Cybersecurity is expected to remain a dominant issue in the information technology (IT) industry this year and will underpin sustained investment in cybersecurity systems by companies, including IT service providers, says network services multinational Aruba South Africa business unit manager Pieter Engelbrecht.

Knowing who and what are on the network, what they are doing and continuously monitor devices and traffic are important priorities to ensure secure processes and networks.

“Enterprises must implement new tools that extend beyond traditional cybersecurity measures, including user and entity behaviour analytics solutions. These identify typical user-behaviour patterns and alert IT teams to abnormal or anomalous behaviour, providing actionable intelligence and real-time protection.”

Simultaneously, a surge in the use of artificial-intelligence-powered analytics and machine learning in networks will support cybersecurity efforts. Smarter networks using this automated intelligence will give network operations teams performance metrics and indicate the potential root cause of problems, providing them with better access to data to identify root causes.

Client Devices

Smart networks are especially important to enable companies to protect client devices and data on their networks from hacks, including of Internet of Things (IoT) networks.

Engelbrecht highlights that there have been several hacks worldwide over the past 18 months, including a domestic security system that was hacked through the camera system, a government agency’s financial systems hacked through its vending machines, and a hotel through its connected thermostat system.

“The cybersecurity of networks and IoT platforms must be monitored by automated intelligence that determines the relevant context of data traffic in these networks and, thereby, is able to identify and control suspect traffic.”

Service providers must focus on securing their changing networks and should also aim to deploy solutions that can provide end-point security.

Aruba’s security analytics solution analyses security patterns and identifies regular users and their use patterns to create profiles. If the use changes, it flags the session as orange or red, depending on the sensitivity of the process or a dramatic change in normal patterns, enabling security teams to react quickly, he says.

Security teams are crucial elements of cybersecurity, he emphasises, and intrinsic to providing business value by using the network intelligence for real-time monitoring and rapid reaction.

“These teams must have the agility and speed to block suspect or high-risk devices and traffic. The integration of systems required to create proper profiles means that the network teams and security teams must work together to deploy effective smart network solutions.”

Aruba also provides training for end-user clients and its channel partners to help ensure that the necessary skills are available in private- and open-network ecosystems, such as cloud and managed services, says Engelbrecht.