Based on the current threat landscape, one key strategy that CIOs should implement in their 2023 overall strategy is to prioritise prevention over detection. This means investing in technologies that can prevent attacks from happening in the first place, such as those offered by Check Point’s comprehensive, consolidated, and collaborative security approach. CIOs should also focus on automation and threat intelligence to quickly identify and respond to potential threats, as well as ensure that their cloud migration is properly protected with dynamic and adaptive security solutions.
When ITP.net caught up with Ram Narayanan, Country Manager, Check Point Software Technologies, he elaborated on UAE’s threat landscape and how their 3C approach benefits customers from the rising cyber-attacks.
At GISEC 2023, Check Point focused on a ‘3C approach’. Can you elaborate on this approach and its benefits?
The theme for this year’s participation at GISEC was “Comprehensive, Consolidated and Collaborative Security” – also known as the three C’s. The aim is to level up engagement with customers and partners in the region. Check Point is well-positioned to provide the solutions that customers are looking for in terms of prevention, as the number of attack vectors and attacks continue to increase. Check Point Infinity architecture, covers all aspects of security from network to cloud to user and access in a consolidated way.
Customers are looking for security solutions that cover all aspects of security, from network to cloud, endpoint, mobile devices, and access. Check Point’s comprehensive approach to security addresses all of these aspects, and it is consolidated because it is managed from a single management platform, providing customers with full visibility into what is happening across their security estate. The approach is collaborative, focused on prevention rather than detection. The goal is to prevent attacks and provide customers with information on what type of attack was prevented and how it was prevented. In short, this approach provides customers with a comprehensive, unified solution that covers all aspects of security and is managed from a single platform.
What do you think the threat landscape will look like in 2023?
It’s difficult to predict the future, but based on historical trends, we can expect a significant increase in the number of cyber threats. In 2022, there was a 22% increase in the number of attacks compared to 2021. Globally, there are about 1,160 attacks per week against an enterprise organisation, and in the GCC region, it’s around 1,200 attacks per week, which is higher than the global average. This indicates that more organisations in this region are becoming targets for various types of attacks such as ransomware, activism, and misconfiguration.
With such high volumes of attacks, it’s not possible to rely on detection solutions and manual actions. Enterprises are looking for more automated solutions that are driven by threat intelligence so that they can take immediate corrective or preventive action before an attack occurs. Automation is becoming increasingly important as the number and sophistication of attacks continue to increase. There are three main trends: activism, ransomware, and migration to the cloud. The push for cloud migration is increasing, but if it’s not done correctly, it can open up more threats such as misconfigurations or potential attacks on dynamic cloud assets. Security technologies need to be embedded into the architecture and be dynamic to protect those assets.
GCC is very vulnerable as compared to the global average. What one key strategy should CIOs implement into their 2023 overall strategy?
There are two main challenges that CIOs are facing. The first is enabling the business in the current hybrid work culture, where data is spread everywhere and there are more assets to protect. This has led to a need for a consolidated security approach, where CIOs are looking for solutions that offer operational efficiency, better visibility, and improved security effectiveness. This way, they can protect physical data centres, multiple clouds, and remote workers with confidence that the technology is working in the background to secure them.
As a cybersecurity leader, Check Point is bringing this vision into reality by providing technology, services, and intelligence to address these challenges. We have already on boarded several customers in the region who have seen the benefits of consolidation, and we aim to spread this message to more customers and conversations in the region to address the challenges they are trying to solve.
