The implications of the hybrid work model are still unfolding. Last decade, before most of the world went into lockdown, the use of the cloud was already increasing significantly. In recent years, it gained momentum. Cloud solutions are powerful, but not without problems, especially when a large portion of company personnel alternate between the office and home. In some cases, they also use personal devices to access corporate networks. This increases the attack surface that threat actors exploit. When cloud solutions are used in conjunction with MEC and private 5G, they offer tremendous business value. Managing an increasingly complex cloud configuration is challenging due to broad security considerations. With this in mind, secure connectivity and the proper use of AI are the keys to success in and beyond 2024.
Ubiquitous connectivity continues to pose security risks
Business boundaries have changed with the universal presence of remote and hybrid work environments. People are on the move and switching between devices and networks. Ubiquitous connectivity is a necessity as employees need access to information anywhere. A Bring Your Own Device (BYOD) approach that many organizations adopt by default only complicates matters. If an employee accesses a corporate network from a personal device and that device is compromised, the entire network is exposed. Using a professional device in an unsecured public network can have similar consequences. Organizations must recognize that those boundaries and the associated security parameters are shifting in order to respond appropriately.
The use of the cloud and digitization in 2024 does not seem to be diminishing. Organizations must increasingly prioritize security. This is due in part to the increasing frequency of certain attack patterns, such as social engineering, and the continued rising cost of breaches. The cost of ransomware, for example, has doubled in the past two years, according to the 2023 Data Breach Investigations Report (DBIR).
AI boosts security
Thanks to the increasing popularity of chatbots and other generative AI technologies, AI experienced a banner year last year.
There are more and more attack vectors. And the attack surfaces are getting larger due to the expansion of types of connectivity and the huge variety of devices and environments. With IoT devices connecting physical devices and equipment to networks, the potential entry points that threat actors can exploit have increased. The benefits of these increasingly sophisticated connectivity solutions are enormous, but they must be accompanied by strong security solutions to realize their full potential.
It is becoming increasingly difficult and time-consuming for organizations to cope with the sheer volume of spambots and other automated attacks. AI can help automate the detection of anomalies and threats. Time-consuming tasks, which humans performed manually in the past, for scanning and assessing potentially malicious activity, are significantly reduced or eliminated. As a result, security teams can focus their efforts on critical, more complex tasks. In addition, AI is able to process massive amounts of data, separating the harmful from the innocuous with greater efficiency. The more AI performs these scans, and the more human security teams adjust and refine the parameters, the smarter and more accurate AI becomes in identifying and neutralizing threats.
Demand for cloud-based solutions increases and meets hybrid work model
The hybrid work model is likely to be here to stay. And even if it is not, the effects of the rise in hybrid working will continue. By 2024, the need for always-on connectivity and demand for cloud-based solutions will only grow. Therefore, the demand for better cybersecurity increases proportionately. The companies that continue to invest in advanced connectivity solutions while working meticulously on the security of their endpoints and networks put themselves in a position to contain potential cyber threats in the long run.
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