Top Cybersecurity News Stories From October 2024
The cybersecurity industry is changing fast. And there’s no indication that it’ll be slowing down anytime soon.
Security experts expect global governments to continue setting cyber legislation. Customers are demanding more protection for their systems as threats evolve and become more sophisticated. And security vendors are stepping up with new solutions to meet these demands.
As attacks get more serious and security tech evolves, everyone — whether governments, businesses, or vendors — must keep up.
This month's news features advice from cybersecurity experts about:
- How the upcoming U.S. election could impact security policy and legislation
- The dramatic changes to the microsegmentation market in the last two years
- Why MSPs are the future of cybersecurity and how vendors can get onboard
U.S. election 2024: Preparing for potential federal tech policy changes
In the new episode of Information Week’s That DOS Won’t Hunt podcast, Beyond the Election (Part 1): Tech Directive, Illumio Public Sector CTO Gary Barlet sat down with other federal government technology leaders. They discussed their expectations for how tech policy and legislation may change or evolve under a new administration.
For cybersecurity policy, Barlet expects that a Zero Trust architecture will continue to be crucial to government agencies’ security strategies. “Agencies need to focus on not just building walls but understanding that breaches will happen and they need to minimize the damage," he said.
He expects federal security to continue to focus on Zero Trust strategies. This aligns with existing Zero Trust guidance, including CISA’s Zero Trust Maturity Model, Executive Order 14028, and the Department of Defense (DoD) Zero Trust Strategy.
He also sees a greater emphasis on microsegmentation which is a foundational pillar to any Zero Trust strategy.
“Microsegmentation is like giving every room in a house its own lock and key,” he said. He noted that this approach is crucial for protecting sensitive information, especially in federal agencies that handle classified data.
Microsegmentation allows organizations to divide their networks into smaller parts. This makes it much harder for attackers to move laterally. In other words, it stops them from moving freely within the network. Segmentation is already part of several federal Zero Trust guidelines.
But Barlet emphasized that this kind of modern security is best done with collaboration between the private and public sectors.
"Cybersecurity is a team effort,” he explained. “Sharing threat intelligence and best practices can help everyone improve their defenses.”
According to Barlet, partnerships between government and private companies are essential for federal agencies to stay ahead of emerging threats and build a stronger security posture across industries.
Get more info on how Illumio secures government agencies.
Microsegmentation: The market has changed dramatically in the past 2 years
The microsegmentation market has made major strides in the last few years. The latest Forrester Wave for Microsegmentation Solutions, Q3 2024 report shows just how much vendors and their offerings have evolved.
Bank Info Security’s Michael Novinson featured Forrester’s findings in his article, Illumio, ColorTokens, Cisco Lead Microsegmentation Rankings.
One of the most significant changes from two years ago is Illumio’s evolution as a microsegmentation leader. Moving from second to first place in this year’s report, Illumio outperformed its competitors in both the strength of its current offering and its overall strategy.
According to Forrester, Illumio’s focus on Zero Trust principles and its ability to provide granular control at the workload level have helped organizations across every size, geography, and industry build Zero Trust and strengthen their cyber resilience.
One of the biggest highlights for Illumio is the development of its agentless microsegmentation solution Illumio CloudSecure. Illumio CEO Andrew Rubin explained that Illumio spent two years creating an agentless solution to contain breaches in cloud environments.
CloudSecure allows companies to scale visibility and breach containment without the need to install agents on individual devices. This offers a much more efficient way to secure cloud workloads. It also means organizations can now build Illumio Zero Trust Segmentation across their entire hybrid multi-cloud, including data centers, endpoints, and cloud environments, from one platform.
Illumio's progress in microsegmentation shows its dedication to improving cybersecurity for today's hybrid, multi-cloud systems. With new tools like CloudSecure, Illumio is helping companies build strong Zero Trust security and protect against the next potential breach.
Download the Forrester Wave for Microsegmentation Solutions, Q3 2024 now.
MSPs are the future of cybersecurity — and how vendors can be part of the change
Computer Weekly’s Billy MacInnes recently sat down with Todd Palmer, senior vice president of global partner sales and alliances at Illumio, to discuss the growing role of managed service providers (MSPs) in the tech industry, specifically in cybersecurity. MacInnes shared Palmer’s thoughts in the article, Reasons why MSPs are the future.
According to Palmer, businesses are increasingly relying on MSPs to handle complex cybersecurity challenges. “MSPs offer the expertise, flexibility, and cost-effectiveness that businesses require to stay competitive,” he explained.
As technology evolves, the role of MSPs in helping businesses navigate these changes will only become more critical. Palmer highlighted that MSPs are not just filling the global cybersecurity talent gap but are also essential for helping companies tackle sophisticated threats.
“Their role as strategic partners in the technology ecosystem will become more critical as technology evolves to match the dynamic nature of bad actors.” This is especially important as businesses face increasing cybersecurity demands. MSPs provide the scalable services they need to stay protected.
But Palmer also acknowledged the challenges MSPs face, particularly when it comes to vendor relationships. He pointed out that vendors must go beyond offering just great products to earn MSP loyalty. In his opinion, MSPs value vendors who understand their business models and are willing to collaborate on long-term growth strategies.
“MSPs are looking for a teammate in their long-term business, not a partner on a single opportunity,” he said. “It’s incumbent upon vendors to make intentional investments in building true partnerships by providing consistent, high-quality support, transparent and flexible pricing models, and co-marketing opportunities.”
So what’s next for MSPs and vendors? Palmer suggests that vendors focus on building meaningful, mutually beneficial partnerships with MSPs to support their long-term success.
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