By the end of 2021, IP traffic from global cloud data centers will have reached 19.5 trillion gigabytes, according to Cisco. Business tech stands at the forefront of the sectors that depend on cloud computing for their continued existence. However, the latest developments in cloud tech are sending shock waves throughout the world of cybersecurity. So how will the shifting landscape of cybersecurity change the way we look at business tech? Here’s what you should know.
New Pathways Leading To New Cyber Threats
Cybersecurity is currently ranked the third most pressing business risk worldwide. This is because more of a business’ revenue than ever is hinging on the integrity of its online channels and seek help from reliable services like kuv24-cyber.de. Because business is primarily going to be conducted online going forward, we can expect cyber attacks on businesses to increase. To add to that, the helpful innovations that allowed us to continue our lives with relative normalcy during the pandemic are the same things that cyber-criminals are using as new avenues of attack. In particular, cybercriminals have doubled their efforts in trying to breach cloud computing services. This is in part due to recent cybersecurity layoffs at big firms, and an abundance of hackers taking advantage of that.
The surge in the number of businesses adopting these services has served as a beacon for hackers to converge on. New technologies such as Infrastructure-as-a-Service and the Internet of Things have opened up new ways for businesses to operate. But it also means that criminals can hold more than simply sensitive data for ransom. With machine learning AI, hackers have much more intelligent tools on their hands to circumvent conventional cybersecurity measures. Hence, if a business has outsourced enough of its infrastructure to the cloud, hackers can have everything they need to hold an entire business’ operation hostage.
Adapting to The Changing Times
Fortunately for businesses, cybersecurity experts are also finding ways to use our new technology and fend off cyber threats. For large businesses, this expertise can easily be acquired and employed by their IT wing. However, for companies that prioritize agility and streamlining, hiring managed IT services is their best option. Managed IT services also come with the bonus of being a predictable expense, allowing companies to budget better, according to managed IT firm Taylored Systems. Additionally, outsourcing IT services removes the burden of adapting to developments in tech.
Multi-factor authentication is one such area in which substantial innovation is taking place. Thanks to advancements in machine learning, we now have access to much more in-depth authentication methods to append the traditional password. AI can offer more thorough facial recognition, eliminating machine errors caused by bad angles or poor lighting. With more processing power available to the cloud, one-time passwords can be generated with a different method each time, making it virtually impossible for hackers to simulate the generation method with a reverse-engineered OTP algorithm.
Future of Business Tech
For better or for worse, the future of businesses is in the cloud. Not just data storage, but data processing and indeed many functions of businesses now take place online. Traffic from cloud data centers is poised to make up the majority of data center traffic worldwide. The demand for this service cannot be stressed enough, especially for businesses. The shift to cloud computing is expected to be of such a magnitude that eventually, only around 6 percent of all workload processing will be handled on traditional data centers. The majority of this workload will be processed by software services such as Microsoft 365, which will virtually eliminate the need to install software copies on company hardware.
As with any new technology, the innovations we made and enriched during the pandemic come with their own set of challenges. Thankfully, however, we can defend against these new threats with the same ingenuity that created them.
