Navigating the currents of cybersecurity trends

I spend my days talking with customers and prospects around their security solutions, primarily regarding securing application connectivity.  Every conversation takes its own direction. Nevertheless, I hear similar challenges and goals across industries.  I heard from a manufacturing firm that cost constraints require they centralize on Microsoft.  An oil and gas company mentioned their needs to align their Operating Technology (OT) environment with their corporate technology solutions (IT).  A healthcare organization let me know they were asked to use more Cisco technology and decommission competitive solutions.  A financial services firm stated that they were looking to consolidate with zScaler thus eliminating numerous other security solutions.  A second financial services firm inquired about AlgoSec Cloud offerings, so they ensure proper monitoring and security for their Cloud deployments.  These themes appear and reappear daily, highlighting key trends throughout information security.

The older I get, the more I understand how “the more things change, the more they stay the same.”  Trends fall perfectly into this colloquialism, as we see organizations routinely move towards newer, hotter, and hopefully more powerful technologies.  Working directly with customers of cybersecurity technology, I see similarities with direction and desire for future technical goals.  Some of these I’ve seen before, such as centralization and consolidation.  Cloud technologies have been around for a decade or more, but I consider this a current trend due to Cloud’s nature and diversity within the technology space.  While specific trends come and go, the idea of trends remains the same. Cybersecurity professionals should understand current trends around the industry and see how these movements can improve their security maturity.

In the fast-paced realm of cybersecurity, trends constantly emerge and evolve, shaping the landscape in which organizations operate. As I engage with customers and prospects, I uncover recurring patterns and goals that drive the industry forward. Understanding these trends is essential for cybersecurity professionals to strengthen their defenses and adapt to emerging threats. In this blog post, we will dive into the prevailing trends in cybersecurity today, providing insights to help organizations navigate the ever-changing currents.

Centralization and consolidation: Empowering organizational control

One significant trend is the movement towards centralization and consolidation. Centralization involves bringing technology resources into a unified location or under a cohesive solution. Consolidation focuses on streamlining vendors or technical suites to improve efficiency and reduce costs. For instance, organizations are exploring enterprise licensing options, such as those offered by Microsoft, which provide bundled services like MS Teams, O365, and MS Defender. This consolidation empowers businesses to replace multiple tools with integrated Microsoft technologies, resulting in cost savings and streamlined operations.

Enterprise licensing grows in popularity (and could very well be a trend in and of itself) providing organizations an easy way to save money while using a consolidated solution.  The most common enterprise license that I run into comes from Microsoft.  Businesses that have certain license levels receive additional services such as MS Teams, O365, MS Defender, or other Microsoft technologies at either no or reduced cost.  This capability empowers businesses to replace Zoom and WebEx with MS Teams.  On the security front companies replace Crowdstrike, McAfee, Norton, and other endpoint protection solutions with MS Defender.  For endpoint vulnerability management, Nexpose and Nessus see displacement by MS Defender Vulnerability Management.  QRadar, Splunk, Exabeam and other SIEM lose out to Microsoft Sentinel.  With a Cisco relationship, companies can potentially save money substituting Illumio or Guardicore in lieu of Cisco Secure Workload (formerly Tetration).  With cost management sitting atop the list of priorities for CFO’s, consolidation is a consummate method for technology executives to align with this consideration. Consolidation trends reoccur regularly, especially during financial turmoil.  Organizations looking to align technology with financial and business concerns should look to this trend and determine if/where benefits align.

After consolidation, I hear a lot about centralization.  While customers don’t use this word, at the core, this is what they are looking for.  The main technical consideration around this consolidation falls under secure access services edge, known as SASE.  SASE inherently centralizes security inside a robust environment that passes customer traffic.  COVID-19 introduced a severe need to create secure solutions for remote workers.  While SASE began pre-2020, the virus really launched this business (as it did with teleconferencing, a trend back in 2020 and 2021).  Entities using SASE pass end user traffic through a central location which provides numerous security services.  These offerings include virtual private networks (VPN), proxy, web-filtering, virus protection, spam protection, and many others.  Each of these technologies also lends themselves to the consolidation trend tying both movements together.  Organizations looking to cut costs procure SASE, align this with numerous information technology teams (networks, Cloud, security, etc.) and double up on trends. 

Embracing the power of the Cloud

The Cloud has revolutionized the information technology landscape, and cyber security is no exception. Organizations are increasingly leveraging Cloud technology as part of their digital transformation journeys. From compliance to network security, application security, and identity management, the Cloud offers a multitude of benefits. It enables organizations to offload hardware maintenance, software upgrades, and data center costs while providing scalability and flexibility. 

My customers look to not only expand in single clouds, primarily AWS, MS Azure, and Google Cloud, they are going across Clouds creating hybrid deployments.  Hybrid solutions enhance the need for security as cross deployments require extensive monitoring and review ensuring zero gaps.  Cloud attacks happen more often than ever and with this trend continuing, industry must understand and secure these environments.

The importance of staying informed

To thrive in the ever-changing world of cyber security, professionals must stay informed about the latest trends. Whether it’s for cost optimization, enhanced security, or delivering innovative services, organizations need to be aware of opportunities to improve their information technology landscapes. Complacency can be detrimental, and understanding the current trends allows businesses to align their goals, enhance operational capacity, and safeguard their digital assets effectively. Centralization, consolidation, and Cloud technologies are at the forefront of today’s trends, offering organizations the means to grow, add value, and protect their data.

In the dynamic realm of cyber security, staying ahead of the curve is crucial for organizations seeking to fortify their defenses. Centralization, consolidation, and Cloud technologies are driving the industry forward. By understanding and embracing these trends, businesses can align their strategies, enhance security postures, and capitalize on growth opportunities. As the currents of cyber security trends continue to shift, it’s essential to navigate these waters with agility and adaptability. By doing so, organizations can confidently steer towards success in the ever-evolving world of cyber security.

For more information on hybrid cloud security, please check out the latest Managing Cybersecurity podcast.