves from cybercriminals, constantly playing a cat and mouse catch up game. A key part of their armoury is encryption. Almost as old as the Internet itself, it’s a fundamental point of defence in preventing against data leaks. It’s a time-tested tool that can severely hinder attackers in their goal to steal confidential user and customer data, trade secrets and more. “However, the rise of new technologies such as mobility, cloud and virtualisation combined with an increasingly complex regulatory environment means companies are finding the need for encryption more than ever before. To make this worse, boardrooms are not adapting to these 50 INTELLIGENTCIO solutions, as Todd Kelly, Chief Security Officer, Cradlepoint, explained: “Despite the best efforts of the global IT community, cybercriminals continue to make their way into what many believe are secure networks. The fact is that when it comes to IT security, our businesses, organisations and government agencies remain outmatched by hackers who are becoming bolder and more sophisticated. Even while the network security industry introduces more effective detection and defence solutions, the traditional ‘fixed perimeter’ based approach to network security is quickly becoming obsolete. Luke Brown, VP EMEA, WinMagic In such a diverse and quickly evolving cybersecurity landscape, it’s clear that CIOs need to be considering a broad range of solutions to be as prepared as possible. From investing in training, considering the latest technology, or simply being aware of the hard work that cybersecurity professionals do, there are many lessons that business leaders can take forward into their 2019 planning, to be better prepared in the face of the next big cyberattack, whatever that might be. n www.intelligentcio.com