Security | Threat Detection | Cyberattacks | DevSecOps | Compliance

2025 could be the most challenging year yet for the digital environment. As emerging factors such as the duality of AI, the rise in cybercrime, or the shortage of cybersecurity talent impact business, we ask the question, what should companies expect going forward?

With hybrid and remote work now the norm, organizations face an urgent challenge – how to provide employees with seamless, secure access to critical applications without the performance and security drawbacks of traditional VPNs. At WatchGuard, we recognize that businesses need a modern, scalable security solution that meets the demands of a distributed workforce.

Incorrect configurations in digital systems represent a growing security threat, as even minor errors can help set up cyberattacks. These vulnerabilities arise when system, application, or network settings fail to follow security best practices, such as outdated default settings or failures in Cloud services, databases, or firewalls. These can expose your customers to serious risks, such as unauthorized access or theft of sensitive information.

In today’s rapidly evolving digital landscape, traditional security models fail to protect remote workers and cloud-based applications. Shifting to a secure access service edge (SSE) strategy is an effective and affordable solution that will protect remote workers. SSE solutions deliver firewall-as-a-service (FWaaS) and secure web gateway (SWG) capabilities, ensuring safe, high-performance connectivity to Cloud applications.

For the second year in a row, TMCnet, a global, integrated media company, has recognized WatchGuard EPDR + Zero-Trust Application Service with a Zero Trust Security Excellence Award. The award recognizes the leaders and pioneers in the zero trust industry offering the most innovative and effective solutions.

As businesses settle into the new year, managed service providers (MSPs) should thoroughly review and strengthen their customers' endpoint cybersecurity strategies. According to WatchGuard data, in Q3’2024, endpoint malware detections were up significantly. This is a 300% increase compared to Q2, highlighting the importance of strengthening security measures at this time of year.

While malware growth is something we have been experiencing over the past few years, the increase observed by WatchGuard's threat lab team in Q3 2024 was the highest to date. Q3 saw astronomical growth in total endpoint malware threats, reaching 300.48% with 420,304 threats. The previous high was recorded in Q1 2024, when there was an 81.77% rise, almost double the previous quarter. However, Q3 almost quadrupled the figure for Q2 2024 when 104,951 threats were detected.

Cybercrime has rapidly evolved, and one of the most dangerous models that has emerged in recent years is malware as a service (MaaS). This criminal business model allows anyone without advanced programming knowledge to deploy highly effective malware campaigns by paying a subscription or a one-time fee. MaaS democratizes access to malicious tools and amplifies both the quantity and sophistication of cyberattacks.

Once again, WatchGuard has been named to CRN’s 2025 Security 100 list in the Network Security category. This prestigious recognition honors the top security vendors in the IT channel. The 2025 CRN Security 100 highlights channel-friendly cybersecurity vendors across a number of market segments, ranging from the largest and best-known players to some of the small-but-promising startups.