To gain a deeper insight into developments within the area of business technology, Digital Journal has been hearing from experts at AT&T Cybersecurity about the trajectory that business systems are likely to take over the next year. Offering thoughts on cyber-defence in the context of digital transformation is Mary Blackowiak, Director of Product Management and Development at AT&T Cybersecurity.
Digital transformation
Blackowiak looks at how businesses are reforming their working practices, both in terms of available technology and with organisational cultures as part of digital transformation initiatives. To embark on these grand projects still requires a focus on the cybersecurity factors that might arise as risks.
Blackowiak sees the progression as continuing to move at a fast pace: “Digital transformation continues to rapidly evolve and despite some return to office initiatives, the workforce remains vastly distributed.”
Change control
This is likely to lead to a new round of change. Blackowiak thinks: “Given these factors, I expect endpoint security will be a major focus for organizations in 2024. The dispersed nature of today’s workforce amplifies the complexity of safeguarding against cyber threats, with a glaring challenge being the lack of visibility into the multitude of devices accessing organizational networks.”
For those perturbed by these comments, Blackowiak offers some reassurance: “The good news is that there are solutions to this dilemma.”
Using strategy wisely
To do this a robust strategy is required: “The difficulty in effectively protecting what you can’t see remains a fundamental principle in the cybersecurity industry, which is why the first step in any endpoint security strategy should be conducting an inventory of all the devices that are accessing the network.”
Based on such cyber risks firms will need to assess the likelihood and impact of potential threats and vulnerabilities. This will require implementing the appropriate controls and measures to prevent or reduce the identified risks.
In terms of how to achieve these, Blackowiak proposes: “This can be accomplished with a unified endpoint management (UEM) solution. Curated security policies via a UEM solution and endpoint security technologies can be applied once you know the kinds of devices you’re working with. Rogue asset discovery tools are also helpful for identifying endpoints behaving in a manner that would indicate malicious intent.”
There are important lessons and considerations that companies must draw upon. According to Blackowiak these are: “As we look ahead to 2024, organizations must understand that endpoint security is not just a necessity for risk reduction but a strategic investment in safeguarding the digital future.”
