AI to be critical in APAC cybersecurity market: Frost & Sullivan

Artificial Intelligence (AI) and Machine Learning (ML) have been increasingly adopted across industries due to their multifaceted benefits, from predictive outcomes to advanced data analytics. AI-based cybersecurity has the potential to augment the capabilities of staff and help organizations better manage cyber threats.

With digital transformation a priority for a majority of enterprises in the Asia-Pacific region today, there is a proliferation of connected devices, offering customers convenience, efficient services and better experiences. However, this connectivity also increases the potential risk of cyberattacks for enterprises and users.

Cybercriminals are also using more sophisticated methods to attack organizations. These include polymorphic malware, AI and other automated techniques. Enterprises are struggling with a lack of trained manpower and cybersecurity expertise to counter the more sophisticated attacks.

These increasing challenges in security operations suggest the need for a smarter, more adaptable, automated and predictive security strategy. AI and ML are increasingly being developed by security companies to strengthen their competitiveness using their own AI/ ML algorithms to empower security products and augment the capabilities of existing IT and cybersecurity staff in enterprises.

AI and ML are being incorporated into all stages of cybersecurity to enable enterprises to adopt a smarter, more proactive and automated approach toward cyber defence, including threat prevention/protection, threat detection/hunting, and threat response to predictive security strategies.

Whilst startups have been the most proactive in introducing multiple AI-enabled security technologies into the market, larger security companies have also increasingly incorporated AI and ML into their existing security solutions.

"With cybersecurity solutions powered by AI capabilities, vendors can better support enterprises and their cybersecurity teams with less time and manpower investment and higher efficiency to identify the cybersecurity gaps," noted Amy Lin, Industry Analyst, Cybersecurity, Frost & Sullivan.

Key trends expected to create additional growth opportunities include:

• Embracing and incorporating AI-enabled capabilities into exiting solutions to intensify the competitive advantage.
• Supporting a more holistic cybersecurity framework from detection to response and further prediction.
• Assisting cybersecurity expert teams on operations with lower false-positive rates and enhancing their ability to react.