industry expert
Transformation was something trendy that didn ’ t really apply to them moved slowly and then suddenly had to scramble .
And those two different starting positions defined responses as some organisations scrambled to implement new cloud technologies to keep the business operating , while others simply took what they were already doing and expanded it .
The common thread across both camps was increased application of cloud native security . Many technologies that saw organisations through the pandemic originated in the cloud , though extending enterprise security or on-premises security into the cloud is harder than many realise . We ’ ve seen massive growth in the use of cloud access security brokers and cloud web security gateways , as well as data protection technologies .
Data protection technologies have rapidly grown in adoption in the last 12 months , because there ’ s been a realisation that people are risking their organisation ’ s data and , as custodians of that data , they ’ ve realised what they need to do to protect that in the transformed world .
Why is an integrated suite of security technologies so important in helping organisations navigate this new environment ?
I think this is something that ’ s been relevant for a long time , but its need is now amplified . The cybersecurity space has evolved over time – it was once called network security , then information security and now cybersecurity . With that evolution , there has also been an increase in the number of security controls we now have .
In a typical large enterprise today , there will be anywhere between 50 and 80 cybersecurity tools – an incredibly difficult number to manage and get the most out of . It reduces your efficacy and puts a big strain on security operations .
In a bid to solve this problem , the industry now has suites of products that integrate into a broader ecosystem of products .
Nick Savvides , Director of Strategic Accounts for Asia-Pacific at Forcepoint
The challenges that we face now could be the catalyst for that change , to move to a platform-based approach where you can utilise the entire cloud as a platform .
As a CISO , this would mean having highly efficacious offerings that consolidate several functions that are pre-integrated to enable a better outcome .
It requires not just a technology change but a cultural and mindset change in the entire security practice . It ’ s important to ensure that you not only have an integrated approach , but one which has good interoperability with your other systems . That is a big change that organisations need to face and why an integrated platform is critical .
How has Forcepoint helped customers navigate these challenges ?
We were fortunate at the start of the pandemic because we had already been building our technologies for this and already operated in a distributed environment . We have been assisting customers who have our existing on-premises technology to extend these into the cloud so they can run unified security across both of those environments . We ’ re taking the enterprise into the cloud and we ’ re taking the cloud into the enterprise .
It ’ s not just about the technology , it ’ s about the outcome for the customer . I want to know what the customer is thinking between now and the horizon .
What are the priorities of the business ? Then we put security tooling into an adoption roadmap that is consumable by that organisation .
We ’ re trying to bring our advanced enterprise technologies that banks , government agencies and intelligence services utilise and make it consumable by every organisation .
The threat landscape continues to get more sophisticated and all enterprises are equal as victims now , whether there are 10,000 users , 5,000 users or 200 users .
With employees working remotely , you ’ ve gone from having one entry point to having every employee as an entry point into an organisation .
Advanced technologies are very efficacious at protecting users , but they were previously out of reach . We ’ re bringing Zero Trust to those organisations and want to deliver it to as many people as possible , democratising those advanced capabilities .
What advice would you offer organisations for improving cyber-resilience ?
Don ’ t let perfection be the enemy of the good . This is something that a lot of organisations try and chase . That ’ s how they ended up with 80 tools and unable to manage them all .
The second piece is don ’ t treat cybersecurity as a technology-only problem . It ’ s a business problem . You need to think big , think business , engage with the board and talk the language of the board .
The board doesn ’ t care what sort of security tools you ’ re using . They care about risk and being able to articulate the risk to your executive , to your board , to a CEO , in an efficient and effective manner . This will see you through a far better outcome .
And finally , reach out to your local Forcepoint rep and have a conversation with us because we can add value to most organisations . u www . intelligentciso . com
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