Absolute Software Corp. - Experts & Thought Leaders

The UK is set to unveil a new skills initiative at the Global Cyber Skills Summit 2024, as the UK, US, and EU convene as part of a “renewed focus” to tackle cyber threats. Cyber Security Minister Feryal Clark confirmed that the UK will launch a regional skills programme to fund initiatives such as apprenticeships to build local pipelines of cyber experts across England and Northern Ireland, as well as funding companies developing new forms of cyber security. Cyber skills training Alongside this, Innovate UK is pioneering a scheme where £1.3 million is being made available for universities, local councils, and businesses to provide cyber skills training. Cyber Security Minister Feryal Clark said, “The UK needs a significant improvement in its cyber defences after the previous government failed to strengthen our cyber laws – we’re fixing that. Later this year, we’ll bring forward new measures to better protect the nation from cyber-crime and our new regional skills programme will support the next generation of cyber talent and innovators.” Cyber skills road map In recent months there have been major attacks against NHS Hospitals, the Ministry of Defence, and Transport for London The summit takes place at Wilton Park in West Sussex, with the goal of road mapping the future development of cyber skills during a period of heightened threat. In recent months there have been major attacks against NHS Hospitals, the Ministry of Defence, and Transport for London, causing IT outages and downtime across Critical National Infrastructure. Improving cyber resilience Andy Ward, SVP International for Absolute Security, commented, “A wave of high-profile cyber attacks this year has highlighted the need to constantly improve the UK’s cyber resilience, so this week’s coalition to tackle threats and boost cyber skills is a welcome sight." "Particularly when it comes to state-sponsored threats, public services, and critical national infrastructure are at the top of the hit list, containing vast amounts of sensitive data that can have a catastrophic impact if IT systems are breached.” Threat identification and report “An organisation is only as strong as its weakest link whether that’s an endpoint device like a laptop or a member of staff that hasn’t been given the requisite cyber skills training." "For all of the tech-powered cyber defences, every member of staff within an organisation must be equipped with cyber skills, understanding how to identify and report threats, as well as recover when an attack occurs, not just if. This alone can save precious time in the event of an outage, reducing downtime and keeping the UK’s critical national infrastructure online.” Re-evaluating cyber defence strategies While the shortfall across the cyber workforce has been reduced, 44 percent of UK businesses lack the skills Recent findings from the government’s Cyber Security Skills in the UK Labour Market Survey highlighted that while the shortfall across the cyber workforce has been reduced, 44 percent of UK businesses lack the skills to protect themselves from cyber threats. David Manfield, Associate Director for Cyber Security at Investigo, commented, “Cyber threats are only increasing in volume and sophistication so organisations must re-evaluate their cyber defence strategies, from technology to people, to ensure they can stay online in the face of an attack." Reskilling and upskilling programmes "This week’s global coalition is an excellent opportunity to roadmap the UK’s plan to solve the cyber skills crisis, hopefully providing funding and initiatives to encourage new talent into the cybersecurity sector,” said David. “Hiring cyber staff is the top talent pain point for the boardrooms across the UK, so the government, industry, and recruiters must work closely to create pathways to encourage talent into cybersecurity. Whether it’s launching reskilling and upskilling programmes or taking a new approach to interim versus consultancy staff within organisations, bringing new people into the sector and building a diverse pipeline of cyber talent is essential to improving cyber readiness.”

Absolute Security, the pioneer in enterprise cyber resilience, has acquired Syxsense, a recognised innovator in automated endpoint and vulnerability management. Firmware-embedded platform With Syxsense integrated, customers will be able to add automated, vulnerability and patch management capabilities. From the moment devices are powered on, organisations will be able to leverage Absolute’s firmware-embedded platform to ensure that operating systems (OS), applications, and critical security controls are always up to date, protected against vulnerabilities and threats, and fully operational.  Modern resilience architecture "Fundamental problems in applications and operating systems are continuing to cripple businesses, despite the billions of dollars spent to defend against advanced threats," said Christy Wyatt, CEO of Absolute Security. She adds, "Organisations need a modern resilience architecture to address problems before the OS even loads, something that can only be done from the device firmware, where Absolute is uniquely positioned." Compliance, integrity, and recovery Christy Wyatt continues, "With the addition of Syxsense, we can bring a comprehensive set of resilience capabilities to the market. With cyber resilience reimagined, customers can now fix defects and vulnerabilities before the OS runs or applications load, preventing issues from turning into incidents." She stated, "Our unique platform provides a pre-installed safety net that helps ensure compliance, integrity, and recovery, even from widespread incidents involving faulty updates." Unified Endpoint Management (UEM) Founded in 2012, Syxsense is recognised as a pioneer in Unified Endpoint Management (UEM) by analyst firm - GigaOm and noted for its Unified Endpoint Security (UES) innovation by other major analyst firms. When added to Absolute, customers will receive:  Automated Patch Management: Ensuring comprehensive, risk-aligned patching across all platforms with verifiable compliance, reducing vulnerability gaps, and meeting regulatory requirements.  Vulnerability Remediation: Providing proactive, automated remediation for both patched and unpatched vulnerabilities, minimising risk exposure with a robust library of predefined security fixes. This includes the ability to remediate vulnerabilities even before official patches are available.  Custom Workflow Automation: Empowering teams to build and deploy tailored security workflows quickly, while enhancing response times and operational agility without adding complexity.  Connectivity, visibility, and control The combination of Syxsense and existing capabilities will provide customers with resilient endpoint security The combination of Syxsense and existing capabilities will provide customers with resilient endpoint security, visibility, control, connectivity, resilience, and self-healing for applications and security controls. "We are thrilled to bring automated endpoint and vulnerability management to Absolute Security," said Ashley Leonard, CEO of Syxsense. Streamlining critical security Ashley Leonard adds, "We’ve built a platform that enterprises rely on to minimise risk and streamline critical security and management activities across globally distributed endpoints. By leveraging Absolute’s unique position in the firmware, we now can deliver the industry’s only truly resilient solution to a wider market." The acquisition positions Absolute to expand its customer base, global presence, and competitive position in additional markets. It will further establish the company as the pioneer in enterprise cyber resilience by enabling it to expand into the adjacent markets of Unified Endpoint Management (UEM) and Vulnerability Management. Endpoint and vulnerability management Two exciting spaces are estimated to be worth a combined $35 billion by 2027. This is in addition to the estimated value of the endpoint security market of $40 - $50 billion. Existing Syxsense customers and partners will continue to receive full support for existing deployments. Absolute customers will be able to add Syxsense endpoint and vulnerability management capabilities.

Over half (54%) of Chief Information Security Officers (CISOs) feel their security team is unprepared for evolving AI-powered threats, according to research from Absolute Security. The findings were uncovered in the Absolute Security United Kingdom CISO Cyber Resilience Report 2024 which surveyed 250 UK CISOs at enterprise organisations, via an independent polling agency Censuswide, to assess the state of cyber resilience, AI, and the cyber threat landscape in the UK. NCSC findings According to the NCSC, AI will ‘almost certainly’ make cyber attacks against the UK more impactful, because threat actors will be able to analyse exfiltrated data faster and more effectively and use it to train AI models. Almost half (46%) of CISOs believe that AI is more of a threat to their organisation’s cyber resilience than a help, highlighting AI as a potential danger in safeguarding organisations from cyber threats, rather than strengthening cyber resilience. Dangers due to AI 39% of CISOs have personally stopped using AI due to fears of a cyber breach Additionally, 39% of CISOs have personally stopped using AI due to fears of a cyber breach, and 44% have banned AI use by employees at their organisation due to fears of a cyber breach. Andy Ward, VP of International of Absolute Security, said, “Our research has highlighted the significant danger posed by evolving AI threats, and we urge organisations to strengthen their cyber resilience structures to cope." AI-driven cyber threats "As AI-driven cyber threats continue to advance in complexity, proactive measures are essential to safeguard sensitive data assets and mitigate the associated risks." “Although this report highlights how AI offers positive opportunities for organisations in terms of workforce development, updating and prioritising a policy of cyber resilience should be a top priority, not an afterthought. The repercussions of a breach, which can compromise both customer and employee data, can inflict irreparable damage." Need for a robust framework "Therefore, organisations should focus on threat protection, deterring attacks, and preparing to defend against cyber threats." "Achieving this requires clear visibility and effective control over networks, along with a robust framework to improve network supervision and establish a solid defensive stance. Organisations must leverage AI for competitive advantage, while simultaneously strengthening cybersecurity defences to prevent potential vulnerabilities.” Positives of AI On the other hand, a higher percentage of CISOs see AI in a positive light, with 77% of CISOs stating that AI has filled the cybersecurity skills gap. Furthermore, 85% of CISOs stated that their C-Suite has been sent on AI training courses. There has been a clear shift towards AI and a growing recognition of its importance in strengthening cyber resilience, with 83% of CISOs prioritising the hiring of AI experts in 2023-2024.