From AI-driven decisions to smarter collaboration, security teams are working overtime to stay in the loop—before it’s too late
Technology’s moving fast—like blink-and-you-miss-it fast. AI is everywhere, cloud computing is ubiquitous, and companies are swimming in data lakes they didn’t even have a few years ago. But for every shiny new tool or breakthrough platform, there’s a nagging question that won’t go away: can security keep up?
The uncomfortable truth? Often, it’s struggling to. And that’s making a lot of people nervous.
The gap between innovation and protection keeps stretching
Here’s the thing: most organisations jump on new tech to stay competitive, to collaborate better, or to crunch numbers faster than the next guy. That’s understandable. But the security side? It’s frequently left scrambling.
Chief security officers know this feeling all too well. They’re the ones trying to explain to the board why they need a bigger budget to stop a threat that doesn’t even exist yet—but could pop up tomorrow. And that’s a tough sell.
So while innovation surges ahead, security often plays defence.
Security teams need to be at the table early—not just cleaning up after
One of the clearest solutions, experts say, is pretty simple on paper: bring security into tech discussions from the start.
No, not to be the person in the room who says “no” to everything. But to actually understand the tech, anticipate what could go wrong, and suggest ways to make it safer before it’s live.
Waiting until the product launches or the system’s already connected to sensitive data? That’s a bit like checking if a boat leaks after it leaves the dock.
The basics still matter—maybe more than ever
While flashy new security tools grab headlines, veterans in the field will tell you: the fundamentals never go out of style. That’s especially true when tech is changing fast and teams are under pressure to adapt.
Here’s a quick list that many security professionals say still matters just as much today as a decade ago:
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Understand your threat landscape—and reassess when new tech changes it.
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Use air-gapping and “need-to-know” access principles where it makes sense.
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Layer defences so your most important data doesn’t rely on just one system or tool.
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And above all, don’t ignore your people. They’re still your first line of defence—or your weakest link.
That last point? It’s the one that trips up even the most tech-savvy companies.
Human error doesn’t disappear with fancier tech
Let’s not kid ourselves. You can have AI scanning emails, machine learning flagging anomalies, and advanced biometrics at every door. But if someone clicks a dodgy link or shares their password on Slack? You’ve still got a problem.
All this tech is built to help humans make better decisions. But if those humans don’t know how to use the tools—or worse, ignore them—it can unravel in seconds.
One classic example? Security screening systems. They’ve come a long way in the past two decades, picking up threats faster and more accurately than ever. But if the power goes out, you still need humans who know how to do manual checks.
Not ideal. Not fast. But necessary.
Training staff is still the strongest (and cheapest) security upgrade
For all the investment in firewalls and threat detection AI, training remains the bedrock. That means:
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Teaching basic cyber hygiene (yes, again).
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Making sure staff know what that new tech tool does, and doesn’t do.
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Running drills, not just relying on policies that live in a dusty PDF.
A trained human can adapt when the system breaks down. A machine can’t do much without power or context.
That’s why companies that take training seriously often fare better during actual security incidents. It’s not magic—it’s just preparation.
Security budgets are stuck in the “what if?” zone
There’s one more elephant in the room: money. Security leaders often struggle to convince execs to spend big on something that’s mostly preventive.
Unlike marketing or sales, you can’t always point to ROI. You’re basically saying: “Trust us, this will stop a bad thing that hasn’t happened yet.”
One senior CISO put it this way: “We’re not rewarded for the crisis we prevented. We’re blamed for the one we didn’t.”
And when security is seen as an expense rather than a value-add, it falls behind. That’s when companies get caught flat-footed—by ransomware, data breaches, or even plain old phishing emails.
So, can security ever truly keep up? Or is this just the new normal?
Short answer: it’s a bit of both.
Security probably won’t ever fully outrun innovation. But it can close the gap if companies do a few things differently:
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Include security in tech planning from the jump
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Prioritize training as much as tools
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Stop treating it as a cost center and start seeing it as a partner in resilience
Until then, security will keep chasing. And hoping it’s not too far behind when the next big thing breaks the internet.
