Bringing Security to the Cloud and Beyond

I remember talking about cloud computing years ago as something in the future or as an “experiment,” knowing that one day it would be our everyday reality. Now, we’re there. Just ask yourself how many cloud applications you have on your smartphone or tablet to prove it. Cloud computing is everywhere and it is yet another example of how fast this industry evolves.

Cloud computing is big business – one of the fastest-growing segments in technology. Today, 95 percent of all enterprises use some form of cloud computing, and nearly three-quarters of those instances are hybrid use cases. Sales of cloud services are increasing almost 20 percent annually, with some sub-segments increasing as much as 40 percent. Comparatively, the security market is seeing annual growth rates of 9 percent.

While the adoption rate is growing, CIOs and CISOs consistently list security risks as one of the top inhibitors to cloud adoption. They simply don’t have the tools for gaining visibility into cloud environments or the means for controlling their cloud-hosted data. We must resolve this security risk.

Recently, McAfee made a substantial investment in cloud security by announcing the acquisition of Skyhigh Networks, a leader in the cloud access security broker (CASB) market segment according to Gartner. CASB provides businesses with control over and insights into the data and users flowing in and out of cloud resources. With that visibility, businesses can better manage access and make smart decisions over data movement. In short, CASB fills the control gap by acting as an intermediary between an organization’s on-premises infrastructure and a cloud provider’s infrastructure.

As our CEO Chris Young wrote, “McAfee and Skyhigh share more in common than values. We both aspire to make cybersecurity an accelerant to the limitless potential of our digital age. We both know that our employees are at the heart of everything we do. And we both are committed to modernizing cybersecurity environments for the future.”

I am excited about the Skyhigh acquisition and I hope you are, too.  We are set up for a successful 2018, and I am looking forward to seeing what the future holds for our partners and McAfee.

While I’m looking forward to continued success in 2018, I reflect on 2017 and am proud of what we’ve accomplished. Together, we grew New Routes to Market, announced exciting partnerships through Security Innovation Alliances, completed Executive Briefing Centers that led to net new logos and substantial business, and attended events like Tech Forum and Partner Summit. Through the change back to McAfee as a standalone company, we had an incredible year to remember!

This year, look forward to seeing more McAfee products, partnerships, and resources that will help us all secure the digital future.

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Article Link: https://securingtomorrow.mcafee.com/mcafee-partners/bringing-security-cloud-beyond/