Technology is an ever-changing field. When you think about the solutions you use to run your business, we can look forward to some major disruption in 2024. Here are some IT trends to look out for in 2024, and some notes on the impact they may have on your business.
AI for Good
Artificial Intelligence will continue to grow in prominence and be incorporated into software and other business solutions. Some of these products will have significant advantages over your current business solutions, and you should be taking the time to review and see how they can add efficiency to your business processes.
AI for Bad
While AI can have a significant impact to improve business processes and efficiency, it can also be used to increase efficiency of automated cyber-attacks. We’re expecting to see a rise in the use of AI for malicious purposes in 2024.
Continued Phishing Attacks
Phishing has been one of the main tactics used by bad actors for years, and we don’t expect that to change in 2024. There are a few things that businesses can do to protect their users.
They need to be trained on what to look for. There are numerous end user cyber security training programs that allow you to run test phishing campaigns as well as regular cyber security trainings for your staff.
A quality email security solution will also help to protect you from phishing. Look for one that has sandboxing technology that will catch malicious attachments as well as spam filtering and other email security features.
Continued BEC Attacks
Business email compromise is another attack that has been around for years and continues to gather steam. This is where a bad actor gains access to an email address, and then monitors communications for some period. Users in accounting are targeted more frequently. Attackers will see invoices and outgoing payments, pose as a client, and ask the to wire payment to a “new” account.
Businesses can protect against BEC through proper email security, training, and proper internal procedures like picking up the phone and calling a client to verify any time there is an account change.
Social Engineering Attacks
Hackers aren’t really concerned about inventing new attacks, because the old ones seem to continue to work just fine. Social engineering continues to be a common attack vector. This is where training and procedures become important. Take the time to train your staff on what these threats look like. Build out procedures such as verification phone calls and more to ensure your business is protected.
Third Party Vulnerabilities
It’s expected that we’ll see a rise in third party vulnerability attacks in 2024. This is where attackers will target a vulnerability in a piece of software your business uses, and leverage that to gain access to your network and resources. Once they’re in the network they can execute various attacks.
Businesses need to stay vigilant and ensure that all applications are patched and updated regularly. This should be part of your network security plan with regular checks to ensure you’re up to date.
Continued Ransomware
At this point ransomware isn’t new. It continued with an increased number of attacks in 2023, and we don’t anticipate this slowing down in 2024. This is one of the hardest attacks to protect against because the attackers can have various entry points. Companies really need to review their security posture overall to ensure they have the right solutions in place.
Specifically multifactor authentication on all outside connections to the network is essential. In addition, a robust solution for endpoint detection and response as well as privilege access management can help protect you and your team.
Changing Strategy
With more businesses than ever before adopting cloud solutions and web-based applications, it may be time to review your overall IT strategy as a business. It’s possible that with some of these changes you can simplify your overall network infrastructure and streamline processes. Sometimes a move to the cloud can even impact your solutions for telecom and internet. 2024 is a great year to review and make sure that your business is set up for success.
Conclusion
There is a lot to think about as we head into the new year. If IT strategy seems overwhelming, or you need extra hands and brains to help, i.t.NOW is here for you. Give us a call anytime and we can give you the expert advice and fast solutions you’re looking for.IT Trends to Look Out For in 2024
