The tech world, especially for developers, experienced a seismic shift in 2023, largely due to AI’s growing influence. As we step into 2024, the landscape is poised for a major transformation. A standout issue from 2023 was the human element in security breaches, with Verizon’s Data Breach Investigations Report attributing 74% of breaches to human errors. Ev Kontsevoy, CEO of Teleport, highlighted the costly consequences of these mistakes, which include misusing privileges, accidental data exposure, and falling prey to social engineering attacks.
Organizations are now increasingly adopting biometric hardware and identity verification to combat these issues. But the challenge has evolved, with attackers shifting focus to extracting various secrets embedded in an organization’s infrastructure. According to Kontsevoy, the future lies in moving towards secretless authentication to protect sensitive access points.
Kontsevoy also anticipates a shift in cybersecurity, where security teams will become consultants and auditors, leaving engineers to choose vendors and implement security protocols. This shift will place more responsibility on engineering teams for security measures.
Yoav Abrahami, chief architect at Wix, noted the ongoing information revolution sparked by OpenAI. He predicts AI will augment other developer integrations in areas like DevOps and data mining. There’s also a growing trend towards low code, integration reinforcing organizational design, and the obsolescence of legacy systems, as observed by leaders at Digibee. Peter Kreslins, Digibee’s CTO, likened the rise of low code to how generative AI systems are transforming content creation.
In the realm of IT integration, legacy systems are predicted to fade out. However, modern integration platforms that can mesh legacy systems with current ones may prolong their usefulness, especially in sectors like financial services. Another key area is AIOps (Artificial Intelligence for IT Operations), which Shahid Ahmed from NTT sees playing a crucial role. He predicts the concept of Dark NOC (Network Operations Center) will gain traction, with a focus on automation and the need for human talent to ensure its success.
Chris Hughes from Endor Labs anticipates a continued rise in software supply chain attacks, pushing themes like Secure-by-Design and software liability products to the forefront. Meta’s introduction of Purple Llama, an open trust and safety tool, suggests a move towards more responsible AI deployment. Nicole Carignan from Darktrace emphasizes the need for cybersecurity best practices to protect AI systems.
Finally, the software development sector may face more regulatory pressure, as suggested by Kontsevoy. He echoes the thoughts of experts like Bruce Schneier on the need for increased regulation of critical software systems. In summary, 2024 is shaping up to be a pivotal year for developers and IT professionals, marked by significant changes in AI integration, cybersecurity, and regulatory pressures.
