At this year’s Microsoft South Coast Summit, Atech’s Cybersecurity Architect, Nathan Warren gave an illuminating keynote address on the future of enterprise security. His predictions are based on PESTLE analysis, (i.e., the investigation of political, economic, social, and technological variables) conducted by the European Union Agency for Cybersecurity (ENISA). To see more details of the findings, check out this Cybersecurity Threats Fast-Forward 2030 report.

The analysis is designed to help enterprises plan for a number of cybersecurity scenarios that could potentially have devastating implications for businesses of all sizes. For example, digital warfare could effectively shut down entire industries worldwide.

While this report uncovers some inconceivable and frightening scenarios (by today’s standards), it’s an Security Operation Centre (SOC) team’s job to look ahead at all potential threats to help them safeguard IT systems. At Atech, our managed security services offer total reassurance through future-proof solutions. We pride ourselves on going above and beyond for our customers, including obtaining advanced-level qualifications in Microsoft Security, Identity, Endpoint Management, and more.

This article will outline some critical messages from Nathan’s presentation, ‘Securing your Enterprise for 2030 by the End of 2023.’

Four Scenarios for 2030

Nathan opened his keynote address by highlighting four possible predictions for the world of IT over the next decade, including;

Golden Cage

In this scenario, ENISA predicts that advanced cyber attacks and disinformation campaigns will continue to blight democracy and elections. As a response, Nathan believes governments may become more authoritarian and increase levels of digital surveillance on their electorates.

In essence, nation-states may seek to create ‘golden cages’ made up of intelligent firewalls. Here, governments can heavily manage communications between citizens and shut out data sharing with nations it deems ‘hostile.’ Cybersecurity threats in the Golden Cage are heightened by political unrest in ‘rival’ nations. So, continual development of enterprise security will become increasingly necessary.

Protect Yourself

Cybersecurity threats are expected to become more personal over the years ahead, so protecting your online identity will become essential. From an enterprise security perspective, there may be more targeted attacks on smart devices – especially those used in BYOD working capacity.

Advanced hybrid threats could also emerge from human error, vulnerabilities in physical spaces and systems (such as RFID keys falling into the wrong hands), supply chain software failures, and more. Investing in continual network surveillance will become a priority for all businesses.

However, Nathan noted that SMEs may be unable to keep up with the continual investments required to keep their security infrastructure up-to-date. Therefore, governments may face increased demands to implement tighter security regulations and support initiatives that help businesses stay open and safe from cybercriminals.

Cyber Darwinism

With the idea of ‘protecting yourself’ and your organisation becoming more prevalent in the future, some businesses, industries, and governments may need to intervene to keep ahead of hackers. In the ‘Cyber Darwinism’ scenario, Nathan explained how the failures of governments to create safe and prosperous business environments would result in companies moving to nations that offer better controls.

Furthermore, the increased development of ‘golden cage’ information silos could result in many ‘failed cyber states’ being created – where digital firewalls are inadequate and cyber crime becomes rife.

Cyber Oligarchy

Following on from the idea of lesser and greater protected states, ‘Cyber Oligarchies’ could emerge. Here, criminals operate in unregulated landscapes, buying off governments and effectively controlling all digital commerce in that jurisdiction.

In addition, the total adoption of automation could render billions of people unemployed, causing widespread panic and disruption of global supply chains. Misuse of AI could also become common as artificial intelligence becomes more advanced. Warring nations and would-be oligarchs could exploit digital resources using AI systems, leaving no digital trace and attacking millions of endpoints simultaneously.

Fundamentally, Nathan believes the concerns for the future of cybersecurity are incredibly valid. However, he also noted that planning for a safer digital future is a team effort and hinges on society’s ability to work together to put the suitable regulations and technologies in place to prevent and combat threats to all citizens worldwide.

Tips for Securing your Enterprise IT by the end of 2023

In the second part of the South Coast Summit presentation, Nathan advised IT teams on shoring up their systems against the evolving threat landscape. He recommended that event attendees go to their company bosses and start building the case for increased security investment in the following areas:

Internet of Things (IoT) and Operational Technology (OT) Governance

Many companies mistakenly believe they are not utilising IoT in their organisations. However, if you use RFID chips to open doors on your premises, or other types of OT/IoT, you must implement toolsets and establish strong governance policies for your business.

Network Access Control

By the end of 2023, aim to extend Zero Trust architecture to all areas of your organisation, including home devices that can access your workplace systems.

Cloud Security Posture Management (CSPM)

Ensure that your Cloud Security Posture Management (CSPM) solution is enforceable at all times. Periodic audits will no longer cut it in the emerging threat landscape.

24/7 SIEM-Powered SOC

Similarly, monitoring incidents in the security portal is no longer enough to protect your IT infrastructure. Managed security services SOC present the best solution for 24/7 security.

Security developments in the pipeline for 2030

To conclude the presentation, Nathan identified emerging SOC technologies that could become mainstream over the next decade. These include;

AI/Intelligent Firewalls

Intelligent detection engines use AI and ML to remove the labour-intensive aspects of firewall threat handling.

Decentralised Identity

Digital ID controls could become decentralised, allowing people to own and control their digital identities for more privacy and peace of mind.

Atech stays at the cutting-edge of SOC technologies and methodologies

At Atech, our number one goal is to start at the bleeding edge of cybersecurity. We want to help people and companies factor in the business-critical security requirements they’ll need in five years now. In a state of constant improvement (and improvisation), by working together with partners of all sizes, we’ll all be able to stay safe regardless of which scenarios play out in 2030.

If you want to learn more about our managed security services SOC, built on advanced Microsoft capabilities, please don’t hesitate to contact us.