‘Organizations must shift their mentality’

Andrea Carcano, CPO and Co-Founder of Nozomi Networks, spoke with TECHx exclusively to provide some insights regarding the company’s progress in 2021 and goals for 2022. Andrea underlined that organisations must now switch their mindset from “if” an attack happens to “when” it happens. To know more, keep reading.

TECHx: What are some key takeaways from 2021 that you would like to share?

Andrea: 2021 was a “coming of age” year for industrial and critical infrastructure cybersecurity. In previous years there’s been more talk than action when it comes to addressing the growing cyber risk to operational networks. But in 2021 we saw real attacks play out against oil and gas pipelines, water treatment plants, hospitals and healthcare organizations, critical manufacturing and others.

In response, critical infrastructure organizations are stepping up to their efforts to address the problem. A Nozomi Networks-sponsored SANS survey found 47% of respondents say their control system security budget has increased, 70% have a monitoring program in place for OT security and 51% say they are now detecting compromises within the first 24 hours of an incident.  As threat actors continue to target industrial organizations, organizations must shift their mentality from “if” an attack happens to preparing for “when” it happens. That means building out cybersecurity strategies that anticipate attacks before they happen and include considerations or operational resilience in the face of an attack in addition to strong cyber defenses.

TECHx: What excites you about the year 2022? Does your company have any new resolutions in its growth plans for the next year?

Andrea: 2021 was an amazing year for us. We had a record year of growth – in both annual recurring revenue and new customers. As our market grows, we welcome 2022 with open arms and plan to continue serving our customers – and new ones to come – with the industry’s highest quality products, services and support we will continue scaling product development efforts and enhancing our products to address new challenges in both the operational technology (OT) and internet of things (IoT) visibility and security markets. With ransomware and malware attacks at an all-time high, the need for Nozomi Networks solutions has never been greater. We are aggressively hiring in all departments around the globe and doubling down on our partner enablement efforts.

TECHx: What will be your company’s post-pandemic strategy?

Andrea: COVID-19 has forced organizations to rethink traditional work environments, and many employees are loving the freedom of remote work.  Even before COVID, Nozomi Networks has had a flexible work environment. This won’t change moving forward. We are a results-based company, and we trust our employees.

At the same time, it’s undeniable that COVID-19 brought wave after wave of personal and business challenges, and we will likely feel its repercussions for some time. With regards to business, it’s never been more important for organizations to prioritize OT and IoT cybersecurity and mitigate risk in order to recover and succeed in the post-pandemic era. A large number of open connections from remote workers back to the enterprise or operational technology (OT) systems introduces cyber risks. Corporate leaders must prioritize cybersecurity as they scramble to keep their businesses running. The remote access genie is out of the bottle and it won’t be going back in any time soon.

TECHx: Which technology trends do you expect to emerge in 2022? How will you capitalize on them?

Andrea: As it matures, there’s no doubt 5G will accelerate Industry 4.0’s digital transformation. 5g will make it possible to offer more personalized services across industrial processes, creating new use cases in every industry.  

Take industrial manufacturing as an example: With 5G, production will be far more scalable and adaptable, opening the door for much more dynamic production schedules. This means manufacturers will have the potential to support a larger product portfolio as well as reconfigure manufacturing lines faster to introduce new products. This adaptive manufacturing could also result in a growth in outsourced manufacturing, allowing organizations to scale and shrink production based on market demands.

Cloud-based OT security is also here, despite some initial reluctance from the industry. Ten years ago, when I was responsible for securing critical infrastructure out in the field, such as a pipeline across a desert, keeping the control systems running and secure – so the oil and gas could keep flowing – was my number one objective.

At the time, the level of OT cybersecurity maturity, across the industry in general, was relatively low. Our goals were simply to get visibility and maintain strong segregation between the OT network and the rest of the world.

While that was the right strategy back then, today we’re facing a new situation that requires a very different approach. Segregating or air gapping OT networks is no longer an effective security measure – and, in some cases, it could even be harmful.

One of my main recommendations for making our infrastructure more secure is to embrace a cloud-based OT/IoT security strategy.

IT Security teams have learned that cloud-based security delivered in a SaaS platform can effectively manage cyber risks while also reducing complexity and cost. With Nozomi Networks’ introduction of Vantage, those benefits are available to protect operational networks. More importantly, Vantage is already helping companies accelerate their digital transformation and improve operational resilience and we expect Vantage adoption grow significantly in 2022.

TECHx: What are your plans for managing and engaging your channel partners in 2022? Would you like to say anything to your clients and partners for the New Year?

Andrea: Our partners are a fundamental component of our growth and success.

Earlier this year, we developed a new partner program to support our commitment to our partners who play a critical role in our future success. Demand for Nozomi Networks OT and IoT security solutions is booming as networks converge and cyberattacks targeting critical infrastructure and industrial organizations become more frequent.

Now is the perfect time to strengthen our channel investments. The ADVantage program rewards the loyalty of our partners by giving them access to resources and incentives, to capitalize on this increase in demand.

We also launched MSSP Elite, the premier program for delivering OT and IoT managed security services. This program equips industry-leading MSSPs with Nozomi Networks OT and IoT cybersecurity solutions, expertise and sales resources.

The current list of Nozomi Networks MSSP Elite Partners includes Accenture, IBM Security, Mandiant, Moro Hub, Telefónica and many more. Elite certification requires MSSPs to train and certify members of their sales and engineering teams and also obtain certification for the management of the SOC platform or service developed from the solutions of Nozomi Networks. This confirms their commitment to providing superior service and creating more value for customers within converged OT, IoT and IT networks.

At Nozomi Networks we are customer-obsessed, and our 100% retention rate shows that our customers see the value. We are very proud to receive consistently high praise from the customers who rely on us to help secure their critical operations and networks. We are committed to delivering a superior product and customer experience