Yiyi Miao, Chief Product Officer, OPSWAT, brings a wealth of experience and insight into the ever-evolving landscape of technology and cybersecurity. Starting from humble beginnings as an intern engineer at OPSWAT, Yiyi has ascended the ranks to become a pivotal figure in shaping the company’s product strategy.
Today, we’ll delve into Yiyi’s journey in the field of technology and cybersecurity, explore the impact of the post-pandemic world on cybersecurity practices, examine the role of AI in building better security systems, and gain valuable insights into the top trends shaping the cybersecurity space in 2024.
Tell us how you got into the field of technology and cybersecurity. What has your journey been like?
I started as an intern engineer at OPSWAT, having end-to-end responsibilities for a dedicated product and a few customers. I later expanded my teams and developed extensive experience in the cyber market, helping customers meet their requirements and strategies. Eventually, I became a product leader at the organization and today serve as OPSWAT’s Chief Product Officer.
How has cybersecurity as a space changed and transformed in a post-pandemic world?
Much of what has changed is already known, such as workforces being more remote. We see upward trends of nation-state attacks on critical infrastructures, and AI brings a new wave of changes in attack and defence for cybersecurity.
What has AI’s impact been in the cybersecurity space, and how can it help build better security systems?
AI certainly changed and continues to change the way technologies are developed. It’s more efficient to build and launch products using AI-based technologies in well-guided ways. But AI is also a double-edged sword that similarly equips malicious parties.
What should organisations keep in mind in 2024 while looking at cybersecurity?
My suggestion is to focus on perimeter defence to protect the infrastructure already built and validate the effectiveness of existing protection layers against advanced, novel attacks. Be very careful when understanding the supply chain risk from all aspects of software and hardware assets.
What, in your estimation, are the top five trends in the cybersecurity space?
- I believe there will be more compliance mandates and government security regulations, as we already see that.
- AI will be adopted in more practical applications.
- Companies may accelerate some digital transformation to the cloud while, on the other hand, closing the environment further for critical protection.
- There will be a focus on supply chain risk for suppliers, with country/regional limits.
- We will continue to see the evolution of zero trust, which is more practically implemented and enforced.
