Industry executives and experts share their predictions for 2022.  Read them in this 14th annual VMblog.com series exclusive.

Data protection and data encryption predictions for 2022

By members of Vaultree

Vaultree's co-founders bring together their various expertise in the fields of data protection and data encryption to provide 2022 predictions on what the cybersecurity landscape will look like for enterprises.

Tilo Weigandt, co-founder, Vaultree: More companies will invest in internal security teams - "With the responsibility for data security threats broadening, there is a strong case to be made for most companies to invest in their internal security team and to hire a CISO. I foresee companies ensuring their senior IT management staff also have a holistic understanding and approach to cybersecurity as an organizational-wide risk issue with a focus on the legal and regulatory implications of cyber risks as they relate to a company's specific circumstances. This includes identifying which risks to avoid, accept and mitigate, as well as implementing specific plans for each potential threat and how these are communicated to senior management." 

Maxim Dressler, co-founder, Vaultree: Companies will need to implement zero-trust platforms - "The traditional security model is no longer fit for purpose and zero-trust models are simply more relevant in this era of remote working. The need for a zero trust security model has arisen because enterprises no longer tend to host data in-house but rather through a variety of platforms and services which reside both on and off premise with a host of employees and partners accessing applications via a range of devices in diverse geographical locations. Especially with the rise of remote work, companies will rely on an identity driven focus to bring security and networked convergence to organizations."  

Ryan Lasmaili, co-founder, Vaultree: Encryption adoption will rise across different industries - "Encryption technology is becoming more widespread. While industries such as finance, health and law enforcement  are early adopters of encryption, we will begin to see more industries implement better data protection as their knowledge on the benefits increase. Realizing that encrypted data is useless to criminals and that searchable encryption is practical and could solve many of the issues surrounding data privacy, will encourage more adopters of the technology."  

Kevin Curran - co-founder and advisor, Vaultree: Remote work will require us to re-examine data protection policies - "With the prolific use of mobile devices as remote work increases, this is leading to new risks as users install potentially malware-infected software and expose company data to foreign networks including their friends and family. Increasingly, employees are working longer hours in both work and remote home environments thus leading to new risks as users install potentially malware-infected software and expose company data to foreign networks including their friends and family. 

One aspect, which should not be overlooked, is the fact that these devices belong to the employees and traditional 'rules' and mandates for enforcing new updates may simply not work, requiring us to reevaluate current data protection policies." 

##