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

As the COVID-19 pandemic brought forward immense change in our world, it forced many businesses to transition to ‘remote work’ scenarios – which brought forth a major surge in Cloud Computing & the Internet of Things (IoT), requiring new technologies to protect the data and assets of the companies deploying them. Cloud computing had been around years prior, but many companies are now utilizing it full-time for production workloads. With this shift, performance & security are imperative to ensure that 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 of the organization’s network. This is a major sway 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 be anywhere, alongside the resources they access. ₍₁₎

The execution of this framework combines advanced technologies, including:

As the use of Artificial Intelligence (AI) & Machine Learning (ML) for cybersecurity has consistently increased in recent years, AI & ML continue to advance and improve our level of security. AI & ML has greatly improved security for the Cloud and IoT, leading a transformational shift to the nature of which cybersecurity threats are now approached, by:

The recent transformation to remote & hybrid work environments has had a positive effect on employee attitudes towards organizational security, according to a recent study conducted ₍₃₎. 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 – creating a culture of awareness as the foundation. This new shift in culture can ultimately reduce the risk of attacks, as a strong security culture (fostered & maintained by all individuals) plays a role that is as equally important as technological controls. ₍₄₎

By 2028, the global video surveillance market is expected to reach a $26.8 billion USD valuation, 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 spurned considerable advancement in this marketspace, 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 that can automatically identify & send real-time alerts for security, or provide valuable insights into their business and offer enhanced capabilities, such as analyzing customer traffic or determining wait times.