Expert Blog: 4 Cyber Security Predictions for 2016 from SECUDE

OPINION - Now, at the end of 2015, SECUDE’s President Americas, Michael Kummer, has reviewed 4 of his key predictions about where cyber security emphasis will be placed in the New Year.

Author: Michael Kummer, President Americas SECUDE

1. Data-Centric Data Protection Solutions

"Reactive and content-sensitive data protection solutions like DLP (Data Loss Prevention) are still important as a base layer, but enterprises have realized that they're not enough to ensure data security. Protecting data itself rather than the storage location or communication channel is an incredibly effective way of ensuring sensitive information is secured in our increasingly complex business world, where information cannot be simply contained inside the enterprise borders."

2. Data Growth Outside of Data Centers

 “Data outside of the data center is extremely difficult to protect, and this fact increases the importance of data-centric solutions. We also need to realize that there is no single solution that can solve this problem, and, as such, enterprises must begin to think in layers and integrations. Automated and context-sensitive data classification will be a key issues for the next couple of years, as proper classification is the first step, after auditing, in a comprehensive data protection strategy." 

3. The IT Security Industry is Consolidating

“Large players are seeking to broaden their portfolio through acquisition. For instance, Microsoft's recent acquisition of Israeli classification and data protection company Secure Islands strengthens its Rights Management offering. Further consolidation in the area of enterprise data classification will take place.” 

4. Regulatory Compliance

“Regulatory compliance is becoming a hot topic as more data breaches grab headlines. In August, the US Court of Appeals for the Third Circuit upheld a ruling supporting the FTC to take action against organizations not adequately securing consumer data. Additionally, the EU introduced General Data and Protection Legislation, which would implement new regulation on privacy laws for any organization that possesses personal data. These instances show that data security is also becoming an issue of keeping compliant with regulatory boards. This change will nudge company management to look into more auditing and log collection and analysis solutions that track and detect threat and risk in data movement patterns and user behavior.” 

About SECUDE and Michael Kummer

SECUDE is a global provider of IT data protection solutions for SAP customers. Founded in 1996, SECUDE was initially established as a partnership between SAP AG and one of Europe's largest application-oriented research organizations, Fraunhofer Institute in Germany.  

 Since March 2011, Michael Kummer is spearheading SECUDE’s push into the North American market as the company’s President Americas. 

Since 2011, SECUDE has been part of the SAP PartnerEdge Value Added Reseller (VAR) program and an SAP distribution partner in Germany and Switzerland. SECUDE's solutions enable enterprises that run on SAP to identify sensitive data exports from SAP applications with intelligent classification and secured information with strong encryption and fine-grained permission policies. This would allow it to be safely accessed, stored, and shared inside the enterprise and across cloud and mobile platforms.

Since March 2011, Michael Kummer is spearheading SECUDE’s push into the North American market as the company’s ‘President Americas.’ Previously, he was in charge of SECUDE’s product management and business development for 5 years in Switzerland and the United States. Michael Kummer has enjoyed a decade-long history within the IT industry, going back to his days in the Austrian Army.