Over 50% of Businesses in APAC Incorporate AI, IoT Technologies into Operation

Kaspersky’s recent study discovered that around two-thirds of companies (61% and 64%) in the Asia Pacific region have started using Artificial Intelligence (AI) and Internet of Things (IoT) technologies in their business operations.

Additionally, 28% and 26% are considering using advanced technology like Artificial Intelligence (AI) and the Internet of Things (IoT) in the next two years. However, experts suggest that business owners must prioritize cybersecurity solutions to safeguard their data and systems from cyber threats.

Kaspersky’s “Connecting the Future of Business” study helps companies prepare for the changes that new technologies bring. They asked 560 senior IT security leaders from various parts of the world how cybersecurity needs to adapt to these changes. Out of those 560 people, 100 were from the Asia Pacific region.

Interconnected technologies refer to the network of devices, systems, and applications connected to the internet and each other. They enable enterprises to gather more data and automate processes but also pose new risks and challenges to securing business assets and safeguarding customers.

In this survey, Kaspersky aimed to explore respondents’ opinions on interconnected technologies:

• Artificial Intelligence (AI)
• Internet of Things (IoT)
• Augmented reality (AR), Virtual reality (VR) and digital twins
• 6G (the next generation of wireless communication with ultra-fast speeds and new connective capabilities)
• Web 3.0, which enables decentralized applications, blockchain smart contracts, and user-managed data
• Data spaces that enable seamless data sharing in collaborative settings

AI and IoT are vulnerable to new cyberattack vectors. Research shows that 13-14% of organizations find it difficult to protect them. Only 6% of AI and 10% of IoT users believe their companies are fully protected.

According to Kaspersky, protecting new technologies is becoming increasingly difficult for companies. The less these technologies are in use, the harder it is to protect them from cyber threats. For example, AR/VR and 6G technologies are the most difficult to secure. In Asia, 40-51% of companies believe these technologies are challenging to protect.

As technology advances and becomes more interconnected, organizations need a plan to protect themselves. Kaspersky recommends four effective ways that organizations can prepare to protect themselves:

1. Adopt secure-by-design principles. By integrating cybersecurity into each stage of the software development lifecycle, secure-by-design software and hardware become resilient against cyberattacks, contributing to the overall security of digital systems. Cyber Immune solutions based on KasperskyOS, for instance, allow companies to minimize the threat surface and significantly decrease the ability of cybercriminals to perform a successful attack.
2. Train and upskill your workforce. Building a cyber-aware culture requires a comprehensive strategy that empowers employees to gain knowledge and put it into practice. With Kaspersky Expert training, InfoSec professionals can advance their skills and defend their companies against attacks.
3. Upgrade your cybersecurity solutions and use centralized and automated platforms such as Kaspersky Extended Detection and Response (XDR). Companies adopting interconnected technologies need cybersecurity solutions with more advanced features, enabling them to collect and correlate telemetry from multiple sources and provide effective threat detection and rapid automated response. As many AI solutions are built on containers, it’s important to secure the integrated infrastructure with cybersecurity products – such as Kaspersky Container Security – that allow companies to detect security issues at every stage of the app lifecycle, from development to operation.
4. Meet regulations to avoid legal problems or reputational damage by ensuring your cybersecurity practice meets changing standards and legal requirements.