Gartner recently released two blog posts discussing security trends for the remainder of 2020 and looking forward to 2021. These types of posts are always worth reading. It’s important for IT and business leaders, regardless of their role, to understand the security threats that their organizations face – whether it’s cloud security, an increasingly remote workforce, or vulnerability management.
Three trends in particular caught our attention – not only because of their importance for enterprise security but also because of their connection to IT modernization. We’ve seen a lot of companies implement technology for technology’s sake, and it often makes work more challenging instead of more efficient.
Let’s unpack these three security trends and discuss how the capabilities of an IGA solution that’s native to a platform such as ServiceNow are well-positioned to address these challenges.
Automating Security Processes
As we well know, automation that’s based on predefined rules and templates increases efficiency and reduces errors. This is especially true in when it comes to security, Gartner notes, as qualified security professionals are always in short supply.
The challenge is automating the right processes at the right times. Security teams need to focus their time and energy on the ever-changing global threat landscape. They shouldn’t be bogged down with day-to-day activities.
Fortunately, process automation is ServiceNow’s bread and butter. Behind every process is a workflow, and ServiceNow is a recognized industry leader in Gartner’s Magic Quadrants for workflow products such as IT service management and IT risk management. Automated incident response, for example, lead to faster vulnerability patching and alert processing than email- and spreadsheet-driven processes. This enables security teams to focus on higher-level tasks and stay a step ahead of major threats.
Bringing Security Silos Together
Gartner notes that security threats increasingly emerge outside traditional enterprise IT systems. These include but are not limited to attacks on building management systems, GPS spoofing, or the vulnerability of remote employees working on personal devices.
In many large organizations, security still exists in silos. IT, operations, supply chain, product development, and other business lines often lack unified security practices, and there’s no centralized oversight over security operations. Security is only as good as the weakest link. If you deadbolt the doors but leave the windows open, a burglar can just as easily get into your house.
Eliminating these security silos is an important step, but it’s not the final one. To continue down the path of IT modernization, organizations also need to eliminate data silos. The ServiceNow platform supports this effort; its underlying data plane integrates these silos in the cloud, making it more resilient, easier to maintain, and less expensive than an on-premises solution. Layering Clear Skye on top of this data plane provides a holistic view of the organization’s identity governance landscape across the enterprise – from HR to operations to service management and more.
Making Privacy Its Own Discipline
According to Gartner, privacy is becoming its own stand-alone discipline and is no longer lumped in with compliance, legal, or auditing. This is both important and long overdue – but if not executed properly, it runs the risk of turning privacy into yet another silo.
As with security visibility, the ServiceNow platform provides a one-stop shop for an organization’s data. Privacy can be managed virtually for all silos, not independently across all silos. This enables privacy to integrate with necessary business lines – and play a critical role in corporate strategy.
Addressing emerging security threats and responding to security trends can often leave organizations feeling as though they’re always one step behind. Pursuing an IT modernization strategy with ServiceNow and Clear Skye at its core will help streamline security workflows and gain insight into security and privacy performance across your organization – enabling you to finally get ahead of the game.
