Visibility, reduction in the number of security tools and more reports with concrete practical knowledge, some of the keys to increasing the level of defense of today’s organizations
Today’s IT ecosystems are characterized by their complexity and diversity, with an average use, according to Gartner, of 16 different security tools in each company, which makes the work of cybersecurity professionals extremely difficult.
At the same time, the number of vulnerabilities continues to rise, but according to an analysis by the experts at Qualys, Inc . (NASDAQ: QLYS ), a pioneer and leading provider of cloud-based security and compliance solutions, while vulnerabilities to date number in the hundreds of thousands (over 185,000 reported to date), in practice cyber attackers they are only being able to exploit two vulnerabilities out of a thousand . In this convulsive context, where numerical data alarms, but will not always correspond to real business risks, these are the 4 key trends that Qualys experts prioritize to improve the effectiveness of cybersecurity today:
- From the observation of vulnerabilities to the observation of risks
With the figure of the security manager or CISO increasingly present in the governing bodies of organizations, it is more than ever necessary to transfer clear and concise information about real business risks to these higher levels. “Speaking in terms of attack vectors and listing vulnerabilities or scoring systems is not the right strategy”, points out Sergio Pedroche, country manager of Qualys for Spain and Portugal. “It is essential that all data is analyzed from a risk-focused perspective that provides a clearer picture of the real threat landscape.”
- Visibility as a starting point
Threat assessment is impossible without comprehensive visibility, and this is an arduous but critical task in today’s complex IT environments. Seeing each element, listing it and quantifying its vulnerabilities will therefore be the first step that will allow organizations to prioritize threats more effectively.
- Reducing the number of disparate security tools
Today’s disparate security tools often work in silos. Trends point toward consolidation into a unified platform that offers automation capabilities for risk monitoring, detection, and remediation so that security teams can take the next important step toward risk management. Because precisely from these platforms comes the actionable intelligence that allows teams to reduce risk and improve compliance, as required by each particular business.
- Reports that provide concrete actionable insights
The unified platform will offer a wide variety of automated reporting and dashboard options. Breaking with tradition, modern security reporting provides concise, risk-defined metrics that account for specific business requirements, as well as industry standards, benchmarks, best practices, and regulatory frameworks.
“Different organizations will have different compliance needs – what constitutes a high risk for one business may mean nothing to another – and the task of today’s CISO is, more than ever, to filter out the insignificant and protect the critical, complying with standards. without affecting the agility of the business”, highlights Pedroche. According to Qualys experts, the conclusion for decision-makers in the field of security is clear today: the business considers risk from the point of view of potential damage instead of probability of occurrence. 2022 is therefore being a year where awareness is increasing in this regard and security professionals are increasingly adjusting their posture against threats, so that both strategies are aligned.