THE EXTINCTION OF MAINFRAMES WILL ACCELERATE

There ’ s no denying mainframe use has been declining for years . Mainframes are expensive , they require specialist IT skills to use and maintain , and in most use cases have been outclassed by open platforms for a very long time . However , they have remained a cornerstone of many IT systems as organisations have not been brave enough to move critical functions to modern environments or have relied on the fact that data on mainframes is air gapped from other systems to protect it .

In 2023 , pressures to make core business data more readily available to third parties for analytics ’ purposes and to drive faster real-time experiences will accelerate mainframes ’ extinction . The air gap that traditionally protected mainframe data from public-facing access will disappear as businesses push for greater availability . A lack of appropriate controls will put that data at increased risk of being compromised . At this point , this reduced security will mean mainframes aren ’ t worth the extra cost and complexity for many organisations .

ORGANISATIONS WILL RECEIVE RECORD FINES

Too many organisations still tackle data security with a patchwork of technology , leaving most data unmonitored and unprotected . At the same time , regulations continue to expound on the need for specific types of monitoring as well as protection for different types of data , further exacerbating the risks of siloed security practices . 2023 will see a huge wake-up call , as at least one organisation will receive a record fine because of its lack of unified security .

On average , organisations are juggling more than 75 security solutions across network , application and data security . Trying to manage these tools increases both the risk of burn-out and the chance that security teams will miss threats . With new threats to data , applications and networks emerging all the time – from increasingly sophisticated API attacks to fresh bot exploits – organisations will need a unified approach to stand a chance of tackling these new dangers , avoiding hefty fines , and protecting their most sensitive assets .

12 January 2023