What should companies do in terms of cybersecurity and key technologies in 2021? A comment and security prognoses by Dr. Klaus Gheri, General Manager Network Security at Barracuda Networks.
“The COVID-19 pandemic and the pressure it creates to transform work habits and work environments will continue to offer increased areas of attack. Zero trust network access solutions and the accelerated adoption of cloud-based solutions are the way for organizations to keep risk under control. Corporate endpoints will primarily be used outside the boundaries of the corporate network in working environments from home. This will force many organizations to review their current endpoint security and compliance enforcement approaches. "
What new skills will IT security executives need in 2021 that they may not have today?
“In 2021, IT security managers will have to ensure the same or even a higher security level, with tighter budgets due to the economic recession. The need for IT security experts will increase and they will have to familiarize themselves with the new, cloud-centric security architecture. In addition, the introduction of 5G will become more and more tangible in many regions of the world. IT security managers will need to develop a holistic understanding of risk and appropriate protective measures, as this affects the entire company network, including OT and industrial IoT environments. "
What threats do you expect to see intensified in 2021?
“Threats will continue to target the weakest link in the chain, usually company employees. Working in the home office and a weaker security situation favor the typical e-mail attacks, which will become even more effective in the future. As in previous years, we will continue to see a growing number of attacks targeting critical infrastructures such as healthcare and cyber-physical systems. "
Which industries will face the greatest security challenges in 2021?
“Cybercrime will preferably take place where it can be used to make money. I believe that the healthcare system, for example, will continue to be targeted, as possible system failures here can cause massive consequences and even life-threatening situations. But educational institutions will also increasingly be the target of attacks. "
What changes will the cybersecurity market see overall in 2021?
“The market will begin to adjust to the major and lasting change that COVID-19 has caused in corporate work environments. Security products and architectures will come under increasing pressure to be flexible and functional, to impair users as little as possible, and to work as effectively as possible without conflicting with data protection laws in different regions of the world. "
What are the most important effects of the COVID-19 pandemic on IT security in 2021?
“After the beginning of the pandemic, employees often had to use private devices in the home office and the security of the IT infrastructures was significantly impaired. Zero Trust Network Access concepts will flank traditional network-based VPN access concepts. Ironically, this is a rebirth of the NAC concepts from 15 years ago in a slightly different, more modern guise. Email will continue to be the primary vector of attack. "
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Via Barracuda Networks Striving to make the world a safer place, Barracuda believes that every business should have access to cloud-enabled, enterprise-wide security solutions that are easy to purchase, implement and use. Barracuda protects email, networks, data and applications with innovative solutions that grow and adapt as the customer journey progresses. More than 150.000 companies worldwide trust Barracuda to help them focus on growing their business. For more information, visit www.barracuda.com.