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2024 Data Security Predictions: Risk, AI, and Vendor Size

By Liat Hayun, CEO of Eureka Security

Leveraging data for business purposes is now a core element of how organizations operate. Business owners expect their security teams to enable extensive cloud data storage, use and migration across multi-cloud environments without exposing customer and business data to potential threats. As a DSPM trailblazer, Eureka Security looks ahead to 2024 with the following predictions for this space:

Risk reduction is no longer enough

Stored data is meant to be used - otherwise, there's no reason to store it. With increased use comes increased risk, which a maturing data security sector will be required to allow beyond mere risk reduction and compliance. Going forward, organizations will now need to focus on understanding, minimizing, and proactively identifying threats while maintaining a competitive edge, without jeopardizing their assets. So, while it's important to reduce risk as much as possible by taking actions such as removing unneeded data, unnecessary roles, and over-permissive access - it's also key to acknowledge some level of risk is acceptable, while identifying any actual threats that might thrive within that space. Just as you accept the risk of lending your house keys to a friend, if the keys are stolen, the threat must be mitigated. The same goes for data access: identifying suspicious access, anomalous behavior, data exfiltration, and ransomware activities must be part of any good data security solution for this technological evolution to continue at its current pace.

More AI = More data

AI isn't new, but it's now more accessible than ever. A decade ago, only tech giants like Google could harness its power, relying on data scientists. It later became easier to use AI for a limited number of use cases by using open-source libraries and other publicly available tools. These tools were convenient but demanded specific expertise, which was still scarce. This reality changed with the introduction of LLM and other sophisticated, and easy-to-use AI technologies.

The AI and LLM revolutions are poised to supercharge AI capabilities across all industries. As these capabilities grow, organizations will be motivated to store and use increasing amounts of data in a large variety of technologies, across various environments, shared with a growing number of 3rd parties. Security cannot be an obstructor here, and the C-suite will expect their security leaders to enable this growth while securing data at scale. 

A growing number of tools

Organizations are now collecting data in higher volumes and for multiple use cases driven by different teams. From a technical perspective, each use case often demands specific technologies; for instance, a graph-based database isn't suited for the same tasks as a file-based one. Needless to say, these tools also differ in the way in which they are managed. The result is a growing array of data storage technologies that need to now be protected by security personnel, forcing them to learn and develop expertise in various controls and mechanisms that - if used incorrectly - can lead to data exposure and risk.

Regulating the data flood

From a regulatory perspective, broader use cases mean more regions and countries to navigate. As organizations branch out, they must meet a rising number of global standards and regulations, ensuring data security and compliance across diverse markets. While the safety and security of data should be top of mind for any organization, the data of private citizens is also being protected by different countries that create regulations to allow that protection.

Vendor size doesn't matter

In the past several years, DSPM has become a fundamental element in any security stack for organizations wishing to manage and secure customer data across a growing cloud (and multi-cloud) environment. As a result, established security giants are joining the DSPM race to keep pace with nimble startups like Eureka Security. These startups offer dedicated cloud-native solutions that have a specific focus on contextualizing data, understanding data-specific control and configurations, and analyzing data usage and flow. Smaller vendors, with their agility, are poised to swiftly reduce risks, counter threats, and adapt to evolving customer requirements. 

In 2024, the Data Security landscape will keep growing and changing to counter new threats and adapt to evolving regulations. To that end, the innovation and agility of vendors such as Eureka Security, with the ability to provide end-to-end data security from detection to remediation, will drive the sector forward. 

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Liat Hayun is the Co-founder and CEO of Eureka Security, a Cloud Data Security Posture Management platform that enables security teams to successfully navigate the ongoing and often chaotic expansion and growth of cloud data. Prior to co-founding Eureka Security, Liat spent a decade leading cybersecurity efforts in the Israeli Cyber Command and Palo Alto Networks. Her IDF service merited the prestigious Israel Defense Prize. As VP of Product Management at PANW, Liat led the production of Cortex XDR and PANW's Managed Threat Hunting service. These roles have enabled Liat to pursue her greatest interests and concerns in the cybersecurity threat landscape, as well work with wonderfully talented people on their solutions. Passionate about working closely with others, she is driven to identify meaningful operational security gaps and develop exciting new technologies and strategies to help fellow security leaders tackle them.