As the new year begins we tend to reflect on the happenings of the past year and how these events will help shape the coming year. In a few words, I’ll take a look back at some of the security issues faced in 2011 and how they will impact data security issues in 2012.
Mobile data breaches were common in 2011. Phone hacking in particular seemed to be prevalent – from the scandal that brought down the UK’s News of the World, to Scarlett Johansson phone hacks that resulted in embarrassing photos being leaked on the Internet. While these were hacks that effected people personally, I think they serve as evidence that businesses should take better precautions to protect sensitive company data on their mobile devices. For starters, people should avoid syncing their smart mobile devices to free or unsecure email services.
Not only in mobile but across the board, new devices and technology innovations do not necessarily translate to better data security. The most persistent danger for businesses is the perception that the latest devices are the most secure. For example, many consumers seem to believe that the newest iPhone should be secure and that by keeping up with the upgrade cycle their private data will remain safe. Unfortunately, there is no real correlation between the newness or coolness of a device and the security of your email and other data on the device.
Critical infrastructure and SCADA attacks will continue as the prospect of wreaking havoc in the physical world through cyber-attacks continues to draw hackers’ interests in 2012.
Finally, in 2012 cloud providers and MSPs will begin to grasp the need for improved security technologies and auditability. These providers are in a position to make tremendous revenue gains as they start to better meet customer demands by reducing costs and improving security. The added expertise and economies of scale that large cloud vendors can bring to both SMB and large businesses could be a big win-win – especially if these vendors can demonstrate that their security is equal to or better than the safeguards inside of clients’ own data centers.
While I expect 2012 to be the year that more cloud service providers step up to the challenge, I anticipate that Google’s opaque security policies could prompt a noticeable swing away from their hosted SAAS services. I think you’ll see more business customers move to other providers that offer documented reliability, security, and transparency along with responsive customer service.
What do you think will be the biggest issues facing data security in 2012? What solutions to you think will be most effective in preventing these issues? Share your thoughts on the blog. You can also follow me on Twitter: @liebsoft or connect with me via LinkedIn.
