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Digital Transformation and Workplace Evolution Driving Demand for PKI and Digital Certificates

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Driven by organizational changes, enterprise use of Public Key Infrastructure (PKI) and digital certificates has never been higher, while the related skills to manage PKI are in historically short supply, according to research from Ponemon Institute, sponsored by Entrust, a global leader in trusted identity, payments and data protection. The 2021 Global PKI and IoT Trends Study also revealed that IT professionals continue to see a lack of clear ownership, resources, and skills as the top challenges in deploying and managing PKI.

PKI is at the core of nearly every IT infrastructure, enabling security for critical digital initiatives such as cloud, mobile device deployment, identities, and the internet of things (IoT). As such, PKI holds the key to enabling the digital transformation that these technologies underpin, something that has been thrown into sharp focus over the course of the global pandemic and its impact on working practices.

Drivers and challenges of PKI adoption
When it comes to the most important trends driving the deployment of applications using PKI in the Middle East market, the Internet of Things (IoT) remains the fastest-growing trend at 46%, with consumer mobile applications being the second-highest driver, cited by 44% of respondents, and Cloud-Based services coming in third at 37%. The top challenge that impedes the deployment and management of PKI is a lack of clear ownership – cited by 84% of respondents in the Middle East. Globally, respondents have raised this issue as a top challenge for the past 5 years, indicating a key area of concern for many enterprises.

Insufficient resources and insufficient skills were rated as the second and third challenges in the Middle East at 57% and 53% respectively. Similarly, on a global level, the top challenges to enabling applications to utilize PKI were the existing PKI being incapable of supporting new applications (55%) and insufficient skills (46%). The areas expected to experience the most change and uncertainty according to respondents in the Middle East were external mandates and standards, which took the top spot for 30% of those surveyed, while newer applications, such the Internet of Things (IoT) came second (28%).

“PKI has never been in such high demand in the Middle East region – whether from the pressure of securing a remote or hybrid workforce this past year, or the continued growth of IoT and cloud-based services,” said Hamid Qureshi, Regional Sales Director, Middle East, Africa, and South Asia at Entrust. “At the same time, the skills and resources required to deploy and manage PKI continue to be in short supply – an issue exacerbated by lack of clear organizational ownership over PKI deployments. To deal with this complexity, organizations need a strategy first and products second to support this transformation. This means that they need a partner like Entrust who not only has the technological capabilities, but the heritage and expertise to help succeed in this environment.”

“Over the years we have been doing this study, it is clear that that the gap between the rising demand for PKI adoption and the challenges hindering it appear to be growing,” said Dr. Larry Ponemon, chairman and founder of the Ponemon Institute. “This has the potential to exacerbate the headaches organizations already feel and create gaps in their security postures. When you factor in that environments are more distributed with remote working, cloud and IoT, it’s clear that there’s an immediate need for many organizations to gain additional visibility, automation and centralized control.”

The Rise of Machine Identities
TLS/SSL certificates for public-facing websites and services are the most often cited use case for PKI credentials (81% of respondents globally). Private networks and VPN applications came in second (67%, up from 60% in 2020) and email security was third (55%, up from 51% in 2020), overtaking last year’s second and third positions of public cloud applications and enterprise user authentication. This change highlights the shifting focus on ensuring remote workers and distributed IT workloads can be kept secure.

The research also revealed that the average number of certificates organizations issue or acquire is still on the rise, up 4.3% from 56,192 in 2020 to 58,639 this year (and up 50% since 2019). While the number of human identities being secured has been relatively flat over the past few years, there are now more machine identities (devices and workflows) than human ones. This growth in machine identities is primarily driven by the growing use of IoT, cloud services, and new applications.

Regardless of the reason for the growth, the more certificates an organization needs to manage, the more critical proper management becomes. With one in five (20%) of respondents stating they use a manual certificate revocation list and nearly a third (32%) admitting they have no certificate revocation technique, these organizations risk being vulnerable to attacks and facing outages to critical systems and the consequent business disruption and cost that comes with that.

Cyber Security

Axis Communications Sheds Light on Video Surveillance Industry Perspectives on AI

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Axis Communications has published a new report that explores the state of AI in the global video surveillance industry. Titled The State of AI in Video Surveillance, the report examines the key opportunities, challenges and future trends, as well as the responsible practices that are becoming critical for organisations in their use of AI. The report draws insights from qualitative research as well as quantitative data sources, including in-depth interviews with carefully selected experts from the Axis global partner network.

A leading insight featured in the report is the unanimous view among interviewees that interest in the technology has surged over the past few years, with more and more business customers becoming curious and increasingly knowledgeable about its potential applications.

Mats Thulin, Director AI & Analytics Solutions at Axis Communications

“AI is a technology that has the potential to touch every corner and every function of the modern enterprise. That said, any implementations or integrations that aim to drive value come with serious financial and ethical considerations. These considerations should prompt organisations to scrutinise any initiative or investment. Axis’s new report not only shows how AI is transforming the video surveillance landscape, but also how that transformation should ideally be approached,” said Mats Thulin, Director AI & Analytics Solutions at Axis Communications.

According to the Axis report, the move by businesses from on-premise security server systems to hybrid cloud architectures continues at pace, driven by the need for faster processing, improved bandwidth usage and greater scalability. At the same time, cloud-based technology is being combined with edge AI solutions, which play a crucial role by enabling faster, local analytics with minimal latency, a prerequisite for real-time responsiveness in security-related situations.

By moving AI processing closer to the source using edge devices such as cameras, businesses can reduce bandwidth consumption and better support real-time applications like security monitoring. As a result, the hybrid approach is expected to continue to shape the role of AI in security and unlock new business intelligence and operational efficiencies.

A trend that is emerging among businesses is the integration of diverse data for a more comprehensive analysis, transforming safety and security. Experts predict that by integrating additional sensory data, such as audio and contextual environmental factors caught on camera, can lead to enhanced situational awareness and greater actionable insights, offering a more comprehensive understanding of events.

Combining multiple data streams can ultimately lead to improved detection and prediction of potential threats or incidents. For example, in emergency scenarios, pairing visual data with audio analysis can enable security teams to respond more quickly and precisely. This context-aware approach can potentially elevate safety, security and operational efficiency, and reflects how system operators can leverage and process multiple data inputs to make better-informed decisions.

According to the Axis report, interviewees emphasised that responsible AI and ethical considerations are critical priorities in the development and deployment of new systems, raising concerns about decisions potentially based on biased or unreliable AI. Other risks highlighted include those related to privacy violations and how facial and behavioural recognition could have ethical and legal repercussions.

As a result, a recurring theme among interviewees was the importance of embedding responsible AI practices early in the development process. Interviewees also pointed to regulatory frameworks, such as the EU AI Act, as pivotal in shaping responsible use of technology, particularly in high-risk areas. While regulation was broadly acknowledged as necessary to build trust and accountability, several interviewees also stressed the need for balance to safeguard innovation and address privacy and data security concerns.

“The findings of this report reflect how enterprises are viewing the trend of AI holistically, working to have a firm grasp of both how to use the technology effectively and understand the macro implications of its usage. Conversations surrounding privacy and responsibility will continue but so will the pace of innovation and the adoption of technologies that advance the video surveillance industry and lead to new and exciting possibilities,” Thulin added.

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Cyber Security

Rising Cyber Insurance Pressures Push UAE Firms to Fix Identity Silos and AI Vulnerabilities

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CyberArk has announced the release of the CyberArk 2025 Identity Security Landscape Report, a global survey revealing how organizations are inadvertently creating a new identity-centric attack surface through growing use of AI and cloud. The report shows that machine identities are mostly unknown and uncontrolled within organizations, while the primary roadblocks to Agentic AI adoption in the UAE involve security concerns around external manipulation and sensitive access, signposting the emergence of a new and potent identity security challenge.

“The race to embed AI into environments has inadvertently created a new set of identity security risks centered around the access of unmanaged and unsecured machine identities – and the privileged access of AI agents will represent an entirely new threat vector,” said Craig Harwood, Area VP for Africa and the Middle East at CyberArk. “For UAE organizations to stay resilient, CISOs and security leaders must modernize their identity security strategies to contend with a new and expanding attack surface characterized by the proliferation of identities with privileged access and made worse by damaging identity silos.”

‘Rise of the machines’ contributes to unsecured privilege sprawl: Machine identities, driven primarily by cloud and AI, now vastly outnumber human identities within organizations and nearly half have sensitive or privileged access. However, many enterprises leave both human and machine access to critical systems under-secured. There are 82 machine identities for every human in organizations worldwide.

In 92% of UAE organizations, the definition of a ‘privileged user’ applies solely to human identities – but 42% of machine identities have privileged or sensitive access. Fifty two percent do not have identity security controls in place to secure cloud infrastructure and workloads. Fifty four percent of UAE organizations experienced at least two successful identity-centric breaches in the past 12 months, ranging from supply chain attacks and compromised privileged access to identity and credential theft.

AI is everywhere and identity-centric agentic AI risk looms: Sanctioned and unsanctioned adoption of AI and large language models (LLMs) is simultaneously transforming organizations while amplifying cybersecurity risks. Concerns around the emergence of AI agents in the UAE and their privileged access underscores the urgency for targeted identity security investment. AI will drive the creation of the greatest number of new identities with privileged and sensitive access in 2025.

Only eighteen percent of UAE organizations have identity security controls for AI in place. Sixty percent cannot secure shadow AI usage in their organization. AI agent adoption roadblocks include manipulation and sensitive access concerns. Complexity and identity silos are overwhelming security leaders and undermining business resilience: Fragmented identity security programs and poor environmental visibility are diminishing resilience in the face of evolving cybersecurity threats. Most organizations face increased privilege-related compliance pressure.

Seventy percent of UAE respondents say identity silos are a root cause of organizational cybersecurity risk. Sixty eight percent of security professionals in the UAE agree that their organizations prioritize business efficiencies over robust cybersecurity. Human and machine identities – many of them with privileged access – are expected to double in 2025. Ninety percent of UAE organizations are under increased pressure from insurers mandating enhanced privilege controls.

CyberArk is also participating at GISEC Global 2025, taking place from 6–8 May at the Dubai World Trade Centre. The company will be present at the HELP AG stand, where it will host a dedicated pod showcasing its latest cybersecurity solutions and discuss the Identity Security Landscape report. Attendees will have the opportunity to engage directly with CyberArk’s leadership, including Craig Harwood, Vice President for Middle East and Africa, and Laurence Elbana, Director of Sales, who will be available throughout the event.

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Market Research

SoftServe Study: 58% of Leaders Report Companies Using Inaccurate Data for Big Decisions

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SoftServe has released survey results on the state of data management in 2025, unveiling significant benefits of strong data foundations while exposing the widespread deficits in data maturity affecting most businesses. The majority of the 750 business leaders surveyed barely grasp the value of their data as 65% of all respondents believe no one at their organization understands all the data collected and how to access it. Further, 58% say key business decisions are based on inaccurate or inconsistent data – most of the time, if not always – raising concerns for companies across industries and borders.

This study, commissioned by SoftServe and conducted by Wakefield Research, assesses data readiness in enterprises by the degree of data quality, strategy, organization, investment, and governance implemented. Responses indicate a lack of knowledge in data management is coupled with an internal disconnect and noticeable divide between the C-suite, VPs, and senior management, putting entire organizations at odds when it comes to how data is used, acquired, and funded.

Key survey findings include:

  • Outdated or Misaligned Strategies: Many think it’s time to hit ‘refresh’ on their data strategy as 73% report major updates or a complete overhaul is needed, and nearly all (98%) believe an updated data strategy would be required for strategic initiatives like Gen AI.
  • Leadership Divide: While less visibility among leaders can lead to skewed perceptions of data comprehension, the division grows with 78% of VPs and 61% of directors — but just 44% of those at C-level — claim their organization’s investment priorities are negatively impacted by leaders not fully understanding how data can generate value.
  • Data on Demand: For 60%, decision-makers getting access to data when they need it is a challenge – and one that may not be an easy fix, as the majority (51%) of the 58% whose organization makes most or all decisions using inaccurate or inconsistent data now believe a significant increase in data management investment is needed to meet their goals.
  • Misallocated Investments: Nearly three-fourths (73%) believe poor prioritization has diverted needed funds and talent away from valuable data projects to broad Gen AI initiatives with weaker ROI.

All deficits aside, the survey results include a silver lining: strong data management has allowed organizations to open new revenue streams (44%) or monetize their data (38%) with the right infrastructure and governance to transform information into a vital source of income. Organizations also attributed increases in productivity and efficiency (54%), as well as improved decision-making and forecasting abilities (49%), to having strong data foundations. Most respondents hope to follow suit this year as the bulk (85%) prepare to slightly or significantly increase their data budget and nearly half (42%) of those with a fully mature data strategy expect to significantly increase their overall data investments.

“An impactful data strategy is not about perfection, but prioritization,” said Rodion Myronov, AVP of Technology at SoftServe. “It’s about gaining maturity where it matters most for your business by prioritizing the missing piece of the whole data puzzle, not tossing it aside for the next shiny new toy. Establishing a mature data strategy helps reinforce organizational foundations, so you can pursue bigger and better puzzles and projects in the future.”

Survey respondents included 750 business or technology leaders responsible for data management or AI use at global companies spanning eight countries and eight industries with $1 billion or more in annual revenue.

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