As we roll into 2018, we expect 2017 will be remembered with mixed emotions. Instead of debating its merits and drawbacks, most will agree that 2017 was a time of rapid change, especially for cloud security technology. Stories about digital security are mainstream news. And we are proud to say that the Cloud Access Security Broker (CASB) industry has also become mainstream, to the point that consolidations have shrunk the standalone space, and CASBs play an important role in most major security stacks.
Lately, it’s become popular to say that CASB tools use Machine Learning (ML) to detect anomalies in cloud apps. However, you have to be cautious about these claims. What is not widely known is that building a machine learning model is the easy part; training the model is the hard part, requiring enormous amounts of data.
In the past, security technologies were black boxes that you placed in your data center. For the most part, customers didn’t look inside the security technology. Those black boxes worked well in a defined perimeter. Things started changing with virtualization. You can now get a powerful security VM stood up in minutes.
Last week, Ars Technica broke news about an information leak in Docs.com, Microsoft’s version of Google G Suite. Users unwittingly shared sensitive docs publicly that contained private data easily accessible from search engines. Microsoft is taking corrective action, but for those who’ve had their Social Security and health information hijacked, these actions are of little consolation.
Technology has undergone a seismic shift due to cloud app use. Businesses have gained efficiency, while at the same time tech pros have gained a few more headaches from new security risks. Activity outside of a network admin’s grasp is growing faster than ever predicted.
RSA is one of the more enlightening and overwhelming security events that we participate in annually. There is an air of maturity in the industry. Increased attention and size over the last year has imparted a sense of responsibility along with a humble appreciation that no single product is a silver bullet.
As 2017 gains momentum, I’m reminded of how quickly cloud apps have completely conquered the business world in recent years. But the transition hasn’t always been easy and security in the cloud is still a major concern. The more businesses use the cloud, the more control they’re giving up, until now.
The best cloud apps for business are cloud app security solutions. Commonly referred to as Cloud Access Security Brokers (CASBs), they use a mix of hardware, software, and cloud-based solutions to improve cloud app security for businesses. Cloud security is the fastest growing sector of IT with over $500m in venture capital funding and roughly $260m in forecasted revenue in 2016. CASB revenues are forecasted to grow anywhere from 30 percent to 100 percent between now and 2020.