Survey after survey of cybersecurity and IT professionals echo the fact that breaches are becoming more difficult to defeat, digital risk management is ever-trickier, and the cyberthreat landscape is growing. Even just a couple of years ago, a strong security posture was easier to attain and maintain. Why is cybersecurity and breach protection so tough?

PROBLEMATIC SECURITY POSTURE

Many factors are contributing to the scary security challenges facing organizations of all sizes. From cybersecurity professional shortages to increased hacker creativity, companies are in an uphill battle to remain breach-free. Current cybersecurity considerations include:

• Growing attack surface and new vectors. The reality is that IT simply has more to protect than they have in the past: more sensitive data, more devices, and greater interconnectivity (think Internet of Things and cloud computing).
• More work with fewer people. It’s no secret that there are not enough skilled cybersecurity professionals to go around. And to make matters worse, IT workloads are always increasing (see the previous bullet).
• Threat sophistication. Attacks are now supercharged thanks to artificial intelligence (AI), machine learning, and ultra-customized phishing attacks.
• The needs of the business. With regulatory pressure coming from all angles, many on the business side of the company are asking for additional breach risk analyses and vulnerability management reports, again increasing the workload of cybersecurity staff.

So what can security-conscious companies do to overcome these challenges and keep their data and devices secure?

HOW TO STAY ON TARGET

Faced with the dangerous cyber threatscape of today, companies can easily become overwhelmed and begin to let security waiver—making it all the more difficult to prevent and beat a breach. Long-time security experts cite a security approach that makes strong security attainable through methods both new and old. For example, thorough inventories and ongoing cybersecurity training paired with biometrics, AI, and machine learning solutions create an elastic defense approach that can quickly adapt to the cybersecurity challenges of today.