Playbook Volume 9 - ChannelVision Magazine

for channel partners on both sides of the IT or OT fence.” Along with all those con- nected machines are the growing numbers of connected workers. In turn, cyber- criminals are shifting some of their at- tention from attacking systems and infrastructure to finding breaches through those individuals. “Cybersecurity is quickly becom- ing part of our daily lives and can no longer be separated between personal and professional,” said Carson. “In the past, cyber-attacks were usually only a concern for the workplace. However, today that is no longer the case.” “Today’s security incidents often involve attackers pursuing employ- ee privileges or crafting malware that evades detection by existing security tools,” said Lenny Zeltser, vice president of products at Mi- nerva Labs, which offers endpoint security solutions. Email phishing campaigns also continue to be highly effective, said Zeltser, since they often suc- ceed in tricking recipients into revealing login credentials to business applications. “Attackers are also finding ways to sneak malicious code past defenses by embedding malware in document files or by concealing it inside the memory space of benign applications,” he said. “Attackers also exploit security bugs in web browsers or steal computing re- sources to mine cryptocurrencies.” Identity theft also has become a corporate concern. “It is much easier to steal a trusted insider’s creden- tials and bypass traditional cyber security controls than it is to break through the firewall,” said Carson. Ransomware that can lock peo- ple out of any device or system, meanwhile, is going to become platform agnostic, said Carson, while cryptocurrencies make it as easy as one click to extort funds. Carson also foresees the emer- gence of “ransomscare,” which will threaten life and death situa- tions unless a ransom is paid. This could include malicious hijacking of healthcare or city street traffic control systems. The success of these and other tactics, said Zeltser, forces organizations to think beyond traditional security approaches that focus primarily on identifying a clearly malicious program on the endpoint or detecting an obvi- ously unauthorized connection on the network. “Given the ever-increasing com- plexity of attacks, enterprises are looking for advice on defensive mea- sures that withstand real-world at- tacks and also don’t overwhelm their IT team or interfere with business applications,” said Zeltser. All the while, “Organizations will struggle to find and retain quali- fied personnel who understand the threats and how they apply to the business,” said Lockpath’s Rock. “For most companies, the abil- ity and knowledge required to cut through the marketing hype and to determine the best design/selection for implementing the most resilient defense against attacks requires a deep functional knowledge that doesn’t exist in relevant measure at most firms,” Carson agreed. “The high demand for cybersecurity specialists makes them the most difficult positions to fill and one of the most expensive. Though money and talent isn’t lacking, deep mean- ingful experience is, and this is where the opportunity for channel partners arises.” In addition, the number of security solutions on the market has exploded, creating a chal- lenge for enterprises to deter- mine the right toolset to appropri- ately manage their specific risks. Channel partners that are able to help enterprises select best- in-breed technologies that fit a particular situation have a huge opportunity to expand their rela- tionships with clients. “Channel partners offering recommendations that provide the greatest risk reduction while accounting for budget and re- source capabilities will establish themselves as trusted advisors,” said Zeltser. “Professional services will be even more important in the com- ing year to help companies bridge shortages in IT talent,” added An- drew Lloyd, president of Corero Network Se- curity, a pro- vider of DDoS solutions. In particular, professional services combined with leading technologies that enable automa- tion can save companies time and money while providing an environ- ment equipped to swiftly handle and respond to sophisticated cy- berattacks, he said. “The biggest challenges, espe- cially among mid-size enterprises, will be lack of skilled security professionals, limited capital ex- penditure budgets and a shortage of internal resources to manage security tools,” concluded Ken Ammon, chief strategy officer at security-as-as-service company OPAQ. “These factors create a perfect storm of opportunity for channel partners to offer man- aged security services that can be funded as operational expendi- tures and do not require custom- ers to make big upfront capital investments.” o Ken Ammon; OPAQ Rick Moy; Acalvio Thomas Nuth; Nozomi 8 THE CHANNEL MANAGER’S PLAYBOOK