Zeroing in on Gartner’s top cybersecurity trends

A few months ago, Gartner—the world’s leading information technology research and advisory company—came out with the top seven cybersecurity trends to look out for in 2022. But as the end of the year approaches, we can confidently say that these trends have played out in major ways. And they’re not going anywhere anytime soon.

The thing is, hybrid work and digital business processes in the cloud have introduced new risks. At the same time, sophisticated ransomware, attacks on the digital supply chain and deeply embedded vulnerabilities have exposed some major security gaps. 

The good news is companies that understand these seven trends will be better positioned to address new risks and elevate their role—but it requires reframing the security practice, rethinking technology and preparing to respond to new threats.

We’ll help you do just that. 

Image credit: Gartner’s Top Trends in Cybersecurity 2022 

Three trends that equal 100% convergence

Trend No. 1: Attack surface expansion

According to Gartner, 60% of knowledge workers are remote, and at least 18% won’t return to the office. When you add our current use of public cloud, highly connected supply chains and use of cyber-physical systems to this changing workforce model, you get a perfect recipe for organizational threat vulnerability. To manage a wider set of risks, security leaders should look beyond traditional approaches to security monitoring, detection and response.

In other words, we need to be looking past just IT. The hybrid work model means people are accessing both your buildings and your digital files, so converging your physical security, IT, OT and HR systems is key to securing your whole enterprise and managing things more effectively.

Trend No. 2: Identity system defense

Heads up: Identity systems are coming under sustained attack. According to Gartner, misuse of credentials is now a primary method that attackers use to access systems.

But identity isn’t just digital and shouldn’t be thought of as such. It needs to be converged into the physical realm. To put it in perspective, you can manage the complete identity lifecycle from onboarding to off-boarding for your employees and contractors, and tie it directly to access governance for IT, physical and OT workspaces. Automated workflows allow physical security and IT department managers to quickly approve or deny access requests while actively enforcing company policies and meeting compliance regulations. 

Trend No. 7: Beyond awareness 

Trust no one, validate everyone. That’s the basis of trend number 7, which talks about human error and how it continues to be a major factor in most data breaches. Gartner discusses how traditional approaches to security awareness training are ineffective, and how progressive organizations are investing in holistic behavior and culture change programs designed to provoke more secure ways of working. 

The thing is, insider risk typically isn’t malicious. We’re all humans, and humans make errors. But these errors can cost companies millions of dollars and lead to stolen proprietary information. Insider threat, on the other hand, is considered malicious, which is why regular risk assessments are vital. Automated cyber-physical identity and access management technology can provide scheduled access reviews to help detect high-risk user profiles.

Improving visibility into user activity and taking a more preventive approach are the key ways to manage both insider risk and insider threat. Considered a best practice by security leaders around the world, policy-based access control (PBAC) reinvents your current Physical Access Control System to authorize access to buildings and physical spaces, only when people need them – a true zero trust model. 

2023, we’re looking at you…

As we head into the last quarter of the year, we can’t help but wonder how much the security landscape will change in just the next year alone. But working towards cyber-physical convergence is always a safe path to stay on. And you don’t have to go at it alone; our team is right there to guide you every step of the way. Contact us to see how we can help you improve your security posture and equip your toolbox with the latest tips and tricks. 

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David Cassady

Chief Strategy Officer

David Cassady has been selling and leading teams in Silicon Valley for more than 30 years. During that time, he’s led a mix of established software players and startups. Cassady has also been involved with five IPOs — and at least as many acquisitions. 

As Chief Strategy Officer, David leverages his extensive experience helping software businesses drive growth through deep and impactful partnerships with the world’s most successful SaaS providers like ServiceNow, Microsoft and SAP. 

Mark Weatherford

Chief Security Officer
Senior Vice President, Regulated Industries

Mark Weatherford brings years of high-level cyber-physical expertise to AlertEnterprise, and as Chief Security Officer (CSO), he guides the strategy of data management and protection by advising cyber-physical security policies and procedures within the company. Weatherford also works in liaison with businesses and executive professionals in the cyber and physical security industries to further accelerate security convergence adoption.

Mark has held numerous high-level cyber-centric positions, including Vice President and Chief Security Officer at the North American Electric Reliability Corporation (NERC), the Department of Homeland Security’s first Deputy Under Secretary for Cybersecurity under the Obama administration, California’s first Chief Security Officer, and the first CISO for the state of Colorado.

Harsh Chauhan

Chief Technology Officer

As Chief Technology Officer (CTO) of AlertEnterprise, Harsh Chauhan is responsible for the company’s engineering technology innovation and solution delivery. A 20-year technology veteran and leader, Chauhan is focused on the growth of the company’s 3D Governance Risk Compliance (GRC) hyperscale cloud platform.

He also continues to develop integrated solutions with leading technology partners like SAP, SAP NS2, and ServiceNow. Before AlertEnterprise, Mr. Chauhan held multiple CTO positions, as well as Product Owner and Head of Development at SAP GRC 10.0, delivering targeted solutions to high-profile SAP clients.

Ruby Deol

Chief Operations Officer

Ruby Deol oversees all business units at AlertEnterprise. With more than 20 years of experience in global sales and support services, Deol nurtures existing client relationships with a customer-first approach. As AlertEnterprise continues to grow in industry recognition and stature, Deol is charged with developing and implementing methods to meet organization goals and facilitate the company’s ongoing transformation.

Kaval Kaur

CFO and Co-Founder

As Chief Financial Officer (CFO) and Co-Founder of AlertEnterprise, Kaval Kaur leads all finance and administrative back-office operations. Kaur is a member of the national professional organization American Institute of Certified Public Accountants (AICPA) and the California State CPA Society.

Prior to joining AlertEnterprise, she was the CFO and Co-Founder of Virsa Systems, a position she held until its acquisition by SAP.

Kaur is a philanthropist at heart, embracing the diversity of the San Francisco Bay area by assisting with and promoting special cultural events. She recently sponsored 2,000 public schools in rural India to advance computer literacy skills for children and is a foster mother to a 10 year old.

Jasvir Gill

Founder and CEO

Leading the charge of digital transformation and security convergence is Jasvir Gill, Founder and CEO of AlertEnterprise, Inc. An accomplished engineer by trade, Gill is driving the long-overdue digital transformation of the physical security industry.

Prior to launching AlertEnterprise, Gill was the founder and CEO of Virsa Systems, where he grew the company into a global leader of application security software. An early pioneer in establishing governance, risk and compliance as a software market segment, he drove exponential growth at Virsa, facilitating its acquisition by SAP in 2006.

In his free time, Jasvir helps drive social and economic empowerment in the community. He’s also a trustee at the American India Foundation.