3 Min read
Take it from the man who pioneered the firewall.
Check Point Software Technologies co-founder Shlomo Kramer, a pioneer of efforts to protect businesses from cyber attacks, is betting on security in the cloud as the sector’s next big development.
Moving network protection to the cloud could ultimately replace the very firewalls developed by Check Point and eliminate the need for costly appliances, consisting of hardware and software, that are a $50 billion market, Kramer said in an interview to Reuters lately.
Tweet this: Firewall pioneer Shlomo Kramer predicts that cloud security could replace firewalls.
“Today, it’s nation state attacks on critical infrastructure and organised crime attacks on financial assets. This requires much more sophistication”
– Shlomo Kramer
Kramer is indeed on the heels of a growing trend. organizations are rapidly moving toward cloud-based applications for many of their business processes, from sales and marketing management to customer relationship management, to accounting and billing, to training, and more. According to SiliconAngle, more than 60% of businesses use the cloud for IT applications, and the global market for cloud computing is expected to reach more than $79 billion by 2018. This rapid move is making lots of sense for companies and organizations, and a big segment of the trend is moving to cloud security.
Tweet this: The cloud computing security market is expected to reach $79Bn by 2018.
In its Small and Midsize Business Cloud Trust Study (2013), Microsoft Corporation found half of respondents in the U.S. said ‘time saved managing’ and ‘fewer internal IT resources’ were the biggest benefits of cloud services. Significantly, 94% said they have experienced security benefits from cloud solutions that they did not achieve with their on-premises service. About 91% said organizational security had improved and 70% said they have reinvested money saved thanks to using cloud-based services.
Cloud Eliminates Issues
Cloud delivery eliminates many of the security issues that plague traditional business-technology systems such as patching and software misconfiguration. The automation of software updates eliminates a substantial burden for the IT staff, and reduces the amount of time and expense required to manage ongoing operations.
But it’s not only the small-mid sized businesses that enjoy security as a service. Big enterprises are also reaping the benefits since they have even much more to lose. While big data is the driving force behind the growth and success of enterprises, it is also making them a bigger and more attractive target. Malicious actors including competitors, fraudsters, and even state-sponsored hackers might target companies to steal or manipulate data in order to further their own ends. Failing to secure corporate data can result in major data breaches that will damage a company’s customers, its business process, and reputation, and can eventually lead to the collapse of an entire business.
Software-as-a-Service (or cloud) has become a mainstream delivery method for security solutions. Key benefits are low cost, faster-time-to-value and flexibility – without having to buy and maintain dedicated infrastructure.
Tweet this: Cloud security key benefits are: low cost, faster-time-to-value and flexibility.
Cloud is Simple
One of the key distinguishing features of cloud-based security is the lack of equipment or software that must be deployed by the end user. All infrastructure is furnished and maintained by the cloud provider and hosted in secure data centers. Recognizing the latest vulnerability, malicious code, or rogue web site requires a dedicated team of researchers to characterize the threat and update the security inspection process. The cloud ensures that the most recent information and functionality is provided every time the business uses the service. with such benefits, no wonder security gurus like Kramer are putting their money where their mouth is, and investing heavily in the development of new cloud security platforms.
