Print.IT Reseller - issue 80

EDR 01732 759725 40 ...continued “Organisations still have to realise that technology from three or five years ago is not advanced enough to deal with modern malware. Investment in security technologies like EDR are required because, in technology, ’good’ becomes ‘poor’ very quickly as cyber-criminals sprint to new capabilities monthly,” he notes. A tool in the armoury, not a silver bullet This is why education, training and filling the skills gap is so vital. It’s not that EDR isn’t relevant; it’s just that it’s not a standalone solver of all IT security problems, especially in the current climate, and organisations are slightly behind the curve in maturing and understanding the wider ecosystem around that product. The answer for most simply revolves around engaging in the conversation more concertedly. It is critical for businesses to enter into discussions that begin with what they need. More often than not, what they will find they need is a solution built around, or integrated with, skills development. By entering into these conversations and exploring offerings that instil requisite guidance, companies can offset the vendor concern, and their own dispersed network challenges, simultaneously. In many cases, what they will end up with is education and protection provided in situ, courtesy of dedicated solutions that provide awareness training as well as the EDR product itself. To bridge the training/ solution gap further, businesses could alternately opt for a solution designed for those with limited expertise in cybersecurity. This option would convert base level EDR into improved insight, simplified root cause analysis and both automated and manual response options. Often included hand-in-hand with the above, managed detection and response (MDR) solutions are also a viable option when bolted on to EDR technology. As the name suggests, the same level of detection and response is achieved, only with additional managed assistance from the vendor to help the customer understand what is being detected and what the threat really is. The subsequent mix of automated and guided response extracts the best out of EDR in situations where internal skill sets can’t. Ultimately, this combination of upskilling with enhanced protection can convert EDR from being a misunderstood enigma to being a pivotal tool in your arsenal as businesses continue to navigate the growing cyber threat landscape. www.kaspersky.com When it comes to making hiring decisions, 93 per cent of respondents said that having the right technical skills is crucial for any candidate. Not far behind this is the need for a new hire to be the right cultural fit for the organisation (85 per cent). Dziergwa said: “The above points illustrate perfectly how the CTO role requires an extremely broad range of skills. An effective CTO needs to possess not just the technical know-how to implement and manage projects, but also the soft skills needed to build an effective, harmonious team whose emotional needs are looked after. This is a rare blend that illustrates the invaluable role that a CTO plays in running an organisation. “To help CTOs achieve these goals, it’s important for leaders across the C-suite to take note of these figures and offer their support where they can. This means continuing to recognise the role of the CTO and IT department as crucial drivers of innovation across the entire business. Without the right amount of investment to ensure CTOs can run the projects and hire the people they need to, the ability to keep up with competitors will be compromised,” he concluded. www.stxnext.com A majority of CTOs (53 per cent) name the need to scale up their technological capabilities as a top priority. Despite this clear recognition of a need to evolve, the typical CTO currently faces a wide range of challenges, including software prioritisation, budget constraints and the need to hire and manage the right people. Prioritisation is the most widely cited software development challenge (mentioned by 44 per cent of respondents). This is followed closely by budget constraints (42 per cent) and making the right hiring choices (40 per cent). Commenting on the figures, Chairman Maciej Dziergwa, said: “These numbers lay bare the vast diversity of the CTO role, and the unique mix of challenges that someone in this position has to address on a daily basis. Scaling is very much front of mind, but there are a number of hurdles standing in the way of making this happen. “Some challenges – such as budget restrictions – aren’t too surprising given the current difficulties posed by COVID-19. However, working out which software development projects to prioritise over others is another interesting headache facing CTOs, as is the pressing need to ensure the right hiring choices are made during such uncertain times.” STX Next’s Global CTO Survey report polled 250 Chief Technology Officers around the world on the biggest challenges facing their business Scaling up tech capabilities top priority CTOs' m a ct ppladls: ctdds ad da, a fa ad itl b dli a o Ctvv#1vctaeevigvvolavCCTsvii icatv viivluavsua vyvtasvpailaiaiaalitvCtvvplssi ieiav aavv astevai vCCTsvaavvclistaiteyvasciigvttvosve vsvttictvpivsvttvyvstlue vgvtvttvi Afvavttatevolstvlovttvvtlpvctaeevigvsvaveatvvtlv vei vaiigvttvvpal uctviivlivvtayvlav e u gvtvclistaaiitstevfi iigvttvvtaevitvetiaiigtevlav vei vaiigvitvlivaovve velcitytt) Tivavplsia vviltvevCCTsvaavittvelsiigvsevvpvl vavttviavtvctvstaccvctlicvevlavatvevastv 50 Hiaiig Bu gvtvclistaaiits Pailaiaiaali Slftaavv v v velcity Capacity Svcuaity Ciovvoaiagvovit Staaiigvciltev gv Cvctvstaccvctlicv 0 25 50 75 100 125 What is your biggest challenge in software devel opment? 100 105 112 96 89 86 82 41 What is your biggest challenge in software development? The Global CTO Survey – STX Next The answer for most simply revolves around engaging in the conversation more concertedly