FINAL WORD
3 . Gear up – Look to hybrid security and intelligent backup to stay ahead
Technology is always going to be the heart of your cybersecurity fight , but no one product is going to maximise your cybersecurity state – you need to invest in your desired outcome . To do that , organisations need to look for software-defined models integrated with external services – a hybrid security approach .
This includes cloud-based software such as PenTesting-as-a-Service ( PtaaS ), Scanning-as-a- Service ( ScaaS ), Network Defense-as-a-Service ( NDaaS ), Disaster Recovery-as-a-Service ( DRaaS ) and Backup-as-a-Service ( BaaS ).
Edwin Weijdema , Global Technologist , Product
Strategy at Veeam
and securing processes by investing in a Security Operations Center ( SOC )? Or will new technology be the most effective investment ?
It ’ s impossible for every business to get this mix perfectly right , so business leaders need to also strategise how best to avoid cyberattacks . Too often , businesses expect their security team to handle this . But most of the time , this leads to an over-reliance on IT professionals who are already stretched thin by constantly putting out fires . They also don ’ t have the time to develop this strategy .
That ’ s why making sure every member of the company plays a role in the cybersecurity challenge is key . For example , while employees may be a business ’ biggest weakness , they also form the ‘ human firewall ’ and need to be equipped to do just that – which takes education . But don ’ t let the collaboration end there – your entire ecosystem of peer-like organisations , experts , suppliers , vendors and even the government should be aligned and geared towards combatting this threat .
Cybercriminals are already working together on a large scale , sharing information about critical vulnerabilities , breached systems and targets extremely quickly . So , don ’ t fight alone ; work with contacts in your local law enforcement agency to figure out how to best utilise risk management models and resiliency plans .
By ensuring you follow government regulations , the increased alignment and information sharing between the government and private organisations will help speed up the identification of threats and lead to faster resolutions .
A hybrid security approach which has your internal security teams connected to external cybersecurity experts and law enforcement will keep you the most secure , while also helping raise the experience level of your security teams .
Conversely , backup should play a bigger role within organisations . It not only gives organisations the ability to restore and forensically analyse data in the event of a breach , but in a world that ’ s becoming more critically reliant on ballooning data stores to improve customer experience , backup can help better utilise it .
We ’ re already seeing some organisations combine application owners , backup , analytics and security teams in a new ( virtual ) data management team . This way , they can tackle the challenges around exposed data , service level expectation and risk growth in the most beneficial and economical way .
Ultimately , for businesses to really keep up with their growing data and continue to derive useful insights from it , they will need to invest in tools powered by Machine Learning ( ML ) and Artificial Intelligence ( AI ) to speed up data extraction and analysis processes .
As these technologies are also significant weapons in cybersecurity as well aiding in data-driven decisionmaking , their adoption is expected to grow at a rapid pace and will add tremendous intelligence and power to the fight .
At its crux , the takeaway here is that in getting prepared for the cyberthreats of 2021 , you will also be putting your business ahead of competitors and boost your productivity .
So , don ’ t just choose a supplier or buy a new product – build an ecosystem that will stand by your side when the cybersecurity battle starts to heat up . p
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