2020 has been everything but predictable. We’ve entered a new era and the risks that identity-based attacks pose has transformed business priorities considerably. The ongoing convergence of our two most critical environments – the physical world and the cyber world – is therefore causing industries and individuals alike to reassess how they manage identity – and how they create trust.
Against a backdrop of Zero Trust and a ‘de-perimiterised’ operating environment, safeguarding people, information and technology has become much more complex for security leaders in 2021. Identity has become the new perimeter.
Here’s what our industry experts predict for the year ahead.
1. A time for individual responsibility
Bad actors pose an existential threat to the machinery of society, to the integrity of our business operations, and to our personal privacy. It’s time to take individual responsibility for how we behave to improve our own security and risk posture, whether at work, or in general.
My prediction for 2021 is that more of us will stop to think about where, and with who we share our information. We will ask more questions about encryption, storage of data, the right of consent, and the right to be forgotten. Our need for security will increase, but so will our desire for convenience and experience. No compromise, no trade off.
In doing so, we will build strong and resilient communities that prioritise the user.
Blair Crawford, Founder & Managing Director
2. Better technology will move us forward
2020 gave organisations a harsh wakeup call: they are completely reliant on digital tools to ensure sustainable, uninterrupted operations and business agility.
Building trust relies on various layers, from individual behaviour and organisational governance to technical measures. And unfortunately many efficient and innovative security technologies that have been designed in recent years still lack comprehensive system integration.
In 2021, therefore, usability and unity will be strong factors guiding the selection of security and identity solutions. In addition, with the limits and risks of security and privacy by design based only on policy and processes, those enforcing the rules by solid technical means will move ahead.
Julien Bringer, Chief Technical Security Officer
3. 2021 will be a game of two halves
Cybercriminals will always target the weakest link and launch attacks that exploit poor cyber hygiene. We saw this in 2020 when employees suddenly became remote workers complying with stay-at-home orders, and their use of technology and devices shifted.
As we enter 2021, organisations are still playing catch up to operate in the new world – a world of de-perimeterisation. For me, while the shift to secure the new world is underway, many are still not at the level of security required to keep breaches from the front or back doors. Organisations need to again accelerate their approach to cyber security and ensure they build a strong foundation to bring home a few wins in the second half of the year.
Michael Warnock, Commercial Director
4. Users expect more, meaning organisations must lift their game
2020 drove unexpected changes for businesses and people. We all had to find new ways to stay connected in our digital lives, whether it be at home or at work. By doing so, we as individuals have come to realise hackers are not just looking to steal our credit cards or mess with our IT systems for ransom money. Society has come to a point where the need the privacy, or should I say the right for privacy, prevails above all else.
This year I expect to see a dramatic change in people’s awareness about their digital footprint, which in turn will lead organisations to accelerate their move to a more strategic approach to identity management.
Audrey Jacquemart, Director, Product and Solution Engineering
