2023 will bring trends that will shape cybersecurity practices and how organizations are adapting to the ever-evolving landscape. Some talking points that are already rising to the top of conversations in the new year are around zero trust and authentication as the decentralization of the traditional corporate HQs continues. To get a sense of what to expect we have some insights from two security experts with StrongDM.
Justin McCarthy and Tim Prendergast had this to say about what we should look out for in the coming year:
Justin McCarthy, co-founder and CTO, StrongDM
“In 2023 I believe we’ll see rebellion against systems that aren’t respectful with our time. Systems that generate ample noise and minimal signal. When it comes to the demands on our attention in 2023 and beyond, less is more.
Security technology is one area that has been requiring too much of our attention and energy for too long. It’s frustrating because there’s so much friction where it isn’t necessary. There’s a better way but consumers of security technology will have to demand it and developers and engineers have to work on it.
One small example: authentication. As we enter into 2023 we’ll look to WebAuthN, Passkeys, and other passwordless systems to improve the user experience and reduce the burden on IT teams. That’s where we’ll really start to feel the difference. And with this feeling will come elevated expectations that then get transferred to every other aspect of our IT systems and security environments. Hopefully, it will push us to ask why it can’t be simplified?”
Tim Prendergast, CEO, StrongDM
“As we head into the new year, I think we will see the security market continue to build toward practical applications of zero trust philosophies, as the industry gets its feet under itself in terms of figuring out how to talk with customers about what ‘zero trust’ means and how it is supposed to work. For their part, I think customers are reaching a tipping point of being very well-educated in this market, and I think that will cause established companies to reposition product portfolios into a focused ‘zero trust’ messaging platform, to address the customer opportunity.
One of the biggest trends that will absolutely continue into 2023 is the decentralization of the traditional corporate headquarters. We have emerged from the pandemic into a new working reality which is that the best people live where they want to live. This has led businesses to the compromise of creating a place where they can work and be contributing to the company’s goals but also, they can be happy and have a fulfilling personal life. I think that the cliche work-life balance that so many people have struggled with for so long has finally gotten to a place where it feels attainable with a decentralized workplace. No one wants a job where they occasionally get to have a life, too. I think that’s a fair expectation. There are also other benefits to being decentralized, especially when you look at the distribution of people in city centers, traffic is horrible and it’s not great for the environment. People being able to work from wherever they happen to be, but still have opportunities for occasional on-site or human interaction is the future. People want their time to be spent in meaningful ways, not just filling seats in the office between eight and 6 p.m. I don’t think that’s a reality. We have the technology to have productive conversations and get a lot of work done. In the end, I think that’s better for the economy and the planet. It’s why we’ve always been a remote-first business – because as a company that sells a SaaS solution, we don’t need to physically be in the same location to build our product.”
