Where Is The Growth In Business Security?

How fast can an industry take hold and change the way we work and live? All you have to do is look to the Internet to see one of the fastest growth areas around.

Twenty years ago many were deciding how necessary it was to have a personal computer in their homes. Today we carry its equivalent around in our pockets, having access to more technology in a box with a five inch display than would have previously fit in our homes.

Yet fast growth also carries risks. With each advance we make in technology also increases the threat level presented by hackers, cyber criminals and spies.

Spending on IT security is expected to grow tenfold in the next decade. Size is no object when it comes to threats; large global corporations are open to as much risk as the small business practice. Sure, the criminals may be after different data depending on where they enter. But many hackers are more than happy with small amounts of personal information and the chance to use a clean identify to further their cause.

Technology advances, new tools and services are created, and business owners are left piecing together what they think will offer them protection. Sometimes their plans work; sometimes they don’t. Yet when you open yourself up to utilizing the newest tools in the industry, it’s only natural that it will also leave you vulnerable to potential threats.

Because growth has happened so quickly, we often forget to counter the latest tools with an equal amount of risk protection. Studies consistently show that organizations of all sizes underspend on security. And while some threats may be easy to understand and therefore plan for, it’s the threats you don’t know exist that can be the most troublesome and cause the greatest amount of risk.

Those are the areas where the most opportunities lie. Those are the areas that are going to experience the greatest amount of progress in the future, all of which will help you keep your data more secure. Things like:

Encryption – encoding messages so that they can only be read by the sender and the intended recipient.

Certificate Management – identity based solutions that streamline and safeguard access to all forms of access, from facility networks, mobile devices and hosted applications.

Authentication – having encryption and certificate management in place is useless is a hacker can quickly gain access to protected tools and keys. Authentication measures add another level of strength between potential risks and your data.

All the rest – while we are currently using a wide variety of tools to combat risks – firewalls, anti-malware, intrusion prevention systems, and so on – the opportunity is still wide open for creating systems specific to a niche or organization.

Because IT changes every day, so to will our approach to the way we secure what matters most … our data. The only way to stay ahead of the game is to stay on top of new developments and incorporate them into your plan on a regular basis.

What’s your plan for protecting your data?