Latest trends: centralized security, decentralized technology

A recent Gartner publication projects an increase in decentralized IT functions and reports that most CEOs and senior business executives want to see more technology work done directly within business departments. You can download an excerpt from this report here.

There are two data points of particular interest:

1. “By 2027, 75% of employees will acquire, modify or create technology outside IT’s visibility — up from 41% in 2022.”
2. “67% of CEOs and senior business executives want more technology work done directly within business functions/departments and less in IT.”

These trends raise an important question: How do companies achieve this decentralization without losing visibility into their company-wide cybersecurity posture?  

Alongside Gartner’s research, several sources have projected double-digit increases in the compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of AI in cybersecurity, ranging from 19.8% to 25.5%. Most companies already consider AI essential for preventing and responding to cyberattacks, and the adoption of AI-powered security will continue to grow. These trends help explain the growing adoption of cybersecurity platforms. Sources for this research are listed at the end of this post.

A cybersecurity platform gives companies a unified resource to manage cybersecurity and assess risk across the enterprise.  The advanced reporting features allow security teams to provide each stakeholder with the information they need for their own area of interest. These platforms are AI-driven and defend each attack vector with tightly integrated security solutions. They are also continuously updated with the latest threat intelligence.

There are several benefits to using a centralized cybersecurity platform:

• Integrated security posture: One comprehensive view of the security landscape across your network, endpoints, and cloud environments.
• Simplified management and operations: A single dashboard is used to manage and monitor security across the enterprise.
• Cost-effectiveness: Cybersecurity platforms typically reduce the number of subscriptions, licenses, and other fees associated with multiple individual solutions.
• Advanced threat intelligence: Platforms use data from multiple sources and threat vectors to improve insights around threat activity. 
• Faster incident response: Centralized incident response reduces the time needed to detect and remediate threats.
• Scalability: A unified cybersecurity platform is typically easier to scale up or down to meet company needs.
• Streamlined vendor management: Working with a single vendor simplifies vendor communication and support.

Unified platforms also provide a single dashboard with an easy-to-learn interface and consolidated controls, which reduces the overhead associated with managing security and compliance.

It may seem counterintuitive, but centralized security makes the decentralization of technology much safer and easier. For example,

• Uniform security standards are applied across all departments, maintaining a baseline of security that is independent of the practices of individual departments.
• Centralized cybersecurity provides a single point of control for monitoring security incidents across the organization and minimizes the complexities associated with incident response across multiple security solutions
• Comprehensive cybersecurity platforms have integrated reporting and auditing tools, making it easier to demonstrate compliance across different business functions.

While the platform itself is centralized, it supports decentralized decision-making by providing the necessary tools and information to business units. Separate business departments can manage their specific cybersecurity needs while still aligning with the overall organizational security strategy.

For more information on the Barracuda cybersecurity platform and how it can defend your business, see www.barracuda.com.

References:

• Gartner: The IT Roadmap for Cybersecurity
• Statista: Artificial intelligence (AI) in cyber security market value worldwide from 2019 to 2027
• ISACA: Track These 7 Trends for Proactive Cybersecurity in 2024
• CompTIA: State of Cybersecurity 2024
• McKinsey & Company: Redefining corporate functions to better support strategy and growth