The Future Of IT Security

Let’s talk about data security and cyber crime. In most cases, the question on everyone’s mind is, just how much of a problem is it? Unfortunately, it’s a big one. The Web Host Industry Review elaborates: “By 2019 the cost of cybercrime and data breaches will rise to $2.1 trillion dollars, according to a new study released by Juniper Research on Tuesday.” These costs are completely unsettling and enough to seriously threaten major tech-related industries, such as the $363 billion IT consulting industry. Here is a glimpse of how managed IT services are tackling the problem before it gets any worse:

Increasingly Hi-Tech And Secure Solutions

The 1,851,028 people working in the U.S. IT industry and its many subcategories (managed services IT, Web design and hosting, small business Web design, SEO for small businesses, etc.) are developing biometric technology that will eliminate the need for traditional passwords. Of course, the idea behind the evolving technology is that things like fingerprints and eye scans would be entirely unique. Unfortunately, there are ways to lift fingerprints, and IT professionals are still working on ways to secure these new technologies so they will be as fail-proof and safe as they purport to be.

Focusing On All Of The Right Things

There is a lot of talk about hacktivists and political cyber attacks. For the most part, that’s all it is. The 85% of companies who plan on investing more money into IT services should do it with the real threat in mind (i.e., internal threats). The majority of IT software and security should be geared toward preventing internal security breaches or data loss. Similarly, while there are definitely new technologies in the works at all times, several studies show that third party threats generally target more traditional platforms, such as desktops. The idea may be, of course, that most people expect hackers to target mobile devices and newer platforms, leaving desktops without up-to-date security software more vulnerable to attack.

Security threats and data breaches are a big deal — with the potential to cost companies a lot of money. For now, managed IT services are working out the kinks of better technologies (biometrics vs. passwords) and using data to identify the most likely source of IT threats.