Firms Expand Security to Counter More Advanced Attacks

Facing ever more sophisticated cybersecurity threats, a growing number of enterprises are adopting advanced security systems that go beyond traditional perimeter defenses, according to a new research report published today by Information Services Group (ISG) (Nasdaq: III), a leading global technology research and advisory firm.

The 2024 ISG Provider Lens global Cybersecurity — Solutions and Services global report finds demand is growing for cutting-edge security capabilities, especially extended detection and response (XDR) and security service edge (SSE). Enterprises are adopting solutions like these as they deepen their reliance on cloud-based applications, remote work and distributed, interconnected IT systems.

“Companies modernizing their IT environments often face both new security threats and bigger security management challenges,” said Doug Saylors, partner and co-leader of ISG Cybersecurity. “They are turning to solution providers for more comprehensive security frameworks.”

XDR and SSE provide more scalable, higher performance security across expanding and evolving IT landscapes, the report says. XDR platforms collect and correlate data from multiple security layers, including endpoints, servers and cloud workloads, for a holistic view of an organization’s security posture. Using analytics and automation, they can detect, investigate and respond to threats anywhere in the enterprise. SSE solutions centralize security policies and enforce them across all endpoints and applications, helping companies meet governance and compliance requirements.

Companies are turning to XDR as an array of new features expand its capabilities, ISG says. Integrated AI and ML algorithms allow XDR systems to better predict attacks and automate responses, reducing work for security teams. The platforms are converging with other solutions, such as security information and event management (SIEM), to form a unified security architecture. Integration of external threat intelligence feeds gives enterprises more context for decision-making.

Companies struggling to secure myriad cloud applications are adopting SSE for visibility and control, the report says. As traditional perimeter-based security fails to protect remote cloud users, SSE ensures secure access to applications from any location or device and uses AI to personalize security policies based on user behavior. It can even reveal unapproved cloud applications that business units or departments have deployed and secure access to them.