GPSG’s cyber team had a lot of fun attending DC Cyber Week’s Defense in Depth 5G: The Intersection of IoT, Digital Transformation, and Cyber Security event last week! We caught up with existing partners and made new friends.
The private and federal speaker line-up shared their insights on identity management, insider threat risk, and privacy issues. The fireside chat addressed identity, supply chain, encryption, edge computing, and other security implications of 5G.
Meeting of Cyber Minds in Tysons Corner
As 5G adoption is anticipated to increase rapidly in North America, the security discussion continues rising to a higher level of concern for security teams and board rooms in multiple sectors.
The panel presented several ideas for cybersecurity approaches. For example, most organizations can still benefit from improving on traditional security models, assuming that the architecture of large data repositories and compliance will continue to grow and become the norm.
In contrast, some panelists shared that big data and processing capabilities will be pushed to the edge, with limited amounts of data being stored in large repositories due to regulation. Both architectures present unique security and privacy challenges that businesses and consumers will have to overcome.
The fireside chat presented future state architecture ideas that will disrupt several markets, potentially changing they way we approach cybersecurity. For example, using 5G for every enterprise device and system on a corporate private network segment allows the security department to rely on built-in security and encryption features and limits communication only to allowed devices and networks.
With this approach, zero trust networking is challenging. However, combining 5G and zero trust allows a device to only be and used within a private network or security domain. This means the device can be physically located anywhere that a 5G network is present. Further, it eliminates corporate dependence on physical switches, routers, firewalls, and wiring and increases reliance on Software Defined Networking (SDN), 5G, and zero trust networking.
How to Prepare Your Organization for 5G
There are multiple 5G risks and concerns for your organization to consider prior to adoption, including supply chain, software vice hardware-focused routing, expanded bandwidth creating a larger attack surface, and more. However, a well-planned strategy for 5G adoption combined with a sustainable DevOps model will enable your business to run operations faster and cheaper, potentially leading to competitive advantages.
GPSG recommends the following to help prepare your organization for 5G adoption:
- Engage with your local telecom providers now. Find out what kind of 5G services they plan to offer and how it will change how your organization communicates.
- Conduct a cybersecurity evaluation with emphasis on your organization’s 5G adoption plan. Data protection will be critical during 5G adoption. We strongly recommend a 5G adoption focused assessment to strengthen your organization’s ability to safeguard your most sensitive information from corruption, compromise, or loss. In some cases, this type of review can help you work towards local, federal, and international legal compliance.
- Review your enterprise IT and cybersecurity strategy. Ensure that DevOps, 5G, and SDN are considered in your approach. Information Technology (IT) teams should explore ways to become lean and agile while providing high-quality enterprise services.
We look forward to engaging on all things 5G with you soon!
Connect with us today at cyberteam@gpsg.co for a free cybersecurity consultation!
Disclaimer: This blog provides ever changing content, conversations, and insights on cyber threats and trending solutions that is accurate to the best of our knowledge. Although we are cybersecurity experts, we provide information which we hope is helpful, and do not endorse any specific products, tools, or solutions referenced herein. Consult with your cybersecurity team before taking any action.