Top 5 stories of the week: Deloitte’s cybersecurity predictions, the true cost of a breach, AI’s new diet

A new report released this week from Perception Point and Osterman Research found that, on average, companies pay $1,197 per employee each year to address cybersecurity incidents — which can add up quickly the larger an organization is. Against that backdrop, looking ahead to 2023, Deloitte predicts an increase in cybersecurity preparedness both for employees and board members alike. It also predicts that securing emerging technologies, ramping up connected device visibility and data-focused security practices will be priorities for teams in 2023 — however, Deloitte leaders also noted that the talent shortage is likely to continue as are issues with security supply chains.

This week, Mulesoft, a Salesforce-owned company, also made predictions about what’s ahead for the enterprise in 2023. It noted that nearly three years after the pandemic, companies are still pushing forward with a focus on accelerated digital transformation giving way for things like automation, composable agility, low-code and no-code tools, data automation and layered cyber defenses to continue to grow. 

Tech giants like Google, IBM, Microsoft and Intel also made news this week for the progress they’re making in quantum computing. The companies are pushing ahead, developing cloud services and other tools to test the use of quantum algorithms. Sandeep Pattathil, senior analyst at the IT advisory firm, Everest Group, told VentureBeat that a major challenge still ahead will be quantum computing’s algorithmic advances — not speed. 

Related to advancement challenges, experts say that since around 90% of AI and machine learning deployments fail to get off the ground, the industry needs to change what it’s feeding AI. Real data can be cumbersome and costly to obtain, label and iterate upon — and using a steady diet of synthetic data can supplement this. Kevin McNamara, CEO and founder of synthetic data platform provider, Parallel Domain, told VentureBeat that without synthetic data, AI may stay stuck in a “Stone Age,” of sorts. 

Here’s more from our top 5 tech stories of the week:

1. Deloitte reveals 10 strategic cybersecurity predictions for 2023
   Over the past few months, organizations including Uber, Cisco, Twilio and Rockstar Games have all fallen victim to data breaches as a result of cyberattacks. Recently, some of Deloitte’s leading analysts spoke with VentureBeat to share their top strategic cybersecurity predictions for 2023.

   The analysts revealed a range of predictions, including the importance cybersecurity and future-forward readiness and organizational resilience will play in helping enterprises to better control their exposure to threat actors in the future.

2. Why AI needs a steady diet of synthetic data
   Artificial intelligence (AI) may be eating the world as we know it, but experts say AI itself is also starving — and needs to change its diet. One company says synthetic data is the answer.

   “Data is food for AI, but AI today is underfed and malnourished,” said Kevin McNamara, CEO and founder of synthetic data platform provider, Parallel Domain, which just raised $30 million in a series B round led by March Capital. “That’s why things are growing slowly. But if we can feed that AI better, models will grow faster and in a healthier way. Synthetic data is like nourishment for training AI.”

3. Quantum progress: How IBM, Microsoft, Google and Intel compare
   Established enterprise leaders like IBM, Microsoft and Google continue to make progress in quantum computing. As a result, quantum computers are getting bigger and achieving advantages over traditional tech in limited circumstances. 

   These vendors are also developing cloud services that allow enterprises to test the waters of quantum algorithms using development tools and simulators running on classic hardware.

4. Top 7 digital transformation trends to drive efficient growth in 2023 
   A couple of years ago, the pandemic drove an urgent acceleration in digital transformation initiatives. It pushed companies (of all sizes) to invest in advanced technologies to survive in the new normal.

   As this trend continues, Salesforce-owned Mulesoft has identified seven digital transformation aspects that will be key to overcoming operational pressures and driving efficient and sustainable growth in 2023.

5. Cybersecurity incidents cost organizations $1,197 per employee, per year
   According to a new report released by threat prevention provider, Perception Point and Osterman Research, organizations pay $1,197 per employee yearly to address cyber incidents across email services, cloud collaboration apps or services and web browsers.

   This means the average 500-employee company spends $600,000 annually on addressing cybersecurity incidents, without factoring in additional costs like business losses, compliance fines or mitigation costs.