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The sobering facts about data breaches encourage innovative people and companies to develop improved cybersecurity technology year after year. That’s largely because garden variety hackers and sophisticated threat actors alike are finding creative ways to circumvent outdated defenses.
Despite an abundance of new cybersecurity technologies capable of deterring threat actors, few companies are prepared. A recent study indicates that only 15 percent of organizations possess a “mature” security posture. Upwards of 82 percent of businesses polled anticipate a cybersecurity incident will disrupt their operation. This level of pessimism can be reversed by deploying up-to-date cybersecurity technology solutions.
Choosing the Right Cybersecurity Technology for Your Operation
It’s essential for business professionals to have the data necessary to make informed decisions about new cybersecurity technology. There are a wide variety of options available, but not every solution provides cost-effective and determined defenses.
As an experienced firm, we recommend starting with a cybersecurity risk assessment. This process involves identifying security gaps and other vulnerabilities. After a comprehensive analysis has been performed, leadership teams have the complex data necessary to invest in new cybersecurity technology or tweak existing efforts. Part of the decision hinges on the type of digital assets you possess, how they are stored, and what protections are used during electronic transmission. Thorough risk and cybersecurity technology assessments clarify logical next steps.
5 Types of Cybersecurity Technology
Whether you have an in-house chief information security officer or outsource the cybersecurity risk monitoring role, making prudent technology decisions requires a wealth of experience. Along with expertise in technology and cybersecurity, emerging solutions are often integrated alongside existing infrastructure. It’s mission-critical that they are able to coexist in a complementary fashion. These rank among the newly minted cybersecurity technologies and those that have been significantly improved.
1: Artificial Intelligence and Machine Learning
Artificial intelligence — AI — has become a household term in recent years. It conjures up sci-fi movie images of machines learning to think independently and take over the world. In reality, AI and machine learning have emerged as valuable tools to combat cybercrime. These advanced technologies can gather and analyze massive amounts of data. This digital information can then be used to identify patterns and predict potential threat incidents in real-time. The use of AI and machine learning in cybersecurity monitoring delivers an early warning that puts hackers at a disadvantage.
2: Behavioral Biometrics
A recent development in proactive cybersecurity technology, behavioral biometrics relies on machine learning algorithms to identify emerging threats. This might involve a hacker logging into a system using an employee’s password and username. When the cybercriminal starts using the profile differently than its normal user, behavioral biometrics technologies flag it. This technology can be refined to monitor things as subtle as typing speed or mouse-click rates.
3: Zero Trust Architecture
Zero trust technologies continue to evolve and few organizations can do without them. The basic concept is that all user profiles have inherent network restrictions in place. Each employee or stakeholder has the bandwidth to complete their everyday tasks. When they need additional access to other parts of the system, approval is required. Zero trust architecture remains one of the leading cybersecurity technology solutions because it restricts hackers should they infiltrate your network.
4: Cloud Security
New products continue to address the heightened need for determined cloud security. Storing information in the cloud typically provides better safeguards than in-house networks, all things being equal. Leading cybersecurity technology solutions in the cloud niche focus on encryption and ways to safely transit data.
5: Multi-Factor Authentication
Sometimes simplicity proves even more effective than complex, cutting-edge solutions. That was certainly the case with the successful “Just Say No” anti-drug initiative back in the 1980s. It also holds true of Multi-Factor Authentication (MFA) which requires network users to input a code sent to a secondary device.
The pure genius of MFA is that even if hackers use a phishing scheme or social engineering ploy to trick someone into revealing their username and password, the criminal would need to physically possess their cell phone, where the code is usually sent. Advancements in MFA now include safeguards such as facial recognition, with other technologies in this vein including password managers.
What a Cybersecurity Consultant Can Do for Your IT Security
At CyberTeam, our managed IT and cybersecurity consulting experts have the experience and technology to protect your company from a data breach. We start by conducting a risk assessment to gain a clear understanding of your system’s strengths and vulnerabilities. Schedule a risk assessment with us and begin the process of improving your defenses.
