The world of data security is by necessity in a constant state of evolution, and the best IT teams not only stay ahead of the latest threats and vulnerabilities, they stay informed about the emerging trends and technologies in the field. With the proliferation of data and the increasing complexity of the systems that help create, utilize, and store it — along with rapid cloud adoption and the unprecedented number of workers who need remote access — the threats to data security will only multiply. Organizations around the world are investing heavily in the future of data security. Here are some important trends in the industry to be aware of: Authentication trends The use of multi-factor authentication (MFA) will only continue to grow, with users being required to provide several forms of identification to access a system beyond a password, including security tokens, fingerprints, and other biometrics like facial recognition or iris scanning. Privilege trends The principle of least privilege (PoLP) limits user access to only the data and systems necessary for performing one’s job duties. Unnecessary privileges that could potentially be exploited by cybercriminals will become increasingly rare, as organizations effectively limit the damage that can come from compromised accounts, insider threats, and phishing and malware attacks. Analytics trends (Artificial Intelligence) Artificial intelligence (AI) and machine learning (ML) are at the forefront of analytics trends in cybersecurity, with systems increasingly able to automatically detect and prevent threats and detect anomalies in real time. Behavior-based analytics based on machine learning are also able to detect suspicious user activity. Cloud security trends As more organizations move their data and applications to the cloud, ensuring the security of cloud environments will be paramount. In addition to cloud access security brokers (CASBs), one of the emerging technologies is the Cloud Native Application Protection Platform (CNAPP). CNAPP provides a comprehensive set of security controls for cloud-native applications, including container-based applications and microservices, helping organizations secure their cloud-native applications by providing features such as runtime protection, vulnerability management, and compliance management. Elastic offers an integrated approach combining security analytics with CNAPP.