The Evolution of Network Technology & Security: How has it helped businesses?

As the COVID-19 pandemic brought forth immense changes in our world, it forced many businesses to transition to ‘remote work’ scenarios. This created a surge in Cloud Computing and the Internet of Things (IoT), requiring new technologies to protect the data and assets of the companies deploying them. Cloud computing has been around for years, but many companies are now utilizing it full-time for production workloads. With this shift, performance and security are imperative to ensure data is not lost, stolen, or modified in the cloud, and that attacks on these resources are prevented.

The emerging security framework dubbed ‘Zero Trust’ requires all users to be authenticated, authorized, and continuously validated for security before being granted or continuing access to applications and data, regardless of whether they are inside or outside the organization’s network. This is a major departure from traditional network security, which automatically trusted users and endpoints within the organization’s perimeter. This new framework assumes there is no ‘traditional’ network edge, as networks can now be in the cloud, local, or a combination of both, as workers can now be anywhere. ₍₁₎

The execution of this framework combines advanced technologies, including:

As the use of Artificial Intelligence (AI) & Machine Learning (ML) for cybersecurity has increased in recent years, it continues to advance and improve security for Cloud and IoT, leading a transformational shift to the nature of how cybersecurity threats are detected, by:

According to a recent study_(3), the transformation to remote and hybrid work environments has had a positive effect on employee attitudes towards organizational security. As human-related causes are responsible for 95% of cybersecurity breaches, organizations are now emphasizing the importance of developing a robust security culture within their workforce through specialized security awareness training. This shift in culture can ultimately reduce the risk of attacks, as a strong security culture, fostered and maintained by all individuals, plays a role equally important as technological controls. ₍₄₎

By 2028, the global video surveillance market is expected to reach $26.8 billion, rising at a 12.3% compound annual growth rate (CAGR). Alongside this, the global Video Surveillance as a Service (VSaas) market is also projected to grow from $4.09 billion in 2022 to $13.16 billion USD by 2029, at a CAGR of 18.2% ₍₅₎.

This rapid growth has spurred considerable advancement in this space, as video surveillance systems were traditionally deployed for security purposes only. Today, however, they are also being used to optimize business operations. Companies across the globe are now seeking AI-powered surveillance systems to automatically identify security threats and send real-time alerts, as well as provide insights into their business in order to offer enhanced capabilities, such as analyzing customer traffic or determining wait times.