< PreviousSecurity breaches cost more than just money. Investing in data security today prevents long- term negative consequences that cost your business time, money and reputation. Acquiring threat intelligence data is a primary step in preventing cyberattacks and web scraping is the method of choice for modern data-driven businesses. Andrius Palioni VP of X Sales Oxylabs DATA SECURITY www.networkseuropemagazine.com 40 Your business thrives on data and it must be protected. Business and personal activities are increasingly being digitised. Whether you are simply taking your temperature with a connected thermometer or sending products across complex supply chains, enterprises continuously collect data to improve services and refine operational processes. Businesses are always looking for more ways to obtain quality data - whether it is from their own operations, gathered from the internet, or purchased from a third party. In turn, skyrocketing demand has piqued the interest of some less-than- benevolent entities. Why Data Security is No Longer Optional (And How to Start)DATA SECURITY www.networkseuropemagazine.com 41 ta Security is ger Optional w to Start)DATA SECURITY www.networkseuropemagazine.com 42 Cyberattack risks are growing Cyberattacks are growing in frequency, severity and sophistication as the demand for data grows. Several factors leading to data breaches include engaging third-party services, network operation risks, extensive cloud migration, increased system complexity, and compliance failures. Data breaches can devastate a company financially while irrevocably harming its reputation. According to an IBM report, the average cost of a data breach is $150 per record. With an average size of 25,575 records lost per incident, a cyberattack can potentially cost a company roughly $3.92 million. Other direct consequences and associated costs of cyberattacks include: • Intellectual property (IP) theft • Staff costs to remediate and repair systems • Legal fees from litigation or other legal proceedings • Increased insurance premiums • Regulatory and compliance fines Besides costing enterprises millions in direct expenses (on average), some indirect negative consequences can include: • Brand and reputation damage • Public relations costs to remediate and respond to negative news coverage • Loss of future contracts • Enduring loss of revenue due to IT infrastructure downtime Invest in threat intelligence today to improve security and prevent costly data breaches Threat intelligence forms the backbone of an overall security strategy that gives businesses the tools to defend their networks and protect their data. Threat intelligence comprises numerous types of information that include: • Types of potential threats • Hacker capabilities • Emerging cyberattack techniques • Potential network vulnerabilitiesBy implementing some key governance practices, data governance can create value, improve productivity and increase data safety across the organisation. DATA SECURITY www.networkseuropemagazine.com 43 A well-rounded cybersecurity strategy uses threat intelligence to automatically receive cyber threat data, helping organisations prepare action plans based on possible attack scenarios. Threat intelligence is part of an effective overall data governance strategy Data governance is the practice of managing the availability, accessibility, quality and overall security of system data based on internal standards and external regulations governing data usage. According to a McKinsey report, quality-assuring governance helps enterprises take advantage of data-driven opportunities while conserving resources and increasing security. Managing threats, data processing, and other data-related processes can benefit significantly from effective data governance. By implementing some key governance practices, data governance can create value, improve productivity and increase data safety across the organisation. The Threat Intelligence Process Oxylabs uses a revolving 5-step threat intelligence process that includes: 1. Planning & Direction The first step is to provide a foundation for your threat intelligence strategy by planning and directing the scope of the project. First, determine the information and processes critical to your business that must be protected. Next, outline any potential business impacts should a data breach occur. The third part of this step is to clarify any possible information concerning malicious entities that will give your team an edge when responding to threats. Once all these items are completed, goals for the project can be set to guide the rest of the process. 2. Collection and Processing The second step is to collect data in accordance with the requirements set out in the previous step. Web scraping can be used to collect data from public websites. 3. Analysis Data collected in the previous step is analysed by cybersecurity specialists and cross-referenced with the goals and objectives of the project. Insights obtained during this step are used to assess current vulnerabilities and reinforce any digital weaknesses. 4. Dissemination Threat intelligence obtained so far in the process is shared with other organisations via distribution channels. Some cybersecurity firms provide threat intelligence feeds via their own internal threat intelligence distribution platforms, providing alerts in real-time. 5. Feedback Feedback is obtained during this step to assess the success of the strategy. Once this step is completed, the threat intelligence lifecycle continues to the first step, where the initial plan is reanalysed, and adjustments are made according to the feedback obtained. Conclusion Data collection, both internal and external, has become a daily activity, even for businesses not directly involved in the industry. Proper management practices are still waiting to be implemented as malicious actors attempt to abuse issues in security. Such issues, however, have the potential to cause greater damage to individuals and companies than nearly any other threat. Understanding that data security is no longer an afterthought of business, is essential. With an average size of 25,575 records lost per incident, a cyberattack can potentially cost a company roughly $3.92 million. IoT and the Journey to INTERNET OF THINGS www.networkseuropemagazine.com 44Five years ago, the Internet of Things (IoT) was largely in its infancy. Although it was talked about, real-life examples of the technology in action were scarce. As the use cases mature, organisations are now looking to IoT technology as a way to differentiate themselves. T and the ourney to Maturity This is borne out in a recent Wi-SUN Alliance study of 300 IT decision makers from US and UK IoT adopters. A follow-up to our report five years ago, the Journey to IoT Maturity looks at what has changed since 2017. What’s clear is that IoT is a bigger priority than ever across all industry sectors surveyed, including energy and utilities, state and local government, construction, technology, and telecommunications. More than nine in 10 respondents believe that they must invest in IoT over the next 12 months to remain competitive. IoT can help to make them more agile, which is a key driver for adoption this year. This equips adopters to meet challenging operating conditions during a global pandemic that has changed everyone’s operating rules, and during the economic, social and political disruptions that we are seeing today. While most organisations recognise the importance of investing in IoT, there is still work to be done. Less than half (47%) have a fully implemented IoT strategy in 2022, 42% have a partially implemented strategy, and 11% have a plan that’s under review or in development. Phil Beecher President and CEO Wi-SUN Alliance INTERNET OF THINGS www.networkseuropemagazine.com 45This is interesting, as five years ago, we reported that over half (55%) of companies already had a fully implemented strategy, suggesting that we are seeing a decline in adoption. Early IoT adopters may well have focused on discrete projects offering quick wins. Gaining more confidence in solutions and becoming more aware as the market matures, they realise that the technology carries more opportunities for digital transformation. Companies are more likely to be building on their early successes and evolving toward more ambitious IoT strategies. IoT is a ‘must-have’ rather than a ‘nice-to-have’ An IoT strategy is now a ‘must-have’, rather than a ‘nice-to-have’ according to the research – 83% see it as essential to the business rather than merely beneficial, up from 76% in 2017. Organisational plans to roll out IoT initiatives are evolving. Five years ago, many of the deployments were for utilities, and largely around smart metering. At that stage, companies were looking to improve efficiencies, but what we are seeing now is a bigger focus on improving the quality of life for citizens, particularly around smart city applications. Smart street lighting is a good example. While a street lighting network enables cities to control their energy costs and improve efficiencies across large lighting installations, it also ensures safety for citizens and can be used to add to the aesthetics of the city with different colours and lighting techniques. From a single street lighting canopy, municipalities can then add multiple other applications, such as sensors for measuring pollution and noise levels. While projects for security and surveillance, distribution automation, and advanced meter infrastructure continue to grow, new use cases are emerging this time round, including traffic management and smart parking, which saw the biggest rise since 2017, and traffic lights and controls which saw the next biggest rise since 2017. INTERNET OF THINGS www.networkseuropemagazine.com 46There’s also more focus on interesting new IoT technologies like acoustic and air quality sensors, while plans for electric vehicle charging initiatives are also growing, which suggests a move towards improved environmental outcomes and sustainability. The need for sustainability, and security, shows the importance of managing the growing numbers of people living and working in cities. This will only intensify as urbanisation increases in the future. This year we included two other IoT initiatives – water loss/leak detection and mandatory carbon monitoring. With three-quarters of respondents ‘very likely’ or ‘definitely’ planning to implement these, it suggests utilities are leaning on IoT technology to help them do their work, from monitoring water flow and pressure to identifying leaks on the network. The opportunities for cost savings and increased efficiency in some of these use cases are particularly high. More organisations than ever consider an IoT strategy to be essential as they see other adopters reap the benefits. Smart cities, utilities and industrial IoT adopters are actively embracing the technology, with mature deployments delivering demonstrable wins. It’s becoming a tool for digital transformation, making it more essential than ever to businesses. As interest continues to grow and adopters become more comfortable with the technology, challenges that might have given an organisation pause for thought a few years ago are now risks to observe and mitigate. Obstacles remain of course, and organisations will have to work to overcome the barriers but changing attitudes over the last five years indicate that many are already overcoming some of their early concerns about IoT and what it can deliver. With a strong foundation of success and a maturing vendor and services ecosystem, we can expect continuing growth over the next five years as adopters continue to see the benefits. INTERNET OF THINGS www.networkseuropemagazine.com 47There are many legacy data centres which can be refurbished and upgraded to meet the demands of today’s digital businesses. However, when planning and implementing a data centre modernisation strategy, the key requirements of speed, agility, scalability and sustainability need to be reflected in any infrastructure refresh. Digital transformation was gaining significant momentum before the global disruption of Covid-19. And, as we all adapted to new ways of working remotely during the lockdowns of the pandemic, data centre and IT infrastructure became even more critical – even to the extent that many organisations which had planned their digital journeys over several years, quickly realised that they needed to think more in terms of weeks and months to pivot to the hybrid way of working. The working environment evolved into a mixture of physical and virtual, the combination of the office and homeworking, and with this came a reliance on a range of IT infrastructure solutions, from on-premise to colocation and the cloud. As we return to some kind of (new) normality, the demand for digital services continues to accelerate. Broadly speaking, the lessons learnt and the IT solutions implemented out of necessity have now become a key part of every organisation’s digital roadmap. There’s no looking back, only a desire to continue to evolve the hybrid, digital business world. The good news is that IT now invariably meets or exceeds our expectations. Indeed, where once we expected some kind of problem when going online, we are now surprised when our devices are slow or our connection disappears. Craig Brown EMEA Channel Manager Subzero Engineering Making the Most of the Data Centre Modernisation Opportunity DATA CENTRE MODERNISATION www.networkseuropemagazine.com 48Most e portunity DATA CENTRE MODERNISATION www.networkseuropemagazine.com 49Next >