The Part of Cognitive Business That’s Changing Everything
It’s no surprise that the Cognitive Business era is coinciding with the dawn of the Internet of Things. Data growth is enormous now, and IoT will usher in an age of everything from connected cars to service requesting sensors in soda machines.
A car in your company fleet requesting its own oil change? Crops requesting an extra watering? A refrigerator ordering a replacement part for itself? We are on the verge of a new connected age and these examples are already happening. Organizations that embrace this and build their own cognitive journey will be poised to have a competitive advantage. But they have to do one big thing first:
Learning to Love the Cloud
A full embrace of cloud computing is essential to the Cognitive Business Era. Organizations are no longer defined by just their in-house resources. Social and mobile are here, and IoT technologies open up an even greater world of possibilities. But to get there, smart technology leaders need to embrace cloud integration across enterprise IT and hybrid clouds. This needs to happen in a way that unlocks new value for the business.
Leveraging the cloud can give organizations an open ecosystem of technology and partners. Traditionally this has come with a sacrifice. The sacrifice of security.
How can you accelerate innovation without sacrificing security and control in the Cognitive Era?
Locking Down while Opening Up
Locking down while opening up means securely connecting business systems and data to cloud through enhanced security. Done properly a secure cloud approach will:
- Protect sensitive assets
- Ensure integration across enterprise IT and hybrid cloud
- Enable workload isolation
- Provide file-level security so that insiders cannot exploit legitimist access
- Encrypt data at a massive scale—both at rest and in flight
- Avoid performance sacrifices for the sake of security
Secure IT infrastructure for the cognitive era
Delivering through cloud platforms means extending existing infrastructure investments by providing controlled access to business assets. It is critical to understand what systems need to be protected and what need to open up and integrate across the ecosystem. IT infrastructure for the cognitive era lets you extend the value of systems and data.
System of Record and System of Engagement Modernization
IoT, Mobile, digital, and social means that modernization of SOR and SOE will have to be evaluated. This will be daunting for any enterprise with a large application portfolio. Enterprises need to take a strategic approach in defining their modernization path. Cloud will be a part of this transformation, but security can’t be sacrificed just for the sake of innovation.
Through Cognitive Business infrastructure organizations will be able to connect business systems and data to cloud through enhanced security. Sensitive assets are protected through encryption:
- High Speed
- Chip
- File & transaction level
- Server through storage
Preparing your Cloud Strategy for the Cognitive Business Era
As you consider starting your cognitive business journey you’ll need a sound Cloud Strategy in place. IBM’s security specialist can help understand the security and privacy risks associated with cloud computing. They’ll work with you to assess your level of risk, establish appropriate risk management strategies and help improve security controls so that you can better manage regulatory and industry requirements.
Cognitive business mean opening up, but it also means locking down and securing your data. Ready to start your cognitive business journey? Make sure that security is a part of the conversation. Schedule a consultation to learn more about how Flagship helps enterprises prepare for the security challenges of the Cognitive Business Era.
If you liked this blog, you might also like: Purposeful IT Environments for the Cognitive Era
Stay connected online:
Cloud Security
IBM protects cloud environments with cloud security strategies and a comprehensive portfolio of solutions. These security solutions span the entire cloud lifecycle and all security domains – including identity and access management, application and data security, infrastructure protection and security intelligence for the cloud.
Video: Detect Cloud Apps, Shadow IT, Threats, and Policy Violations with IBM Cloud Security Enforcer
The first Cloud Access Security Broker (CASB) to combine cloud app discovery with identity services and threat protection, IBM Cloud Security Enforcer helps your organization to securely adopt and use cloud apps. The Detect capabilities provide visibility into all cloud apps being used, including unapproved or “shadow IT” apps. Complete with cloud app risk scores, employee usage details, event correlation, and policy violation details, Cloud Security Enforcer delivers the critical visibility required for safe adoption of cloud apps.
Infographic: 5 Tips For Cloud Success
Is your enterprise ready for the cloud? From file-sharing and collaboration applications to enterprise customer relationship management (CRM), there are plenty of cloud applications that are ready for the enterprise. But are you ready for them?
How IBM Helps Secure the Cloud
IBM Security helps customers secure public, private and hybrid clouds. With IBM Security customers can manage user access to cloud applications and protect the data that lives in the cloud. Customers can use IBM Security products like QRadar to gain full visibility into security threats facing their organization.For more information, please visit http://ibm.co/1zlRM6Y
Infographic: Cloud Security Superhero
Keeping cloud apps safe for employee usage and to gain corporate efficiencies may look like a daunting task for a mere IT mortal. Your employees are not normally malicious in their actions, but you might feel like you need a super hero to save you after looking at some key research findings:33% of employees save and share corporate data using external cloud platforms25% of employees use their corporate credentials when accessing 3rd party cloud apps57% of employees know their usage of cloud apps is violating company policy, but do it anywayYou don’t need X-ray vision or super human strength to protect your enterprise from unapproved cloud app usage and cloud-based threats. What you need is a good strategy and the right technology. IBM Cloud Security Enforcer helps you gain visibility into your existing cloud app usage – both what you know about already and what hides in the shadows. You can use this knowledge to lay out a clear cloud app strategy that aligns with your employee and corporate needs.IBM Cloud Security Enforcer also helps you deliver on your strategy. The solution helps to connect users to approved apps in a single bound. It helps you to protect the business from cyber criminals and bring internal wrongdoers to justice. You don’t need to be born with super-human strength or have mutant abilities, IBM Cloud Security Enforcer can give you the powers you need to be a Cloud Security Superhero.
Infographic: Uncovering the Truth About Cloud Computing
Cloud adoption has seen unprecedented growth. But not everyone has bought in just yet. For non-cloud adopters, concerns about security risk still cast a shadow of doubt over the rewards that cloud computing offers. Don’t believe the hype.
eBook – Forbes Insight – How the cloud is changing business resilience
Resiliency can be a competitive advantage, not merely a technical solution with a cost. The cloud enables a broader set of companies to consider a broader set of applications to grow their businesses in the expanding data universe.
Implementing Cloud Security with IBM Security Solutions
This video provides insight into the capabilities needed for implementing cloud security. Information related to solutions for protecting cloud workloads that is suitable to your enterprise is provided. The need for having an integrated approach that helps in developing security intelligence to proactively defend the cloud and be ahead of advanced threats, is discussed.To know more about IBM Cloud Security: http://ibm.co/Wi6P2J Learn more about IBM Security: http://ibm.co/ibmsecurity