RPA security challenges in 2021

What many security professionals have failed to realize is that the user identities created for RPA technologies to connect to a company network in order to execute a task are just as vulnerable as their human counterparts. 2021 will be the birth of digital identities for the digital workforce.

RPA security challenges in 2021

Throughout 2021, identity and security teams will begin to realize the unconsidered security challenges of RPA, such as how creating and destroying digital workers results in account orphaning and privileged creep. Like we’ve seen with other innovations this lack of awareness around the security implications of RPA will cause a significant RPA breach in 2021, causing security teams to recognize the need for the privileged management and governance of the digital workforce.  

About Alan Radford’s 

Alan Radford is the regional CTO at One Identity where he’s responsible for the PAM field strategy in EMEA. Alan moved to the UK from Australia in 2012 to come and work for Quest, recognizing the value of the Quest approach to what is now One Identity. With over 15 years of experience in Identity Access Management, he’s an experienced subject matter expert in Privileged Access Management and governance. Alan has worked with organizations across the globe facing unique challenges in the IAM space, bringing innovation and thought leadership to successful IAM strategies.

The Golden Age of the Cloud

In 2020 we watched the world dramatically accelerate forward in terms of cloud adoption. We saw 5 years of cloud adoption in 5 months. No longer are cloud technologies something companies are looking at as optional, they are the preferred option now. The pandemic and the subsequent ubiquitous remote work made software-as-a-service and the cloud the new norm. 2021 will be the year of the cloud-first architecture. No longer will it be an all-or-nothing approach and no longer will people make the trade-off between functionality and cloud – they’d want the same functionality independent of the deployment model.

Enterprises will move instead towards a more pragmatic approach to the cloud where they choose the approach that’s right for their business.

From attaching cloud-delivered microservices to on-prem solutions to enterprises moving away from physical infrastructure to being completely in the public cloud, there’s no longer a correct answer for how to utilize the cloud. 2021 will be the year of creating the cloud that offers the highest level of value to the enterprise. Protecting this new cloud-first world is going to become the #1 priority for security organizations. 

About Bhagwat Swaroop

Bhagwat serves as President and General Manager of Quest’s One Identity Business Unit and joined the company in November 2020. He is responsible for driving the overall strategy, product innovation, GTM, and P&L for One Identity. Bhagwat is a seasoned strategic leader and brings a deep understanding of the enterprise security landscape, technology ecosystem, SaaS, and cloud-driven business models. 

With more than 20 years of leadership success during tenures with Proofpoint, Symantec, NetApp, McKinsey, and Intel, he excels in strategy, product development, go-to-market, and building high performing teams. Prior to joining One Identity, Bhagwat served as executive vice president and GM of the Email Security Business unit and Industry Solutions at Proofpoint. Previously at Symantec, he served as vice president of global solutions product management and product marketing for the enterprise security business unit and vice president of corporate strategy.