Enterprises are opting for edge computing to exploit the benefits associated with it. But these advantages come at the expense of data and infrastructure vulnerabilities. Hence, it is necessary that companies come with initiatives to mitigate edge computing implementation risks.
Today’s market is ripe for taking if enterprises have implemented and integrated innovative technologies in their business operations. One of the advancements in the technological environment is the immense opportunities displayed by edge computing. It has become a prime target for investors who aim to increase their data storage capacity, processing speed, and analytics capabilities.
Edge computing enables enterprises to process and store data in real-time. Its promise to increase the performance for connecting multiple devices across the technological infrastructure makes it appealing to enterprise leaders.
However, the cost of an increase in performance and better connectivity in devices is high! It comes at the expense of creating loopholes for cyber-attacks. Having hundreds to thousands of IoT devices and systems, generating data within the enterprise infrastructure makes it a prime target for hackers to exploit. Attack on one device within the infrastructure ecosystem can spread like wildfire.
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Therefore before embarking on the journey of integrating edge computing in the infrastructure, it is crucial that enterprises follow the below practices to increase the immunity of their cybersecurity:
- Edge in Security
Thinking of Edge Security and the enterprise cybersecurity in the same fashion is essential for an enterprise’s cybersecurity strategy. It needs to be an integrated part of the entire security processes, procedures, and technologies.
Each node of edge computing should have the security, redundancy, and service visibility equivalent to ones engineered in the central data center. If not, this will pose a threat to a dispersed geographic user and devices of edge nodes.
- Zero-Trust
Each node in the edge-based itself upon a zero-trust security model. Hence, it is critical to strengthen the encryption of data both in transit and rest, in addition to strengthening edge resources from cyber-attacks. Also, certificate-based identity management should be given much emphasis to all endpoints in the infrastructure.
- Normal Scenario?
Before integrating the Edge computing in the infrastructure, it is necessary to analyze the communication flow and establish which ones show normal behavior and which ones don’t.
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To evaluate these parameters, enterprises must take advantage of machine learning and artificial intelligence techniques. This way, enterprises can easily find abnormalities and quickly act on them, resulting in improving the overall security profile.
- Patching
Edge computing, however advanced it may be, is still in its infancy stage for enterprise applications. Enterprises adopting and integrating it in their technological environment should set and develop their secure configurations standards. Until industry-wide standards for edge computing strengthen their roots, enterprises must prioritize the monitoring and patching of the devices or services.
Edge computing is set to witness a surge in its adoption as enterprises across industries seek opportunities within the IoT atmosphere to advance their business operations. By strengthening the defenses of Edge Computing, enterprises can mitigate the cybersecurity risks and leverage the technology into business models to its full extent.
