Content Security: Today and Tomorrow

IT professionals have a tough job on their hands. They must stay one step ahead of hackers, malware, spyware, and other types of attacks that are always advancing and changing. Yet the traditional security tools that we currently see may not offer enough protection in the future. The good news is that we should expect to see more automated tools that simplify this process in coming years.

Document Security is an Endless War

Document security is a hot topic at the moment, and many experts are speculating about just what future innovations may actually be necessary. This field has to progress at a steady rate, due to the fact that new security threats are always emerging. Just when you get comfortable with the current risks, it seems like new ones have already come down the pipeline.

Advice from the NSA

Due to the fact that the level of possible attacks is fairly overwhelming for a small company with a limited budget, the Center for Internet Security (CIS) and the National Security Agency (NSA) along with the SANS Institute have issued a report of the 20 Critical Security Controls regarding the controls that are currently most effective at blocking attacks. After all, the goal of security is to make a business run efficiently and safely, not to be so overwhelming that companies cannot function properly.

Preventing Vulnerabilities

In the future, it is clear that there will be an increased need for ways that companies can scan for vulnerabilities. This will help them stay ahead of any current problems before it is too late. Also, we will likely see software that goes on the offensive to analyze attackers and figure out what they are trying to do in advance. This strategy is often referred to as a “cyber kill chain.”

Monitoring Resources

It is important for companies to be on top of all devices including computers, smartphones, and tablets. If a device is ever connected to a network, it must be carefully monitored as it is vulnerable to security threats. Additionally, software on the various devices must also be tracked. It is easy for organizations to lose sight of what software is currently running. Asset tracking tools thus will become more and more necessary in the future to simply and streamline the process.

It is clear that there is a need for services that protect data and analyze potential threats including verifying third parties vendors. In the future, we will expect to see more innovative tools that make this process easy for companies. In particular, we can expect to see tools that are inexpensive and streamlined to enable companies to achieve their safety goals without having to hire an entire IT department.

 

A version of this article was published as The Future of Document Security by John McCormack on August 29th, 2013.