Navigating the world of digital technology without strong data security is like sailing on stormy seas without a compass. The 2024 Cloud Security Report found a nearly 154% increase in cloud security incidents compared to last year, with 61% of organizations reporting significant disruptions. In addition, the rapid adoption of the cloud has also brought data security concerns to the forefront. Each breach tells stories of eroded trust, legal nightmares and damaged reputations. Dive into this report as we reveal the dramatic shifts in data security and predict the trends that lie ahead on tomorrow's landscape.
Why is data security important?
In this age of increasing reliance on digital technology, data stands out as an organization’s most valuable asset—it forms the foundation of a company’s reputation. Companies have a critical responsibility to protect sensitive data such as personally identifiable information (PII), which includes details such as names, addresses, Social Security numbers, and payment card information, including card numbers and CVV codes. Furthermore, protecting employee information is critical, including data ranging from Social Security numbers and addresses to bank account details and employment records. Protecting these types of data is essential for trust, compliance, and preparedness against unauthorized access, misuse, or improper disclosure.
Future trends, predictions and major transformations
As technology advances, the data security landscape changes. Learn about upcoming trends and forecasts that will shape the future of data protection.
Data Security Posture Management (DSPM)
Data security posture management will become increasingly important as a pivotal trend due to escalating cyber threats and expanding regulatory landscape. Organizations recognize the urgent need to continuously evaluate, improve and prove their security measures. Adopting strong posture management ensures resilient data protection, enhances stakeholder confidence, aligns with evolving international cybersecurity standards, and protects organizations from potential breaches.
Cloud security
The increase in cloud computing usage due to the pandemic means that cloud security is now more important than ever. According to new forecasts, the cloud security industry will grow by about 27% between 2022 and 2023, underscoring the importance of protecting data in cloud environments.
Zero trust models
The rise of the zero trust security model, which overturns the assumption of trust, is another dynamic trend. This architecture promotes continuous authentication, unwavering access control, and fine-grained hashing while defending against data and application vulnerabilities. By 2025, Zero Trust Network Access (ZTNA) will overtake VPNs as the fastest growing area of ​​network security. Organizations from all sectors adopt ZTNA to strengthen their security posture.
Multi-factor authentication (MFA)
As businesses ramp up their digital transformation initiatives, adopting two-factor authentication has become critical to maintaining security. The rise of remote and hybrid work models makes strong authentication processes essential, especially when employees access resources from diverse locations and devices. The rise of cloud adoption also means that traditional security measures are losing their edge. In these decentralized environments, two-factor authentication emerges as a scalable solution to protect sensitive data and systems.
artificial intelligence
Artificial intelligence (AI) has also entered the picture and is deeply intertwined with data security. AI’s contribution to enhancing data security is increasingly important in an intelligent, interconnected society. AI-enabled security systems are shown to detect and respond to threats faster and more accurately than traditional technologies. By automating tedious and time-consuming processes, they relieve the burden on security personnel and free them up to achieve strategic goals.
Leading with organizational directives
As concerns about data privacy grow, regulations are trying to catch up. Standards such as the European Union's General Data Protection Regulation or the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA) set standards for data protection. Even outside of these jurisdictions, areas like California have strict data protection laws. For companies, these regulations, although they may be difficult, serve as roadmaps. Adhering to these guidelines not only ensures compliance but also ensures strong data protection.
Data Security: Into the Unknown
The cloud’s journey into the enterprise world has been rapid. As companies continue to integrate cloud more deeply into their operational fabric, understanding and adapting to these data security trends has become imperative.
Manual processes are prone to error, and with the expanding SaaS and PaaS ecosystem, relying solely on manual interventions is no longer viable. Therefore, the latest, but no less important, trend is automation. Whether you are assigning user privileges, updating software, or monitoring for anomalies, automated tools can provide consistent, error-free results, ensuring that security measures remain robust even as the cloud landscape evolves. Moving forward, we will see all of the above trends benefit greatly from automation in some way.
