EMA Research Blog: Navigating IT and Security Horizons

Welcome to the recap of the Enterprise Management Associates (EMA) Cybersecurity Awesomeness (CSA) Podcast. Hosted by Chris Steffen, Vice President of Research and Ken Buckler, Research Director at EMA, the CSA Podcast covers a wide range of cybersecurity topics, from cyber workforce talent shortages to cyber threat intelligence, to current events in technology and security. This short, laidback podcast is for listeners of all skill levels and backgrounds.

Welcome to the recap of the Enterprise Management Associates (EMA) Cybersecurity Awesomeness (CSA) Podcast. Hosted by Chris Steffen, Vice President of Research and Ken Buckler, Research Director at EMA, the CSA Podcast covers a wide range of cybersecurity topics, from cyber workforce talent shortages to cyber threat intelligence, to current events in technology and security. This short, laidback podcast is for listeners of all skill levels and backgrounds.

In today’s interconnected digital landscape, identity has become the cornerstone of both organizational security and user experience. Whether onboarding a new employee or granting a customer access to services, the journey of identity—commonly referred to as the identity supply chain—encompasses a series of critical stages, from initial verification to continuous authentication and authorization.

The future of cybersecurity is a hot topic, and Episode 91 of the Cybersecurity Awesomeness Podcast dives deep into what 2025 might hold. Hosted by Chris Steffen and Ken Buckler, this episode offers insights into emerging threats, groundbreaking technologies, and the ever-critical human element in security. Here’s what you need to know.

OpenText World 2024 highlighted the growing role of AI in enterprise transformation, with Aviator, OpenText’s AI platform, as a focal point. Now one year into its deployment, Aviator has demonstrated significant potential in addressing challenges across industries by integrating AI into business processes. The platform reflects OpenText’s broader strategy of “Elevating Human Potential,” focusing on AI, cloud, and security as key drivers of innovation. Aviator’s emphasis on secure, data-driven AI models has positioned it as a useful tool for tackling the complexity of modern information management.

I recently had the opportunity to attend Identity Week in Washington, D.C. While this is a smaller conference compared to RSA Conference or Black Hat, some of the conversations were just as powerful and much more focused on the identity market. I was at first encouraged by the large focus of biometrics at the conference, but quickly discouraged upon seeing the limited use cases many of the vendors were promoting.

Generative AI hype has permeated the world of IT operations. My latest research found that 96% of IT pros who have evaluated or used generative AI for IT management use cases believe it can make people in their organizations more productive.

Network as a service (NaaS) is a class of network infrastructure solutions that are delivered via a cloud-consumption model. Often, these networks are managed offerings, where the provider takes ownership of implementation and day-to-day operations. While a NaaS provider is capable of taking over network management for a customer, many IT organizations prefer to maintain some control and ownership of day-to-day operations for a NaaS-based network. 

Fresh off a week at the Splunk conference (called .conf24), I want to share a few insights about my time at the show.

Cisco Live is happening in Las Vegas this week. It remains one of the biggest annual gatherings of network infrastructure professionals in the world. It is also a venue for Cisco to showcase its latest products and services, and it is a place where Cisco lays out its overall vision to address customer requirements.