Cybersecurity is Evolving and Leaving the Old Guard Behind
By WatServ
September 29, 2022
When the World Economic Forum (WEF) meets every year at Davos they create a series of papers and reports that are filled with insight. The WEF has been focused on the implications of the fourth industrial revolution for over six years now and most corporate executives are only just starting to understand what that means – the cloud enables many of the changes they predicted.
But in their most recent meeting there was a strong focus on issues around cybersecurity and how cloud infrastructure can go a long way to tackling many of the challenges.
Cloud offers many tools for tackling the security challenge, but the distributed nature of many systems – precisely because of the cloud – also creates new challenges.
Decision-makers need to understand that we now exist in a new world of cybersecurity that requires a different approach to the old days of on-premises systems.
First, look at the growth in cloud spending – even during the pandemic. Gartner data suggests that 2020 cloud spending was $106 billion, $141 billion in 2021, and $178 billion in 2022. By next year we are likely to have seen a doubling in cloud spending just since Covid created a new reality for every business.
These are just some of the changes to be aware of:
- Tools are now critical: almost no modern business can now function without cloud-based enterprise tools such as Office 365, Zoom, Teams, or Salesforce. The ability to share information across teams and manage tools without the need to manage software installation and versions has transformed how most organizations use software.
- Enterprise is no longer completely in control: the enterprise and the security management are no longer entirely in control of security as there are now many different cloud services (Azure or AWS) used for hosting infrastructure or storage in addition to all the software systems now being used. The IT infrastructure of a single organization is now far more networked.
- The attack surface is larger: this all creates a far bigger target for cloud cybersecurity managers to control – compared to all systems being hosted on-site and locked down with a strong firewall.
It’s also worth noting that the decision on software use has been transferred to business teams. Sales or customer service management will decide which CRM system they use, rather than a CIO or CTO determining which system is best for the organization.
As the WEF paper states, there is a dramatic change taking place. Companies that have long led the world in information security are looking tired and out of touch. Their focus has always been on-site security and now this model is dated. There is about to be a rapid change in how security is managed.
The paper says: “The shift to the cloud has created new opportunities for start-ups to disrupt the security industry entirely. Large security incumbents like Palo Alto, Checkpoint, and Fortinet alone have a combined market cap of over $100 billion. Cloud security is going to be a much bigger market. It’s exciting to watch the change of guard.”
This is a fast-moving environment, but as we said in the opening, the cloud creates many new challenges for cybersecurity. It also presents many opportunities to introduce new smart security that is an improvement on the fixed barriers of a traditional network. This is where a trusted cloud partner can be a very valuable asset – guiding you through the viable options for your business.
Read our case study on Sagen, who WatServ supported with comprehensive multi-cloud cybersecurity services and Azure support to make them digital-ready for future growth.
About
WatServ is an IT solutions provider that helps organizations digitally transform through cloud technologies and managed services.
Serving clients as a trusted advisor since 2006, WatServ provides experience-tested, strategic solutions across all stages of the digital transformation journey. Clients choose WatServ to migrate infrastructure and applications to the cloud, secure critical data, implement disaster recovery, deploy virtual desktop, enable data-readiness for productivity solutions and manage IT environments.
Our clients span a broad range of industries, and we’re a global supplier of IT services for many Brookfield Portfolio Companies. To help our mid-size clients, we provide scalable offerings that simplify cloud adoption and drive business optimization. For enterprise clients, we co-create cloud solutions that enable stability and efficiency for complex IT tools and processes.
With more than 15 years of experience, WatServ has a track record of delivering quantifiable business results and a superior client experience. Ranked as one of Canada’s Top 100 Solution Providers for the last three years in a row, WatServ is always on.
