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By Will Ellis

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Last Updated on January 8, 2024

According to a new study by Fastly and Ecosystem, 75% of Australian companies now have greatly increased target zones for attackers to exploit, and this is because of web-based apps that operate on the cloud… 

An attacker’s “target zone” is determined by the target, the route to get to it (also called endpoints), and the methods used to do so.

Despite the fact that most Australian companies have moved to decentralised IT architectures in the past two years, cybersecurity concerns associated with digital- and cloud-first operating models persist, according to a survey. 

CIOs, IT directors, and technology experts rank cloud, web apps, and APIs as the highest cybersecurity risks. Hackers might exploit API endpoints, cloud service provider authentication, and enterprise open source software as entry points.

Is Big Data Too Big? (What It Is, How It Works…)

Big Data refers to the volume of data that organisations are now able to capture, process and store. In fact, as the amount of digital information grows exponentially, businesses have begun to take advantage of this new phenomenon known as Big Data. 

However, there’s more to it than just how much data one has; instead, organisations must understand the different characteristics of big data so they can implement it in their business practices effectively.

Advantages of Big Data

• Better Insight ☁️ – Data analysis provides companies with more insight, allowing them to make more informed decisions. With more data, you can determine what works for your company and what doesn’t. You can also identify the right products and customers, leading to better revenue.
• Better Quality ☁️ – Another advantage of big data is better quality. With the ability to capture a large volume of data and process it using advanced analytics, you can create more accurate and detailed insight. For example, using big data, you can identify patterns in large sets of data, allowing you to detect fraud and improve the quality of your products and services. 
• Increased Volume ☁️ – Finally, the ability to capture and process a large volume of data allows companies to create new and innovative products and services. For example, by analysing all of the data collected from your products and services, you can create new ones that take advantage of this information, increasing revenue.

Disadvantages of Big Data

• Cost 🌨️ – Because the technology behind big data relies on advanced infrastructure and software, it comes at a significant cost that most companies may not be able to afford. This means that most organisations that are attempting to implement big data are doing so in a pilot capacity. It will take some time to see if it’s worth the cost. 
• Complexity 🌨️ – Another negative of big data is the complexity that it introduces to the business process. It can become very complicated if you don’t have a team of data scientists who can help you integrate it with your business process and understand the data. 
• Security 🌨️ – Finally, one of the biggest disadvantages of big data is that it can introduce security concerns — from data propaganda to hacks. This is because the data is usually stored in a centralised location and can be accessed by various third parties. With this data, it’s important for companies to implement proper security measures to protect against unwanted access and hacking.

Takeaway

Enterprise leaders are on edge and fearful of an attack on the country’s architectural elements, due to their insufficient controls and the absence of operational maturity, according to a survey. 

Nation state attacks are considered to be of high or exceptionally high risk by 65% of the businesses surveyed. Cloud credentials may also be compromised as a result of credential stuffing, which attackers may use to try to access individual as-a-service logins.

So overall, we’re looking at a problem of too much globalisation. Many believe that the world is currently at the highest population it will ever see — so enjoy while you can, but be aware.

You could simplify this all the way down to (as I too often say) raising chickens in your backyard and being more aware of local supplies, like farmers and plumbers, and the like — and figuring out ways to create local supply chains and customer networks, which could be an incredible seed for the future months and years to come.

That’s right — this could be how significant the business change to come is. Please share your thoughts.