We've all seen headlines like this. Cyberattacks are bigger than ever. Today they can pretty much come from anywhere. State actors, for example, might use sophisticated methods to gain access to your organization's data. These attacks have become possible because we live online. This means almost every organization is digitally connected to their customers, partners, and even their employees globally. Although there are many advantages to this level of connection, the systematic complexities create a new risk. Let me explain. Traditional on-premise systems or company-owned datacenters, generally rely on a perimeter based security approach. That means the boundary around all of the data is protected by a firewall for example, in addition to other components. Once someone's inside that boundary, there deemed trustworthy and they have access to nearly everything. If you think about this in the same way as you think about securing your house, all you have to worry about is the perimeter. Maybe you have a gate. You'd also have to secure all the windows and doors with locks and security keys and codes. Now imagine what would happen if you removed the roof, the doors, and the windows. Every object and person is now exposed. The result is that each object and perhaps even each person has to be individually secured. That's exactly where we are today. We're in the Internet of Things era. Everything is connected through the sensors that collect data. Your phone, your car, and even your credit card. Everything is a node on a network. When everything is a node, each node becomes an entry point. So what are the most common cybersecurity threats in this case? Number one, constant criminal attacks. Phishing attackers will do research to gather information about you or anyone in your organization, for example, employees or students. They then craft highly targeted emails to trick these people into thinking that the messages are genuine. Anyone in your organization can then be scammed to downloading malicious attachments, giving up their password, or sharing sensitive data. Number two, physical damage. Organizations can still be responsible for data losses even when damage to the physical hard disk, power losses, natural disasters, such as floods or fires and earthquakes occur. Number three, malware, viruses, and ransomware attacks. Data can be lost, damaged, or destroyed by viruses and malware. Or a set of files can be rendered unavailable to its intended users via ransomware until a ransom amount is paid. Number four, unsecured third-party systems. Although third-party systems are often used to address common business needs, for example finance, inventory, or account management, without adequate security measures and regular checks these systems can pose a threat to data security. Number five, lack of expert knowledge. At the rate the technology is changing, investing in the right expertise to assess, develop, implement, and then maintain data security plans is essential for businesses to stay ahead of potential data security threats. Now, how do you defend against security threats that can come from anywhere, at anytime, and from anyone? A perimeter security model is not enough anymore. In fact, you'll soon discover that leveraging cloud technology for your organization can dramatically strengthen your organization's ability to secure data against newer and more sophisticated threats. As the complexity of data security increases and expertise becomes more scarce, a collaboration between your cloud provider is crucial in keeping your organization's data secure.