THE year 2022 has shown us that digital transformation and innovation are more essential than ever.
However, these "conveniences" can be a tad expensive, especially with the gold (data) minefields that come with it.
"In 2023, more data and processing will be needed in the real world," said Dell's global chief technology officer, John Roese.
This is because we are very much living on the Internet, with almost everyone, at some point, collecting data from all online activities. This data needs storing.
"It is crucial that modern companies adopt a multi-cloud approach that allows them to have ultimate control over their data and applications, residing wherever it makes the most sense for them," said Roese.
No matter how large or small the collected data is, the providers must store it safely and this costs money, making it among the top chief information officer's priorities this year.
MANAGING AND PROCESSING
Based on statistics shared by IT monitoring industry trends for 2023 by network monitoring firm Paessler, organisations are increasingly turning to the cloud, with 76 per cent of Asia-Pacific businesses planning to increase their cloud services in the next 12 months.
For the same reason, the data centre sector, too, will continue to play a major role in multiple industries and across Southeast Asia and so will the monitoring solutions.
Whether it is in factory floors, hospitals, energy sources or data centres, previously analogue devices and systems that were isolated from the IT world are now generating data compatible with digital systems, expanding the limits to which we can analyse and interpret data.
UPHOLDING DATA SOVEREIGNTY
The stake is high when it comes to data safety. Stanley Hsu, the regional vice-president for Asia of email security firm Mimecast, said 2023 will be a landmark year for cybersecurity.
"High-profile data breaches will continue to hit the headlines in the new year. Disruption is today's villain, and developing cyber-resilience strategies will protect organisations and minimise the impact of successful cyberattacks," added Hsu.
FortiGuard Labs' chief security strategist and vice-president of global threat intelligence, Derek Manky, reiterated Hsu's statement, saying that cyberattacks were getting more advanced.
"They are not just targeting the traditional attack surfaces, but also beneath them, meaning both outside and inside traditional network environments and finding ways to weaponise new technologies at scale to enable more disruption and destruction. At the same time, they are spending more time on reconnaissance to evade detection, intelligence, and controls," explained Manky.
KEEPING IoT IN CHECK
Given the significant rise in data breaches, ransomware attacks, and other cyberattacks on various industries across the world, a renewed focus on improving security in the Internet of Things (IoT) environment needs further strengthening.
The rapid growth of IoT technology adoption and capabilities has skyrocketed over the past few years. By 2025, it is projected that IoT spending in the Asia Pacific will reach US$437 million (RM1.9 billion).
However, one noticeable gap in all of this is the IoT security gap, where any device connected to the Internet is susceptible to some form of cyberattack.
WHAT'S TRENDING
Attackers rely on different sources when targeting organisations such as banks, media assets, or retailers — all frequently affected by DDoS (Distributed Denial of Service) attacks. This type of attack takes advantage of the specific capacity limits that apply to any network resources, such as the infrastructure that enables a company's website.
Cybersecurity company Kaspersky said DDoS attacks on online retailers tend to spike during holiday seasons, when their customers are most active.
"There's also a growing trend of gaming companies gaining scale. The North American data centres of
Final Fantasy XIV
were attacked in early August. Players experienced connection, login, and data-sharing issues. Blizzard's multiplayer games —
Call of Duty, World of Warcraft, Overwatch, Hearthstone,
and
Diablo: Immortal
— were also DDoSed yet again," shared Kaspersky, adding that many DDoS attacks go unreported as the payout amounts are often not very substantial.
THE FUTURE OF DATA
IBM's Paul Burton noted that the only way organisations can keep up with data deluge is to deploy AI.
"You need access to data so that you can leverage it for insights. You need a good data architecture and a sound data fabric, as well as the ability to leverage data, draw inferences and then decisions," he said.
"Successful companies adapt quickly to their environment, learning and growing swiftly. That is 100 per cent based on interpreting and learning from data," he added.