Is Yesterday’s Security Sufficient by Today’s Standards?

The coronavirus pandemic was a powerful reminder that we live in a world with significant uncertainty, where unpredictable events can occur without warning.

Our national government reacted quickly by enforcing new legislation and implementing a lockdown to fight it off. While these government actions helped slow the pandemic spread, they also hindered many businesses. Business owners had to quickly identify new operational strategies to stay in compliance with the new laws, while protecting their livelihood and their people.

As businesses face a new shift in their priorities, the security industry needs to adjust, and help implement systems that answer the security questions of today, while managing to develop new use cases and innovate for tomorrow.

Security consultants, while recognizing the changing landscape, are in a unique position to help solve today’s problems while also looking towards the future.

For example, access control has progressed tremendously over recent decades. Initially restricted by badging capabilities, access control was once rudimentary and isolated. In recent years, consultants could specify fully integrated enterprise security systems that brought together identity management, access control and other related systems to deliver a higher level of security and operational insights and controls.

Now, with the power of integrations and the advanced technology that is newly available through the integration of mobile devices, security consultants have new powerful tools to raise the power and utility of these systems again — by adding people to the systems.

Connecting People to Security Is Powerful

People are the most intelligent sensors in any enterprise — more intelligent than cameras or any other security device. In response to a crisis, people can act much like a mesh network to provide situational awareness and critical information quickly. With the use of their mobile phones, people are able to:

• Receive notifications regarding critical events,
• Send out panic alerts,
• And with proper authority, activate a lock-down or other system event.

Emphasis on Data Privacy

Recent government regulations have highlighted an increased awareness of both data privacy and cybersecurity. Improving technologies have supported the growth of remote workers, with many companies and workers gaining benefits of this flexible arrangement. This trend was accelerated by the coronavirus lockdown, forcing many organizations to revise their remote policies and strengthen their remote infrastructures.

These changes have also brought complications that businesses should be aware of. The work-from-home transition has greatly increased the risk of exposure of private data. This leads to potential threats of a cybersecurity breach, where hackers access confidential information that is normally secured within the facility.

Here are some of the few regulations in effect to read more into:

• California Consumer Privacy Act (CCPA)
• European Union’s (EU’s) General Data Protection Regulation
• Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA)

Zero Trust Network Model

Many companies follow the security model standard of “verify, then trust” which grants access to users who can provide proper credentials. However, this model is lacking when it comes to the actual verification process. For outside hackers and unauthorized internal personnel, intrusion into a system can be as simple as buying or guessing a password.

As enterprise systems increase in complexity, access and security will require increased fortification to shore up vulnerabilities from cyberattacks. One trend to address the increasing potential for breaches from within organizations is the development of the zero trust model.

The protocols and technologies involved in a zero trust architecture will treat all attempts at access through verification with equal scrutiny. This standard will reduce vulnerabilities to threats both internal and external, preventing many problems before they even come up.

Future-Proof Security

We can expect new regulations to add to business requirements in the future, and we can certainly expect cybercriminals to continue to develop new attacks. How can security consultants help clients stay ahead of the cybercriminals who are trying to steal their data?

Increasing networking, outsourcing and cloud services all contribute to the situation where client data is no longer hidden behind secure walls. A future-proof solution has to be scalable and flexible, so that it can continue to be updated, modified and revised to improve its capabilities as needs change.

We must make our digital world safer for people. Businesses need to acknowledge the digital transformation of security and utilize a solution that meets the guidelines of today, while innovating for the concerns of tomorrow.

Download Maxxess’ free eBook for more information on trends for consultants specifying security in 2021.