Organizations that fail to prevent attacks face severe consequences. The average ransomware cost in 2022 was $4.54 million, which does not include the cost of the ransom, and experts predict the total cost of ransomware attacks for 2023 will exceed $30 billion.

As organizations seek out reliable ways to thwart attacks, many are turning to engineering principles to reinforce their cybersecurity frameworks. This approach enables cybersecurity by design rather than deploying it as an add-on to core infrastructure, which results in a more systematic, proactive, and adaptable approach than that provided by other common security solutions.

Benefits of engineering-based security

One of the key benefits of an engineering-based approach to cybersecurity is that it addresses the vulnerabilities exploited by social engineering attacks. Statistics show these types of attacks, which focus on user failure rather than system weaknesses, are the most common. Phishing — a type of social engineering attack — is the most common cyberattack overall, accounting for more than 3.4 billion spam email messages daily.

Engineering principles can safeguard against these attacks by pursuing user-centered design, since analyzing systems from a human perspective during the engineering phase allows for the introduction of features that reduce unintentional vulnerabilities. Engineering can also proactively create user environments that maximize ease of use and reduce the risk of security failures.

Social engineering vulnerabilities can also be reduced by leveraging engineering to reduce the need for user interaction. Systems can be engineered to empower an enhanced zero-trust approach to cybersecurity in which processes are automated to remove the need for human involvement.

Applying engineering principles also boosts cybersecurity by empowering a systems-oriented view. Taking a holistic, system-wide view of cybersecurity provides insights that may be missed by strategies focused on isolated components, and allows for the identification of interconnections and emerging synergies that may lead to vulnerabilities.

Approaching cybersecurity as an engineering function results in more resilient systems. Rather than just empowering reactive controls designed to repel attacks, engineering principles can empower cybersecurity controls that are resilient to attacks, even when they succeed. Resilient systems limit the negative impact of breaches and increase the speed of recovery because they can adapt their security response once breaches occur, ensuring the negative impact of attacks is minimized.

Overall, bringing an engineering perspective to cybersecurity instills more structure into the security framework. It results in systems that are more rigorous and disciplined.

Methods of applying engineering principles to cybersecurity

One primary method of applying engineering principles to cybersecurity involves taking steps to increase automation while decreasing human involvement. As mentioned, human-induced vulnerabilities are one of the key causes of cybersecurity breaches, with statistics showing that nearly 75 percent of breaches are caused by human negligence such as the failure to install a patch.

Utilizing Infrastructure-as-Code (IaC) in the development and deployment process is one approach that leverages engineering to boost cybersecurity. IaC relies on codes and scripts to manage the infrastructure environment, rather than delegating management responsibility to human agents, which reduces the risk of social engineering attacks by removing access authority from the targets of those attacks.

IaC further reduces the risk of cyberattacks by using robot agents to increase the complexity of systems. Distinct runtime accounts utilized within network-isolated environments trigger automated processes, thwarting the effectiveness of attacks like spear phishing and lateral movement techniques.

Fail-safe defaults are another security measure that can be engineered into systems to address human weaknesses. Essentially, the defaults minimize the damage from security breaches by triggering failures that limit attacker access, ensuring a line of defense will stay in place after a breach. Multi-factor authentication (MFA) is a simple fail-safe device that has become a common cybersecurity feature. Safeguards that require administrator privileges to install programs are another form of fail-safe utilized to prevent damage from malware.

Taking an engineering approach to cybersecurity also allows organizations to build defense in depth. Security controls can be engineered into systems on multiple layers, leveraging tools like encryption, firewalls, and intrusion detection systems. With this approach, a failure at one level can be mitigated by controls engineered into the next.

Compartmentalization involves engineering strategies that segment systems and networks into different zones or compartments. By restricting access to system segments, organizations can reduce threats and contain damage when breaches occur.

Cybersecurity threats are higher than ever, forcing organizations to repel a never-ending barrage of attacks or suffer serious financial and reputational damage. By leveraging the synergy between engineering and cybersecurity, organizations can develop and deploy resilient and responsive systems that address some of today’s most prevalent cyber attack strategies.

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In today’s startup environment, scalability is considered table stakes, and a solid plan for scaling is seen as evidence of growth potential. Businesses that aren’t seen as scalable typically aren’t considered viable by investors.

The businesses that truly stand out in today’s startup ecosystem are those that exhibit the potential for hyper-scalability because they have scaling strategies that go far beyond simply accommodating growth. Their infrastructure is designed to handle rapid, exponential expansion in ways that do not compromise their performance or rely on excessive expense.

The power of scaling

Scaling is essentially a business’s response to growth. As sales increase, business operations must expand to manage increasing demands. Scaling allows businesses to meet demands without significantly increasing their expenses by optimizing their existing resources.

Scaling your staff, for example, does not necessarily involve adding new employees. By cross-training staff, automating, or leveraging freelancers, businesses can increase their capabilities with less expense. Scaling strategies also give startups the staff flexibility and agility they need to respond effectively to opportunities and problems.

Overall, scaling promotes growth without adding any significant financial obligations. It empowers sustainable strategies, giving businesses the ability to pivot as needed and explore opportunities without overcommitting.

Achieving hyper-scalability

Strategies that achieve hyper-scalability will be heavily focused on leveraging technology. Today’s leading technology solutions overcome the constraints inherent in traditional technology infrastructure with near-infinite resources businesses can access — and pay for — as needed.

Cloud-based infrastructures are one example of a hyper-scalable solution available to today’s startups. Cloud computing gives businesses the capability to access virtually unlimited computer resources with minimal cost and minimal responsibility for maintenance, security, and other operational needs. By choosing cloud-based solutions, businesses are able to scale up and down as needs change, adjusting their storage capacity and access to cloud-based applications.

Microservice architecture is another technology strategy that supports hyper-scalability by increasing the flexibility of a business’s tech infrastructure. This approach to supporting a business’s technology needs utilizes a collection of independent services working together rather than one service that covers a host of needs. For an e-commerce business, this approach would involve separate microservices for managing payment, shipping, customer service, customer relationship management, and other needs.

Microservice architecture also allows for rapid horizontal scaling, in which new services are added to or removed from overall business applications as new needs arise. Services that are not able to keep up with the business’s growth can be scaled or swapped out for better alternatives without affecting the operation of the overall system. 

Automation is another process that can empower businesses to achieve hyper-scalability by increasing output without the need to hire additional staff and ensuring quality remains consistent as output scales. Automation also supports hyper-scalability by giving businesses the performance data required for predictive scaling. With reliable performance metrics, businesses can better see how growth is affecting resources to better anticipate where and when they will need to scale.

Best practices for hyper-scalability

To achieve the benefits that flow from hyper-scalability, however, businesses must overcome a number of challenges. Developing and deploying data management systems that provide for operational transparency is one challenge, but with the right data, businesses can conduct the high-level strategic planning necessary for hyper-scaling.

Orchestrating scaling in ways that do not impact customer experiences and engagement is another key to achieving hyper-scalability. To achieve this, businesses must commit to infrastructure and maintenance strategies that support hyper-scaling, including cloud-based systems and microservice architecture.

The potential for hyper-scalability continues to increase as advancements like AI, edge computing, and 5G networks increase technology capabilities. Businesses that leverage these technologies to improve their agility, flexibility, and growth potential will gain a competitive edge in the startup landscape.

The post Scalability Matters: How to Build Hyper-Scalable Solutions for Your Business appeared first on SiteProNews.