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Jayantha Prabhu,CTO , Essar Group, talks to CISO Platform on the Top Security Trends that he feels, will define the future.

As I see it, broadly the following technologies will dictate the future of IT

• Cloud Computing technologies
• Mobility solutions
• Advanced analytics
• Social networking solutions/technologies

(Read more:  Top 5 Application Security Technology Trends)

As a CTO I need to focus on quite a bit but terms of top priorities I am concentrating on the following

• Virtualization and consolidation
• Mobility taking to the next level
• Social and Big Data solutions providing high end business values
• Sweating existing assets and protecting existing investments

How do you define “Big data” and what role do you think it would play in defining the future?

• Big Data as I said will prove vital going forward for several reasons. First and the foremost, I define Big Data as “the information that needs to be as wide-spread as possible to provide the best possible outcome – a accurate and meticulous one and that fulfills any business needs”.
• I have taken Big Data among the top 5 priorities within my focus area. This implies that I am well cautious about its capabilities and the impact it can create over deriving best possible business value. Means and ways to derive accurate results from ocean of data and how efficiently is that big data solution’s proficiency will dictate. I have already seen lots of solutions providers actually handling heaps of information, churning through various big data solutions and giving lots and lots of meaningful outputs. Any business will require such outputs based on the competitive edges they come across.

(Read more:  BYOD Security: The Art of detecting unauthorized devices in the network!)

To be at the top of edge in today’s cut-throat competitive environment is what every business will thrive for. This I think can be achieved through wise usage of big-data. Thus big-data will be driven more from a perspective of competitive edge of rendering value add based on your customer/client base. This is possible through big data solutions that can take stock of existing As-Is and also can derive predictable trends – any organization would want to edge out from their competitors.

• Yes indeed, we have already entered in the “BYOD era”. Evidently I can visualize number of examples wherein BYOD does drive business to a considerable extent. Although in my organization BYOD is a value add feature for a certain segment of employees, there are organization within which BYOD has overtaken the conventional PC based ecosystems and those business are experiencing the fruits expected from BYOD.
• Organizations don’t really now need to bother about the huge capex cost of investing in PC and related peripherals. Furthermore, due to significant improvements in mobility solutions
• BYOD also provides immense flexibility to static and dynamic user base wherein an organization need not provision PC/Laptops instead BYOD’s flexibility can ease of these constraints

(Watch more : 5 Implications of HTML 5 on Security)

• Data Security – the way data is managed is the first and foremost risk associated with BYOD.
• BYOD I believe should be adopted in stages and a detailed due diligence to be taken up before actually rolling out BYOD solutions.
• One must identify the applications and services that would be rendered over BYOD and then the backend infrastructure should be robust enough to sustain this services in a secured way.

Should a CTO strategize to adapt to all top security trendz or should he prioritize?How should he prioritize?

It has to be prioritized – beyond doubt. And this can be done through a cautious and planned approach.I personally have taken certain steps to achieve this.

• Develop a security architecture driven by vision, organize a structure of experts to it and give enough empowerment to achieve the objectives.
• This approach has also to be well incorporated with effective tracking mechanism
• Each and every security trends are not suitable for any single organization hence this body has to select and prioritize 1^st based on suitability, requirements and other compliances factors.

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