[Fueled] How Digital Transformation is Influencing Information Security in 2019

Digital transformation—which encompasses such technologies as the Internet of Things (IoT), big data analytics, blockchain, software robots, cloud computing and mobile apps—is changing the way businesses and people work. It also presents significant challenges to protect information and guard against emerging cybersecurity threats. A digital transformation consultancy works with companies to address these risks and attain the highest levels of information security proactively, before potential data breaches happen.

In 2019, here’s what you need to think about how digital transformation influences information security.

Everything is Interconnected, Everything is a Potential Risk

The more things that are connected, the more people who interact with those things need to be aware of security risks. “Countless attacks originating in cyberspace have shown that all employees are potential targets…every member of staff represents a potential gateway to an organization’s IT infrastructure,” notes Dr. Andreas Wenger of the Center for Security Studies in an interview with Crypto Magazine. 

The implications of this are twofold. Everyone in an organization, as well as everyone outside the organization that interacts with it, needs to be made aware of and perform information security best practices. “Always include training as a main part of your IT budget,” Susan Villaquiral, chief information security officer at Fundación Valle Del Lili, recommends.

More importantly, each and every one of the applications they use must have the highest levels of embedded security. Because, well, people are typically the most vulnerable part of the chain. As Justin Somani, Global CSO of SAO explains in MIT Technology Review, “The idea is to build in security, rather than ask users to opt in. That’s one of the hallmarks of being more proactive in securing data: protection is the default posture.”

Automated Security That Focuses on Potential Threat Sources

But just as people and systems are more intertwined in digital transformation, the apps used need to be integrated into an holistic information security network. Yorim Salinger, CEO of cybersecurity service Perception Point, writing in Tech Radar suggests that organizations are overly focused on the potential threat (i.e., the malware) when they should be looking at the anomalous activities (i.e., anything that deviates from standard behaviors) performed by the sources generating the threats. “By keeping an eye on those vectors for anomalous activities, companies can defend themselves against any threat..An automated security system that examines anomalies in a holistic manner across channels can catch malware even before it raises its ugly head. With a system like that, companies no longer have to cross their fingers hoping that no [malignant] file that comes in…is a potential system killer…Digital transformation requires cybersecurity transformation—and by moving to a holistic and automated security solution, companies will be able to take full advantage of digital transformation.”