Today companies as they modernize their IT, and adopt new technologies such as cloud computing, IoT devices, and mobile platforms, have increased their potential exposure to new security risks and cyber threats. Modern IT environments are full of vulnerabilities that attackers are constantly evolving their methods to exploit. If no measure of security is there, a data breach can completely stop or muddle operations and damage reputation. Yet, careful thought, thoughtful cybersecurity policies, employee training, and the right tools can help businesses tap into new technology safely and gain a step advantage over threats.
The Growing Threat Landscape
The cyber threats are more than ever before. In Verizon’s 2022 Data Breach Investigations Report, the topic of ransomware continues to grow. Verizon indicates that ransomware incidents increased 13% in 2021. The DBIR also notes that 82% of breaches involved a human element, such as phishing, misuse, or error. The attack surface widens as more businesses go through digital transformation and digital expansion.
Modern IT environments are especially vulnerable:
- Cloud platforms. Cloud infrastructure has data exposed due to misconfigurations. Attackers can also get access in case of stolen credentials.
- Mobile devices. Data is at risk if lost or stolen devices. Malware can infect apps as well as networks.
- IoT. It is very hard to secure and update connected devices. They expand the attack surface.
- Third-party access. Vendors, contractors, and other third-party access open backdoors for attackers.
- APIs. Attacks can occur from the data extracted from applications through unprotected APIs.
As technology advances, the threats will only increase. Attackers will continue innovating faster than defenders. Without adjusting security postures, companies will struggle to manage risk.
Key Security Challenges in IT Modernization
Companies undergoing IT modernization face three core security challenges:
Lack of Visibility Across IT Environments
Businesses lose visibility over sensitive data, where on-premises, cloud, and hybrid infrastructure are becoming more complex, and are also not in the picture of how it’s being consumed and by whom. For instance, in the multi-cloud environment, the data and workloads are spread across multiple public and private clouds, hence making it hard to manage centralized control and transparency. Data flow and system dependencies that could be hiding data that would bring up the wrong ending are also obscured in serverless architectures. And these overall obscure security gaps are exploited by attackers.
Increased Number of Endpoints and Attack Vectors
There are more endpoints such as mobile devices, remote employees, connected IoT devices, cloud apps, and third-party vendor environments, and more potential entry points for attackers to penetrate the network. The increase in the number of endpoints increases the overall attack surface.
It is a huge challenge even for large security teams to ensure that every endpoint is stuck by tight security best practices. This poses a problem for locking down IoT devices. When one endpoint gets compromised, it starts spreading laterally across the middle of the corporate infrastructure.
Lack of Skilled Cybersecurity Professionals
As modern IT environments rapidly evolve to include cloud platforms, containers, IoT infrastructure, and more, demand for cybersecurity experts with specialized expertise in these emerging technologies far outpaces supply. An (ISC)2 study found the global cybersecurity workforce needs to grow by 65% to effectively defend organizations against threats targeting new attack surfaces.
It’s just not possible for most companies to hire or train enough skilled professionals to properly secure infrastructure from modern threats. Even if existing personnel have not mastered the latest technologies, tools, and techniques necessary to secure cloud platforms, serverless resources, or blockchain-based applications, the lack of knowledge can be a problem. It means that IT modernization efforts are chronically under or inadequately protected due to a shortage of talent. Years will be required to develop a workforce able to meet the cybersecurity requirements of modern and future IT environments.
The combination of these three challenges – visibility problems, growing attack surface, and talent shortage – has a very negative impact on security posture as organizations undergo IT transformation. Companies will continue to operate in the dark, manage no endpoints, and have no staffing to support cyber defenses without mitigating these risks. These gaps will be exploited by attackers to breach perimeters and cause breaches.
Steps to Improve Security Posture in Modern IT
While IT modernization enables digital transformation and creates opportunities, it also seriously impacts risk. Organizations must take proactive, ongoing measures to ensure security threats don’t derail modernization initiatives and leave the business vulnerable. Steps like these can help strengthen the security posture:
Gain Visibility Across All IT Assets and Access
Achieving comprehensive visibility across modern and legacy environments allows organizations to shrink blind spots attackers hide in. Businesses should implement tools to aggregate and analyze data including:
- Asset inventory showing hardware and software across environments.
- Network traffic patterns and performance.
- Access patterns and permission analysis.
- User activity monitoring for potential threats.
- Configuration and password analysis for misconfigurations.
- Vulnerability scanning across assets and code.
With continuous visibility into the people, processes, and technology that power operations, security teams can detect threats faster and strengthen protection more effectively.
Review and Enforce Least Privilege Access
The more people and systems accessing data, the higher the chance it gets exploited. Security leaders must scrutinize access permissions across endpoints and environments and enforce least privilege access – only granting the minimum access required for a user or application to perform their specific role.
Tools like identity and access management (IAM), multi-factor authentication (MFA), and privileged access management (PAM) solutions help control access. Microsegmentation, software-defined perimeters, and zero-trust network access models can minimize lateral movement after a breach.
Adopt a Zero Trust Approach
Zero trust shifts away from securing the network perimeter and instead verifies every user and device trying to access resources.
A zero-trust framework leverages policies and technology to:
- Verify identity and grant least privilege access to authorized users.
- Inspect devices for security compliance before granting access.
- Encrypt data end-to-end.
- Continuously monitor user activity and access patterns.
- Isolate and contain threats quickly.
This assumes breaches will occur, but limits damage. It protects modern distributed and cloud-based resources better than perimeter security.
Provide Ongoing Cybersecurity Training
With social engineering behind so many attacks, the human element remains the weakest link. Employees clicking phishing links or exposing passwords inadvertently are threats. Providing cybersecurity awareness training is essential – but it must remain ongoing to address evolving attack methods.
Training should educate all employees on modern cyber risks in plain language, not just IT staff. It should test comprehension through simulated phishing and social engineering attacks. Furthermore, training must extend to third-party users with access.
Hire External Expertise as Needed
Until more cybersecurity talent emerges, partnering with managed security service providers (MSSPs), managed detection and response (MDR) firms, cyber insurers and other third parties can help bridge internal skills gaps. External experts bring knowledge in cloud platforms, zero-trust architecture, automation tools, threat intelligence and other key areas to secure modern technology.
Build Security Into IT Modernization Initiatives
To avoid playing catch-up, all digital and infrastructure transformation initiatives must involve security leaders at the start. This “Shift left” approach bakes compliance, access controls, monitoring, encryption, and other security fundamentals into modernization efforts from day one, rather than tacking them on later.
Prioritizing security early in modernization projects results in more robust protection of new technical environments and data from emerging threats.
Emerging Technologies Bringing Innovation to Cybersecurity
While cyber threats grow in sophistication, advances in security technology show promise to help organizations keep pace. Emerging solutions driving innovation include:
AI and Machine Learning for Threat Detection
Bulging IT security teams rely on artificial intelligence and machine learning algorithms to wade through billions of daily security signals to rapidly discover and flag especially high probability that soon become actual attacks. Even attacks never seen before which signature-based defenses would have missed them.
They help to spit out subtle anomalies indicative of threats off these analyses of large volumes of data such as logs, network traffic, endpoints activity, access patterns, and more. Machine learning models can even predict the behavior of attackers to be ahead of breaches.
Automation for Improved Response Times
Security automation uses rules or playbooks that’ll take many repetitive or mundane security tasks, such as configuring firewalls and proxies, patching known vulnerabilities, updating endpoint software, adjusting access controls and permissions as well as responding to common threats. The routine activities are codified and automated, which in turn increases the staff efficiency considerably.
Relieving some of the highest value analysis to security pros – such as threat hunting, forensic investigations, architectural reviews, and more demanding incidents – allows them to spend time focused on the higher value work and technology do the lower value work. This leads to a very dramatic acceleration in response times.
Per an IBM and Ponemon Institute study, saved $2.22 million for organizations that used security AI and automation extensively in prevention versus those lacking automation. Automating manual work improves IT modernization security.
Zero Trust Network Access for Secure Connectivity
Zero trust network access (ZTNA) software securely connects authorized remote users to specific applications or resources without placing that user directly on the corporate network. This granular micro-segmentation limits lateral movement in case of breach while still enabling access for modern distributed workforces.
According to the research, it was assumed that 60% of enterprises will phase out traditional VPNs for ZTNA to securely support global remote users at scale by 2023. ZTNA secures modern access needs.
Leveraging emerging tools like these allow security teams to manage the scale and complexity of threats targeting modern attack surfaces more effectively. Though threats will continue advancing, technology innovation offers hope that cybersecurity productivity can advance faster – if funded appropriately.
Conclusion
Modernizing IT infrastructure and adopting cloud platforms, mobile technology, and IoT devices enables digital transformation but also introduces new cyber risks. As companies undergo IT transformation initiatives, they must prioritize building cyber resilience against modern threats.
Taking a data-centric zero trust approach, gaining visibility across the expanded attack surface, enforcing least privilege access, training employees continuously, and leveraging emerging technologies like AI can help secure the future of the business. Cybersecurity must be a core strategic priority, not an afterthought. With strong preparation and policies, companies can confidently leverage technology to innovate and grow without leaving the door open to attackers.
