Introduction
In 2023, the ongoing onslaught of cyberattacks solidified data protection as a board-level priority for organizations of all sizes, across all industries and regions. Looking ahead into 2024, this cyber-resiliency-driven trend will continue, with added nuances including increasing utilization of AI.
2023 Recap
Arguably most predominantly, 2023 saw an emphasis on the role that data protection plays in cyber-resiliency. The ability to recover is critical, but data protection also plays an important role in other areas of the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) framework for cyber-recovery, including the ability to detect that an attack is occurring.
There has been a surge in interest in creating a backup storage environment that is air-gapped, or otherwise isolated from, production systems and the core backup environment. This includes using cloud-hosted data vaults, provided appropriate controls such as the ability to control the vaulting window are included.
Additionally, multi-factor authentication (MFA), role-based access control (RBAC), and other identity and access management (IAM) features have become table stakes to protect backup repositories from unauthorized access. This approach includes more individualized rights to access, rectify, and delete data, driven by a focus on least privileged access—that is, restricting users to accessing only the data they need to do their job.
Another table stakes requirement is integration with security information and event management (SIEM) platforms such as Splunk and Microsoft Defender, as well as other observability tools for enhanced threat detection and response that is facilitated through:
- Holistic visibility into the IT environment to identify suspicious activity related to data breaches, unauthorized access, or malware infections
- Correlated analysis to identify patterns and anomalies that might not be apparent when looking at each source in isolation
- Faster response through the ability to automatically trigger actions such as quarantining the affected data, blocking user accounts, or initiating an incident response workflow
Considering the staffing headcount constraints that are plaguing the IT industry, capabilities to automate and otherwise increase the efficiency of backup and recovery operations have also been top of mind. Examples include embracing cloud-hosted backup solutions, using data minimization techniques to collect and store only the data necessary for specific purposes, and enhancing data lifecycle management to automate data retention and deletion policies.
Automation, when combined with self-service functionality, addresses the need to shift both security and protection “left” in the application development lifecycle. That is, supporting the agile application needs of DevOps teams by not only automating backup operations on a scheduled basis but also allowing developers to roll back independently of IT.
Finally, hybrid cloud backup strategies, combining on-premises and cloud storage, continued to become more common for organizations seeking balance among cost, performance, and security.
What to Expect in 2024
AI
The next year will see increasing utilization by customers of AI capabilities that are being built into data protection solutions. The objective is to further streamline protection operations with ease of use and cost-effectiveness and to bolster cyber-resiliency. Examples include:
- Creation and use of AI chatbots that allow administrators to use plain language commands and questions to generate reports; obtain customized, actionable recommendations (such as to improve cyber-resilience); and generate code (such as that required for integration with third-party security tools)
- The ability to adapt backup schedules intelligently
- The ability to predict potential failures and accelerate and increase the accuracy of threat detection
Importantly, with growing interest in, and usage of, AI and machine learning (ML), there will also be a growing awareness of the resulting data privacy implications.
SaaS Applications
The vast and highly splintered landscape of software as a service (SaaS) applications in use by enterprises will increasingly throw a wrench into organizations’ data protection strategies and implementations. Adoption of data protection is growing for a select collection of the world’s most popular SaaS applications. However, looking outside of market juggernauts such as Microsoft 365 and SalesForce, the development—and, subsequently, the uptick—of enterprise data protection solutions is lagging. Protecting these applications will become a growing need into 2024 and beyond.
Data Security Posture Management
The need to adopt a more proactive and preventative approach to data protection and security will result in wider adoption of the data security posture management (DSPM) capabilities that data protection vendors have been investing in via alliance and acquisition throughout 2023 (examples include Rubrik’s acquisition of Laminar and Cohesity’s partnerships with BigID, Cyera, Dig Security, Normalyze, Sentra, and Securiti). These tools enhance the ability to discover, classify, monitor, and protect sensitive data across multi-hybrid cloud sources, as a result improving cyber-resilience with enhanced control and visibility.
Supply Chain Security
Data security and protection across global and distributed supply chains will only become more important, and complex, in 2024. A particular focus will be the security posture and data protection practices of SaaS vendors. It will become increasingly common for extensive questionnaires and assessments to be a part of customers’ RFP processes. APIs will also come increasingly into focus as they are used more extensively for exchanging and managing access to data.
IT Operations and Security Collaboration
Organizationally speaking, we have seen companies place a greater emphasis on developing and testing comprehensive incident response plans to minimize the impact of a data breach and on introducing collaboration between historically siloed IT operations and security teams to improve cyber-resilience. The rubber will need to increasingly hit the road from this perspective in 2024, for example, with integrating respective systems. Look for more to come from this year from The Futurum Group on these topics.
Disclosure: The Futurum Group is a research and advisory firm that engages or has engaged in research, analysis, and advisory services with many technology companies, including those mentioned in this article. The author does not hold any equity positions with any company mentioned in this article.
Analysis and opinions expressed herein are specific to the analyst individually and data and other information that might have been provided for validation, not those of The Futurum Group as a whole.
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Author Information
Krista Case brings over 15 years of experience providing research and advisory services and creating thought leadership content. Her vantage point spans technology and vendor portfolio developments; customer buying behavior trends; and vendor ecosystems, go-to-market positioning, and business models. Her work has appeared in major publications including eWeek, TechTarget and The Register.
