The Digital Transformation Expo (DTX) landed in Manchester this week and as the north’s biggest digital transformation event, it certainly wasn’t one to miss!
The two-day event, which is part of Manchester Tech Week, was packed full of engaging keynotes and informative panels and saw leading tech companies from all over the world exhibiting their latest innovative tech solutions.
The theme for this year’s event was ‘Together We Transform’, which could not have been more fitting as the expo brought organisations and individuals from all corners of the tech landscape together to connect and collaborate, including cybersecurity, DevOps, network infrastructure and customer experience, to name a few.
Being a tech PR agency, we often attend industry events to keep our finger on the pulse of the latest trends and advancements in the industry and we were definitely not disappointed with the wealth of knowledge and innovation that filled Manchester Central Convention Complex.
Whilst it’s difficult to cover the event in a single blog, due to the sheer volume of activity across the complex, we’ve compiled a few of our key learnings from some of the sessions we attended on the day….
We’re saying goodbye to passwords
It comes as no surprise that passwords are currently the most common authentication method for online applications and devices, having been around for longer than anyone can remember (dating back to 400 BC!). It’s, therefore, also not much of a shock that 81% of hacking-related breaches used either weak or stolen passwords. As a result, more companies are switching from knowledge-based authentication methods like passwords, to possession and inherence-based methods, such as key cards and biometrics. In fact, there has been a 60% drop in the use of passwords as a form of authentication.
The added bonus of switching to passwordless is that it eradicates the need for password resets. Employees spend an average of 12.6 minutes time entering or resetting passwords per week, so making the swap will certainly save time (and possibly a few headaches!).
We’re struggling to say goodbye to legacy tech
During a panel on ‘How to secure a cloud-first environment,’ we heard about the obstacles being faced by organisations trying to fully migrate to the cloud, most notably legacy technology. Outdated legacy technology may still meet the needs it was originally designed for but it doesn’t allow for growth and makes it difficult to move over to the cloud entirely.
The panel debated on the way forward but ultimately decided that the solution will be different for each organisation, depending on their business needs. However, as legacy technology is fundamental to the operations of many businesses it’s something that they will need to address if they’re planning to move over to the cloud entirely.
More organisations are adopting zero-trust policies
When one of the speakers asked the audience whether their organisations are thinking about taking a zero-trust approach to their cybersecurity strategy, the number of hands in the air made it clear that we’re moving towards a zero-trust future.
A zero-trust strategy is exactly what it says on the tin, untrusting. Working on the assumption that anyone or anything that is attempting to access your network cannot automatically be trusted a zero-trust strategy provides employees with only the access they need and requires users, devices and applications to be verified every time a request is made.
Whilst zero-trust is a strategy, meaning there’s no single product or purchase an organisation can make to implement it, it seems that organisations are keen to put in the work and adopt this approach in a bid to keep their networks secure.
The tech industry is constantly evolving, but some trends we’re expecting to see in the near future include the progressive growth of artificial intelligence, the increasing use of blockchain technology, the development of 5G networks, as well as a continued focus on cybersecurity and data privacy.
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