Rising cyberthreats spur local businesses to embrace AI and cloud security
September 2023
IT in Manufacturing
By Dylan Cairns, marketing manager for Partner Acquisition in the UK and EMEA at Redstor.
With the cybersecurity landscape continually evolving, it is more important than ever for local businesses to keep pace with the changes. The increasing prevalence of threats like phishing, business email compromise (BEC), and ransomware underscores the need for innovative solutions that span both virtual and physical realms.
Furthermore, physical security technology is no longer confined to conventional devices. The advent of smart security is transforming the way we protect assets. Cameras, beams, motion detectors, and sensors are now imbued with artificial intelligence (AI) and machine learning capabilities. These technologies analyse real-time threats, offering predictive insights and playing a proactive role in securing premises. Far from simply recording incidents, they are helping to prevent them, becoming an essential part of businesses’ defence strategy.
Rethinking the approach
However, the journey to comprehensive security is not solely about hardware. It requires the intelligent use of cloud technology for data protection. The arrival of major multinational cloud data centres, such as Amazon Web Services, Microsoft Azure, Google and Oracle in South Africa provides significant opportunities for local companies to leverage cutting-edge technologies and expand their digital capabilities with more sophisticated cybersecurity solutions.
Beyond the well-known cloud benefits of cost efficiency and agility, organisations have the ability to access data securely from any location and any device. Of course, that does not mean they can only rely on their cloud services provider to keep their data safe. The shared responsibility model sees them still needing to secure the pathways of their data getting to the cloud, and strengthening the defences of employee endpoint devices.
Specialised thinking
Cloud security providers offer businesses access to specialised security teams dedicated to safeguarding cloud infrastructure. Equipped with the latest security technologies and protocols, these teams are pivotal in protecting against potential threats. One of the strengths of the cloud is how it can scale. This can be translated into the security environment, and to support the evolving needs of businesses.
Another advantage of going the cloud security route is being able to have real-time access to security logs and alerts. This empowers organisational IT teams with the means to quickly identify and respond to potential security threats. This feature also helps organisations to be compliant with industry regulations and standards like GDPR, HIPAA and POPIA.
The incorporation of smart physical security devices and robust cloud security measures is vital for organisations navigating today’s cybersecurity landscape. The integration of these once disparate security approaches provides modern organisations with the means to mitigate risk – both digitally and physically. The focus for modern organisations is therefore to become more proactive around their security stance by embracing advanced technologies.
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