Key Takeaways from Vanguard Security & Compliance 2023

October 23, 2023

The rise of new technologies, evolving regulations, and emerging security threats are all shaping the way businesses handle their digital operations. Recently, we joined industry peers and experts at the Vanguard Security & Compliance conference to engage in discussions and learn about some of the most pressing IT topics and challenges facing businesses today. The event brings together cybersecurity experts as well as industry and government organizations to share a mix of insights and knowledge-based trainings around how to adequately secure IT systems.

This year, several Rocketeers, including myself, had the pleasure of attending the event and engaging in speaking sessions on critical regulatory shifts and security practices. Between all the sessions, trainings, and conversations that took place, a lot of ground was covered. Here’s a snapshot of some of the biggest trends we saw that are redefining the future of security and compliance.

What to Make of Artificial Intelligence

AI is making its way into just about every part of business operations and everyday life in general. But as AI becomes more and more prevalent, the question of what its use should look like in digital operations emerged as a major topic of discussion during the conference. AI offers massive potential for analytics and modeling capabilities in the mainframe that, in turn, help generate better business insights with existing data. But AI opens up security implications—good and bad. Organizations like banks have embraced AI to help detect and prevent fraudulent activity. But AI also poses risks. For example, the industry is trying to understand how well AI can keep pace with encryption methods or if it can be used to hack IDs and credentials.

All Eyes On the Insider Threat Problem

One of the biggest throughlines we found at the event was that of the insider threat. With regulations and compliance standards shifting, more businesses are turning their attention inward. Often the biggest threat with security and compliance comes from employees and contractors. According to IBM’s Cost of a Data Breach Report 2023, the global average cost of a breach increased by 15% over the last three years to $4.45 million. Failing to get a handle on the insider threat problem can result in long-lasting damage, regulatory headaches, and undue costs.

The Evolving Regulatory Landscape

Every year, compliance and regulation play a huge role in the discussions at the event, and this year was no different. New regulations and guidelines are reshaping the way businesses think about how they approach security within their respective organizations. Policies like the Digital Operational Resilience Act (DORA) in Europe, mean the stakes are becoming even higher for organizations to secure their operations. As a result, we’re seeing more businesses prioritize tools and solutions that help them remain compliant and actively monitor for security gaps that could leave them exposed.

Over the course of the conference, we had the opportunity to engage in conversations with some of the foremost cybersecurity experts and partners. As we look back on our time at Vanguard Security & Compliance, we’re excited to deliver critical support and solutions for our customers.

Curious how you can improve security and compliance? Learn more about Rocket Software.