Emerging Technology Can Leave Businesses More Exposed to Cyber Attacks

Companies are operating in one of the most innovative eras in history, with worldwide IT spending projected to hit a staggering $3.25 trillion in 2023, according to the International Data Corporation (IDC). While technologies like AI, 5G and IoT prove game-changing to enterprises, they are also expanding the attack surface for cybercrime. 

On average, security teams have to manage and secure nearly 400,000 assets at any given time, 60% of which originate from the cloud, according to JupiterOne. This ballooning of assets, and the vulnerabilities they bring, comes at a time when the cybersecurity industry is reaching worldwide burnout. There is a global shortage of 3.4 million cybersecurity jobs, according to the 2022 (ISC)2 Cybersecurity Workforce Study. Two-thirds of security teams say they are understaffed, with another two-thirds reporting they have unfilled vacancies. 

With existing teams taking on a larger workload with smaller staff, it’s imperative that the security tools they use are as efficient as possible, doing double-time on their behalf.

Emerging technologies are making businesses increasingly flexible, and more reliant on devices—McKinsey estimates that 50 billion devices will be connected to the Internet of Things (IoT) by 2025. But for companies that don’t have their cloud assets under control, this can spell trouble. Devices are one of the most vulnerable asset classes for security teams to manage, representing 96% of critical security findings. They are also a primary target for bad actors. In 2021, 25% of organizations that suffered a cyber attack said the attack targeted a mobile device, according to Forrester.

“Whether you adopt new AI or ML models into your business strategy, you need to make sure you set up the right security framework so you feel confident making some of those bigger bets without bringing too much risk into your environment,” says Lauren Miskelly, Managing Director at Chrome Enterprise.

A centralized control panel that allows teams to view and manage their expanding cloud assets is the backbone of a good security framework. Chrome Browser Cloud Management provides a single console to empower IT with greater visibility and control over their organization’s cloud environment.

Visibility is only the first step in helping IT teams get a handle on the growing number of assets they need to manage. The next is improving efficiency to alleviate some of the burden faced by overtaxed security personnel. 

Chrome Enterprise uses AI and ML to provide browser-based threat detection and data protection capabilities that proactively address many of the biggest pain points that security teams face. Chrome’s built-in security features prohibit malware transfers, block users from visiting phishing URLs and prevent leakage of sensitive data, providing a first line of defense that frees up infosec teams. 

“We wanted to give IT something that’s really important to them—visibility and control—without adding a bunch more work to their already busy plates,” says Miskelly.