Virtualization and Cloud executives share their predictions for 2016.  Read them in this 8th Annual VMblog.com series exclusive.

Contributed by Ray Rothrock, CEO, RedSeal

RedSeal Predicts what 2016 Holds for Cybersecurity

2015 could have been just another year of data breaches and flawed cyberdefense, but it's also been a year when cybersecurity conversations have become more prevalent in the boardroom. Business leaders are getting a better understanding of the significance cybersecurity has to the overall wellbeing of their organizations. A lot of work is yet to be done to bridge the cybersecurity awareness gap between IT pros and the C-suite, but after reflecting on what we've learned this past year, here are some things we expect to see in 2016:

The Year of the Carrot - An Attractive Proposition vs. The Stick: 

Businesses are losing the current cybersecurity game; but, they can't be beaten if they join forces.  Intelligence, preparedness and response will take a radically increased profile in cybersecurity through 2016 and beyond; and the sharing of cybersecurity intelligence between organizations will provide an unprecedented opportunity to change the game. The carrot, in terms of sharing real-time, anonymized information between organizations about attacks and breaches, may be a hard one to swallow at first, but the benefits make it palatable; the alternative however will be the stick whereby government will determine the process with a legislative stick.

People Will Get Smarter - Business Takes A Leaf Out Of The Military Handbook:

A major threat to digital and cyber resilience still lies in the unintentional wrong-doings from within - the employee. Meanwhile, the organizational ‘attack surface' will continue to grow exponentially from everything mobile, to a world of IoT and sensors everywhere, and a completely perimeterless network. This creates greater built-in risk. 2016 will see business take a leaf out of the military's handbook with greater investment in the first line of defense, much like the preparedness drills that the military runs.  Organizations will invest in deeper understanding of their structural digital and network map, together with formalized cyber-self-awareness training programs for employees.  Know yourself and terrain before the enemy. 

CISO Rising:

Digital transformation has brought immense business benefit; it has also brought unprecedented risk.  Digital resilience will grow dramatically as a board-level priority, as will their need to understand the potential material impact of weak or failed cyber security.  2016 will see an acceleration in the presence and role of the CISO.  As they increasingly report direct to the CEO, their budgets will increase and broaden in scope, as will the demand for proactive, fresh and bullet-proof strategies. Their stars will continue to rise, as will the attention and light shining on them, from the highest levels, to deliver sustainable and secure business resilience and continuity.

Of course, these predictions will only occur if organizations continue to increase their focus on cybersecurity. We at RedSeal are hopeful that 2016 will be an even better year for cybersecurity and digital resilience.

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About the Author

Ray joined RedSeal as CEO in February 2014.  Prior to RedSeal he was a general partner at Venrock, one of RedSeal's founding investors.   At Venrock he invested in 53 companies including over a dozen in cyber security including Vontu, PGP, P-Cube, Imperva, Cloudflare, CTERA, and Shape Security.  He is on the board of Check Point Software Technology, Ltd. an original Venrock investment, and Team8, both Tel Aviv based companies.

Ray holds a BS in Nuclear Engineering from Texas A & M University, a MS in Nuclear Engineering from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology and an MBA with Distinction from the Harvard Business School.  He is a member of the Massachusetts Institute of Technology Corporation board.