Splunk, the leading cybersecurity and observability company, has unveiled its 2024 Predictions report, highlighting the transformative power of Artificial Intelligence (AI) in shaping the future of business resilience. This comprehensive report, divided into three editions (Executive, Security, and Observability), explores key trends and strategies for navigating the AI-driven landscape.
Executive Edition: Resilience Takes Center Stage
Splunk predicts that resilience will become a non-negotiable element in 2024, driven by government mandates and the increasing dependency on digital systems. As new threats emerge and the economic impact of digital outages grows, governments are expected to implement stricter compliance frameworks and governance regulations, demanding businesses to be prepared for and capable of operating through disruptive events.
Key Predictions:
- Regulations: Fueled by the AI boom, data privacy regulations are expected to accelerate, potentially forcing certain established companies to adapt their services or withdraw from specific regions.
- Cybersecurity: AI will be increasingly leveraged for cybersecurity tasks, alleviating skills gaps and talent shortages. Instead of replacing jobs, AI will act as an assistant, automating repetitive and labor-intensive tasks.
- Collaboration: Collaboration and integration will become critical for resilience. Cybersecurity incidents are becoming increasingly common, causing significant business disruptions. Teamwork across departments will be crucial to mitigate these risks and ensure business continuity.
Security Edition: AI-Driven Threats and Solutions
The Security edition of the report delves into the evolving threat landscape and emphasizes the role of AI in both defending and attacking digital ecosystems.
Key Predictions:
- Democratization of Threats: AI will not only be used for defense but also by attackers, leading to a diversification of threats and a democratization of cybercrime. New types of assaults, potentially utilizing advanced technologies like 5G, are anticipated in 2024.
- Ransomware Evolution: Ransomware actors are expected to diversify their attack strategies, relying on innovative techniques and targeting new industries. While the overall destructiveness of ransomware attacks might not increase, the use of zero-day threats to infiltrate networks is expected to rise.
Observability Edition: Efficiency and Innovation in the Age of AI
The Observability edition focuses on how AI will impact technology management and infrastructure optimization.
Key Predictions:
- Mindful Budgets: CIOs and CTOs are expected to prioritize cost-effectiveness in 2024, leading to mindful budget allocation and potential disruption in architecture and infrastructure spending.
- Tool Consolidation: The report predicts a wave of tool consolidation as organizations strive to streamline their monitoring systems and free up valuable human resources. OpenTelemetry, a rising star in the observability space, is expected to gain significant traction in 2024.
- Edge Computing Comes Alive: Edge computing, long-promised but yet to deliver on its full potential, is finally expected to reach its stride in 2024, opening up new opportunities for data analysis and real-time decision-making.
Splunk predicts continued growth in ransomware attacks, though not necessarily in their destructive nature. Cybercriminals will focus on finding new targets and techniques, potentially employing zero-day exploits.
The AI will empower SecOps, ITOps, and engineering teams to automate data mining, anomaly detection, and risk assessment. This will allow them to focus on more strategic tasks and reduce errors. The model is integrated with domain-specific large language models (LLMs) and ML algorithms, leveraging security and observability data to boost productivity and cost efficiency.
Overall, Splunk’s 2024 predictions paint a picture of a future where AI plays a central role in both opportunities and challenges. Organizations must prepare for this evolving landscape by investing in robust security solutions, fostering collaboration, and embracing ethical AI practices.
