Industrial control systems are essential to the smooth operation of various national critical infrastructure. While once segmented from the web, these systems are now becoming increasingly more networked and remotely accessible as organizations transform to meet the digital age. This development potentially exposes industrial control systems to digital threats.

Security Operations Centers (SOCs) are known as the “nerve center” of enterprise cybersecurity programs; others view them as “war rooms” or “situation rooms.” Regardless of the moniker, one thing is clear: their function is viewed as a critical competency.

Companies of various sizes have embraced the concept of the lean startup. Organizations are continually looking for ways to save money and stretch limited budgets to the max. Thanks to the growth in diverse applications of artificial intelligence, technology is helping companies achieve this goal.

On 29 July 2019, Capital One disclosed a digital security incident in which an outside individual gained unauthorized access to its systems. That party then leveraged their access to obtain the personal and financial information of Capital One cardholders as well as of individuals who at one point applied for a credit card. Overall, the bank holding company estimated that the breach affected 100 million Americans as well as six million Canadians.

For the 14th consecutive year, IBM Security released its annual Data Breach Report that examines the financial impact of data breaches on organizations. According to the report, the cost of a data breach has risen 12% over the past 5 years to $3.92 million per incident on average. These rising expenses are representative of the multi-year financial impact of breaches, increased regulation and the complex process of resolving criminal attacks.

Companies of all sizes are learning that when it comes to keeping their digital assets safe; being able to monitor what’s going on within their environments makes all the difference. Unfortunately, those same companies have struggled with basic fundamentals such as maintaining accurate asset inventories and deploying the right technology on those assets to gain visibility into their security posture – two components critical to the effectiveness of traditional visibility programs.