A notable 43 per cent of security professionals anticipate AI-powered threats that could evade traditional detection methods, posing a new risk
Palo Alto Networks has released its Cloud Native Security Report for 2024, drawing from research conducted across 10 countries and feedback from over 2,800 cloud security and DevOps professionals. The report underscores AI’s significant impact on cloud application development and its emerging role as a major security risk. Organisations are urged to balance the potential of AI-driven innovation with the necessity for robust security measures.
Key Findings for India:
AI Adoption: India ranks as the second-highest adopter of AI, with 58 per cent of respondents indicating extensive use of AI for code generation and optimisation. This places India just behind Singapore (60%) and ahead of Brazil (57%). In contrast, a more cautious approach is seen in Germany (52%) and Japan (51%), where AI adoption is described as moderate and selective.
AI Threats: A notable 43 per cent of security professionals anticipate AI-powered threats that could evade traditional detection methods, posing a new risk. Additionally, 47 per cent of global respondents foresee AI-driven supply chain attacks potentially compromising essential software components or cloud services.
Security Tool Proliferation: Organisations are struggling with an average of 16 different cloud security tools from 14 vendors, leading to blind spots that hinder effective risk prioritization and threat prevention. This issue is highlighted by 91 per cent of global respondents.
Legacy Cloud Applications: In India, 42 per cent of respondents report that 30% or more of their cloud Total Cost of Ownership (TCO) is dedicated to optimizing legacy applications for the cloud. This effort underscores the importance of integrating older systems with cloud technologies to maximise the benefits of cloud computing.
Cloud Spending: Investment in cloud computing varies globally. In India, 41 per cent of organisations spend below $10 million on cloud computing, a trend also seen in Brazil (40%) and Japan (43%). This indicates a prevalence of small to medium-sized enterprises with conservative spending strategies. Mature markets like the US and UK continue to invest significantly, while Australia, Mexico, and Singapore show strong spending in higher investment brackets. France and Germany exhibit a mature yet cautious investment approach, with most investments ranging between €9 million to €46 million.
Anil Valluri, MD & VP India & SAARC at Palo Alto Networks, commented, “The Palo Alto Networks’ Cloud Native Security Report for 2024 highlights both the immense potential and critical challenges facing India’s cloud computing landscape. With India’s relatively rapid adoption of AI, the nation is on the brink of a tech revolution that promises unprecedented innovation and efficiency. However, this also brings emerging threats, with over 40% of security professionals anticipating AI-powered attacks that evade traditional defences. To fully harness cloud computing and AI while safeguarding against these threats, India must balance innovation with robust security measures, policy development, and the adoption of comprehensive, consolidated security solutions.”
The report emphasises the need for a balanced approach, combining the innovative potential of AI with strong security frameworks to protect against evolving threats.