Many small to midsize businesses (SMBs) are eager to take advantage of the transformative power of AI. They’re prioritizing investments in systems and services that can support AI applications and workloads.
Storage, by contrast, seems far more prosaic.
IT teams are tasked with identifying and fending off cyber threats before they can damage the organization’s IT assets. However, a record total of 40,704 new vulnerabilities were identified in 2024, a 30 percent increase over 2023. Almost half of those were critical or high severity, 31 were zero-day exploits, and 129 are widely exploited.
Cybersecurity has been a major focus of government agencies, but they are investing in physical security as well. The Department of Homeland Security, which bears much of the responsibility for federal government security, earmarked some $12 billion for physical security in 2024. The department asked for additional funding for its fiscal 2025 budget.
The proliferation of endpoint devices has dramatically expanded the typical organization’s IT footprint — and the network attack surface. Every desktop, laptop and mobile device is a potential vulnerability that could give threat actors a foothold in the IT environment.
Meeting spaces have come a long way in just a few years. Not that long ago, conference rooms were furnished with a table and chairs and one screen for PowerPoint presentations. Only the boardroom or executive meeting room had video conferencing, typically a complex and expensive system that saw limited use.
Cybersecurity has been heavily focused on endpoints in recent years — and with good reason. A wide range of endpoints now connect to company networks, including traditional desktops and laptops, mobile devices, Internet of Things (IoT) devices, and more.
Increasing incidents of violence have made school safety a critical issue nationwide. Many states, counties and municipalities have passed legislation mandating increased security measures. Many schools are required to develop and implement comprehensive safety plans to protect students and staff and prepare them for emergencies.
Security incidents have, sadly, become all-too-common occurrences. Between November 2023 and April 2024, more than 2,700 incidents were reported affecting almost 7 trillion known records, according to IT Governance USA. Many security incidents are never reported, so these staggering statistics represent only the tip of the iceberg.
On Nov. 12, 2024, the U.S. Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency (CISA) and the four other agencies in the Five Eyes global intelligence alliance warned of a surge in zero-day threats. The agencies noted that the majority of threats identified in 2023 were initially exploited as zero-day vulnerabilities.
Personally identifiable information (PII) is the holy grail when it comes to cybercrime. Hackers know that PII can be sold easily on the dark web or used to commit identity theft. Healthcare and tax-related information is particularly valuable as it enables criminals to commit fraud over a long period with a low risk of getting caught.
