Industry executives and experts share their predictions for 2022. Read them in this 14th annual VMblog.com series exclusive.
Top Three Cybersecurity Predictions for 2022 – The Year of 'The Great Migration'
By Andrew Maloney, co-founder and COO, Query.AI
As 2021
comes to a close, I think we can all agree that it's been one for the books
when it comes to the cybersecurity industry. Since the start of the pandemic,
data suggests that cybersecurity attacks have increased four-fold. However,
it's not all bad news. The pandemic also has spurred positive change when it
comes to companies reevaluating their businesses to adapt to the global shifts
taking place, and I believe this will continue into next year.
2022
will be what I'm calling "The Year of the Great Migration." In this article, I
will discuss the top three predictions related to migration, including how
companies will: seek top cybersecurity talent and new office locations across
the U.S., better leverage cloud technology, and increase API integrations. Let's
dive in deeper on each of these three predictions.
Prediction 1 - "The Great Migration" part one: to overcome
the cybersecurity skills gap, organizations will look for talent in more
cost-effective locations across the U.S.
The
cybersecurity skills gap still exists and, according to research from
Information Systems Security Association and Enterprise Strategy Group, 95% of
companies believe the gap has not improved in recent years. Not only are there
not enough skilled cybersecurity professionals to fill the number of vacant
positions, but organizations are tired of battling the competitive talent pool
in traditional tech hotspots, such as Silicon Valley and Austin. This
frustration, in combination with the newfound remote workforce, will spawn a
talent migration in 2022. We'll start to see more organizations build out their
teams and close the cybersecurity skills gap by tapping talent in more
cost-effective locations across the U.S.
Prediction 2 - "The Great Migration" part two: more
organizations will move on-premises data to the cloud.
There's
no question that the COVID-19 pandemic accelerated digital transformation over
the past 18 months, but, even with cloud cost efficiencies and other business
benefits, most IT assets still reside on-premises. In fact, AWS Chief Executive
Andy Jassy was recently quoted saying 96% of the more than $3 trillion IT
industry still resides in on-premises data centers rather than in the cloud.
While many organizations made their entrance into or expanded their presence in
the cloud world over the past few years, in 2022, we'll see organizations
continue to shed their on-premises footprint, further expand their cloud
presence, and migrate more on-premises data to the cloud. This will certainly help
organizations modernize their businesses to better meet the requirements of the
new world we live in. But, as organizations expand their digital footprints,
managing security across multiple vendor-supplied tools can become overwhelming
and data can get lost among a variety of security environments, tools, and
platforms, leaving gaping holes in security defenses. Establishing and
maintaining data visibility across silos will be paramount to reaping the
benefits of the cloud without any of the associated security risks.
Prediction 3 - "The Great Migration" part three: customer
demand for API integrations will increase.
No one
vendor can provide all the security tools organizations need to defend against
today's increasingly sophisticated threat landscape. And, as a result, no
organization should be forced to rely on one security vendor for all their
security needs. Because of this, market demand for security providers that
offer API integrations and technologies will increase, and more companies will begin
to evolve their security infrastructure to take advantage of myriad
best-of-breed security solutions via APIs. Bad actors don't operate alone; they
have a team behind them. To defeat them, we in the security industry need to
work collectively too, integrating our technologies to give customers the
optimal cybersecurity defense and resilience strategy.
Looking Ahead
Heading into 2022, it's important for companies to think
about what trends and predictions may take place to help shape and build
effective cybersecurity strategies. I believe companies will have an
opportunity to capitalize on the three migration areas I highlighted above in a
way that can make a very positive impact. And, in a world where we are
constantly bombarded with negative news headlines as it relates to
cybersecurity - whether it's the latest, high-profile ransomware attack or
major data breach - it's a constant reminder that companies should focus and
capitalize on existing technology, as well as new tools and approaches that
will help keep them protected.
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ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Andrew is the Chief Operations Officer at Query.AI - the
provider of the market's only security investigations control plane for modern
enterprises - where he is responsible for establishing and delivering on
Query.AI's go-to-market and business operations strategy. Maloney brings 20
years of diverse leadership experience in sales, product, and customer success
to Query.AI. He most recently served as a founding executive member and SVP of
Field Operations at JASK, a modern, cloud-native SIEM company recently acquired
by SumoLogic. At JASK, he was responsible for developing the go-to-market and
establishing early customer traction leading sales from 0 to the first $1M in
revenue. Maloney's experience also includes other high level field facing
positions in companies like Niara (acquired by HPE), Hewlett Packard (ESP), and
ArcSight (acquired by HP).