Industry executives and experts share their predictions for 2023. Read them in this 15th annual VMblog.com series exclusive.
2023: The Data Flood
By Liat Hayun, CEO and co-founder of Eureka Security
Data continues to be a lucrative commodity for both companies and malicious actors, as its value has grown beyond just an organizational asset – becoming the driving force behind the digital transformation that is happening today. As the CEO and co-founder of Eureka Security, a cloud data security company aiming to enable the business use of data without jeopardizing its security, I believe that we are only witnessing the first drops of the future data flood. These are the top predictions that I anticipate for 2023 in the cloud data security space. While incremental, these processes and shifts will have monumental consequences on how individuals, attackers, and businesses address every aspect of their data use.
Data for the masses
The ability to leverage data and use it wisely for expanding, enhancing and improving business processes and outputs used to belong exclusively to larger and more technologically advanced corporations due to the costs and restrictions attached. Tools dedicated to simplifying data analysis, open-source libraries and visualization tools, will soon turn data into a routinely leveraged asset used to improve and inform decision-making processes and operations across all teams. Somewhat of a “self-feeding mechanism,” this process will encourage companies to store growing volumes of data and allow a wider range of access to it, as more teams will now be able to leverage it. Companies will need to use data in order to compete, and as it becomes more ubiquitous, it will require less specific expertise. Looking ahead, companies of all sizes would do well to prioritize data security and access in their budgets to get in front of the already exploding data sprawl.
More data = more tech
The growing number of data-centered use cases will inevitably lead to more data being stored, managed and leveraged. The amount of stored data already reached 64.2 zettabytes in 2020, and projections estimate that by 2025, it will grow by 180%. This flood of data – the volume of data stored, the number of use cases addressed and the number, type and size of companies and users owning it – will lead to the understanding that the only scalable, sustainable way to enable such growth is by leveraging the cloud. We anticipate a similar flood of data-related tools and technologies that will aim to simplify operations, automatically analyze data for insights, allow improvements in performance and more, and these will grow and vary as the need for their services grows as well. As we’ve seen in other industries, as the number of tools increases, so does the need to consolidate. However, this will be limited to specific use cases relevant to specific stakeholders including data teams, business teams and security teams. A management layer to coordinate between the different tools and leverage the insights of one into others will inevitably be needed.
Attackers are taking notice
Data isn’t just becoming more essential and valuable for businesses. Malicious actors are never far behind and will stop at nothing to obtain access. In line with our previous predictions around growth and sprawl, data will increase in importance as a primary target for attackers looking to encrypt or steal it. The data breaches of 2022 clearly showed an escalation, but we anticipate that this is only the beginning. Access is the operative word here, and attackers that are now more savvy, sophisticated and keep an eye on new data security tools, will look for new ways to get in.
Data security is on the rise
Companies become more vulnerable with every new database, storing private, sensitive and valuable customer data within their clouds. With this growth and sprawl comes the need for company accountability, and a responsibility to strike a balance between security and data governance – without leaving business agility behind. This crucial byproduct of the data flood is becoming top of mind not only in business, but also in the geopolitical landscape. Countries and multinational entities around the globe are realizing the need to establish best practices and global standards around data security, not unlike those created around pollution, food and water, transportation and other sensitive sectors.
There are irrefutable benefits to this data flood, as it enables companies to make informed decisions, streamline processes, improve customer satisfaction and increase efficiency. That said, the security community must prepare to remain ahead of this flood in order to allow it to flow safely and securely. Data security is becoming a shared responsibility across users, businesses and customers that will inevitably impact the way humanity develops in the years to come.
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ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Liat Hayun is the Co-founder and CEO of Eureka Security. 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.
