cyber trends individuals , rather than just bulk messages sent out en masse .
Consumer attitudes to digital privacy will enforce closer collaboration between private and public organisations
Last year was a big year for privacy and preserving it was one of the most discussed technology-related topics . Consumers are undoubtedly taking a more active role in protecting their own privacy . As a result , it ’ s no longer seen as a competitive advantage – it ’ s mandatory for businesses regardless of their business model .
In 2022 , we ’ ll see big tech businesses continue to react to this demand by giving users more control over their privacy – but not full autonomy . Global governments will play an increasing role in this privacy puzzle too , putting pressure on these firms . This will translate to more regulation and privacy laws , especially at a local level . But for both parties to succeed in protecting and pleasing consumers , we ’ ll see them work more collaboratively together .
Cybersecurity and sustainability will become more intertwined
A cyberattack which took place last year forced US oil company , Colonial Pipeline , to shut down its operations . There are obvious links between cyberattacks being damaging operationally and financially , but we can expect to see cybersecurity and sustainability more overtly linked moving forward .
In 2022 , as cybercriminals continue to target critical national infrastructure , we could see them use this control to unleash – unwittingly or not – huge amounts of environmental impact . The security element of infrastructure and products that will help meet sustainability goals will also come into greater focus . Unless we can fully protect both critical assets and consumer products – for example , widescale vehicle charging grids and smart connections in devices and IoT – then the benefits they provide won ’ t be fully realised .
Companies that succeed in 2022 will forget the buzzwords and use technology more intelligently
The security market is undoubtedly saturated with tools and services . To date , businesses haven ’ t done a good job at implementing these in a complementary way that allows them to really reap the benefits of their investments .
We ’ re already starting to see a realisation within savvy companies that there is a need to do away with the hype and ‘ magic bullet ’ solutions and focus on investing in security that can evolve with the ever-growing threat landscape . It ’ s not about buying everything and anything in the hope that it provides an adequate level of security , it ’ s about optimising what you have and adopting tools and platforms that are most relevant to your business . The people element , or what we call the ‘ human firewall ’, will also remain hugely relevant in this sense .
There will be an increased focus on bringing automation and AI to life to tackle the cyberskills gap
The cybersecurity skills gap still looms over most organisations – and it ’ s likely it will continue to do so unless the industry makes a step change . Automation plays a vital part in modern cybersecurity but , to date , many businesses have been hesitant . This year will be a tipping point for automation and AI and we ’ ll see a critical shift in mindset from businesses – especially as cybercriminals have already made the leap .
Businesses will look to bring these technologies to life in order to plug the cybersecurity skills gap – not just through AI solutions which can handle bulk security tasks and free up people to focus on complex attacks , but which can also learn from human decisionmaking and increasingly make strategic security decisions automatically . This will be key for enabling organisations to level up their threat detection and mitigation .
With these in mind , there are clear signs that it ’ s going to be another pivotal year for the security space . u www . intelligentciso . com
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