Cybersecurity Outlook for 2022: Four Trends to Drive the Protection of Online Systems

During the past year, it has been commonplace for organizations across the globe to face increasing cyber threats. No business is immune. In fact, Gartner reports that, by 2025, 70% of CEOs will mandate a culture of organizational resilience to combat threats from cybercrime, as well as severe weather events, civil unrest and political instability.

It is no surprise why more organizations are prioritizing cybersecurity. The ever-growing network of connected devices, many with insufficient security measures, has opened the door to a wide variety of potential risks. Multiple events have demonstrated that every business segment can face a threat, and more sophisticated hackers and attacks are emerging daily.

Cybersecurity risks also expand as teleworking and online video conferencing adds vulnerabilities that can be exploited. Of course, technology providers continue to keep a laser focus on keeping cyber threats at bay to ensure a secure user experience, but it is an ongoing challenge, and everyone must be vigilant. Here are four considerations and priorities likely to drive cybersecurity in the coming year.

Secure Data Transmission and Communications

Significant product development efforts have gone into leveraging the advantages of cloud services and networking technologies. Disruptive innovations like the cloud carry considerable potential and offer substantial benefits for customers, like user convenience and higher levels of accessibility. At the same time, though, cloud services must be secure, and this is made possible by a growing set of tools and features that maintain the utmost cybersecurity protection.

These developments have spurred new, security-focused product development processes centered around Dev(Sec)Ops. This process ensures that services and systems within cloud architecture are constantly monitored for performance and availability, using fully automated tests and latest-generation artificial intelligence (AI) technologies. This “monitoring” allows engineers to take proactive action against possible problems.

Securing the IoT

Another area where the security of connectivity and networking comes to the forefront is the effective integration of individual devices into Internet of Things (IoT) environments. This will enable devices like next-generation intercom stations and modules to interact intelligently with other devices in the same IoT domain. These interactions will make possible new methods of automation in applications from building management to smart cities by integrating seamlessly with barrier gates, information terminals, security equipment, and the like to allow for situation-specific control and communication. To enable all of this, it is essential to elevate device hardening and cybersecurity efforts.

Artificial Intelligence

AI and machine learning algorithms, controls, and tools have opened another avenue for further improvement of solutions. For example, voice assistant solutions will rely heavily on AI technology to answer common user questions. AI and machine learning also serve as the basis for future developments in voice recognition as a means of authentication and distinguishing between regular and distress calls. As far as cybersecurity is concerned, intelligent methods will be highly valuable in detecting irregular or suspicious system access or behavior anomalies automatically.

Multifactor Authentication

In the days of rapidly expanding cloud environments and growing AI-driven cyberattack arsenals, logins alone will no longer suffice. Authentication factors to complement the user’s login credentials include push-based authentication via mobile phone, security tokens for randomly generated passcodes, device certificates, QR codes, biometric scans, and more. As a result, multifactor authentication finds its way into an intercom, security device, and unified communication system. As the technology progresses, product development efforts will continue to find new ways to keep data and communications under lock and key.

Looking Ahead

For end users, the term “security” no longer just means protecting access to a building; it also involves securing corporate networks and sensitive data. Businesses are much more focused on evolving IT and cyber threats, a growing paradigm that challenges leaders to stay one step ahead of risk trends to ensure business continuity.

An ongoing dialogue between enterprise security teams, product vendors, and integration partners is necessary to gain more extensive knowledge of how best to mitigate cyber threats.

Stakeholders must continue to communicate to assist each other in identifying vulnerabilities more proactively and addressing them before a breach can occur.

Tom Reilly (t.reilly@commendusa.com) is the president of Commend Americas (commendusa.com).