Merritt Maxim

More than 41,000 attendees, 600 exhibitors, and 425 sessions. Get some of the key themes and takeaways from the Forrester security & risk analysts who attended RSA Conference (RSAC) 2024.

(special thanks to my colleague Jess Burn who assisted with this blog) Faithful readers of my infrequent Forrester blog posts might remember my penchant for using analogies to discuss specific cybersecurity issues. I am pleased to continue that tradition, so I am going to discuss how crashing a bike is relevant to cybersecurity incident response. […]

Which security technologies should be getting the investment in 2023, and which ones should you be scaling back on? Read a few key takeaways from our planning guide for security and risk leaders.

Last month, smart home provider Insteon appears to have shut down, rendering the Insteon hubs inoperable. Users were unable to control their IoT devices connected to the Insteon hub, such as smart lighting and appliances. The culprit appears to not be malicious malware but rather financial circumstances that have caused the company to cease operations. […]

On Monday, April 11, 2022, identity management and governance (IMG) vendor SailPoint announced that it was being bought by private equity (PE) firm Thoma Bravo for $6.9 billion. This is not the first rodeo for Thoma Bravo with SailPoint; in 2014, the PE firm bought out SailPoint’s original venture capital investors and remained an owner […]

On Tuesday, March 22, 2022, identity-as-a-service (IDaaS) provider Okta announced that it had detected an attempt to compromise the account of a partner in January 2022. The announcement came after the hacking group Lapsus$ posted screenshots of a computer used by one of Okta’s third-party customer support engineers. As one of the largest IDaaS providers with […]

Identity and access management (IAM) is the control plane for determining a root of trust for all digital identities. Effective IAM must validate identities, secure access, manage privileges, and be optimized for hardened security, good user experience, and operational efficiency across all user populations — your workforce, partners, customers, and machine identities. Effective and efficient […]

Find out why these five technology categories are causing security decision-makers the most concern.

Facebook's recently announced its decision to no longer use facial recognition in its platform. What does that mean for the long-term?

On October 4, 2021, identity and access management (IAM) vendor One Identity announced plans to acquire identity-as-a-service (IDaaS) vendor OneLogin for an undisclosed amount. Founded in 2009, OneLogin is an established pure-play IDaaS vendor that primarily serves midmarket enterprises, with a unified platform for employees, partners, and customers, and has raised over $170 million in […]

Forrester analysts take a detailed look at what's driving the unprecedented premium being paid in this acquisition.

Biometric authentication is a powerful technology with many compelling use cases but is not without controversy and distinct risks. What are users’ privacy rights in how biometric information is processed and stored? How are biometrics regulated around the world? How can the use of biometrics lead to discriminatory practices? What security shortcomings are associated with […]

A Flash-Point Week For Facial Recognition Last week, IBM, Amazon, and Microsoft came out and made some big announcements on how they intend to halt or ban the use of facial recognition technology for law enforcement. At a time when privacy and civil rights dominate the zeitgeist, these values-based decisions will force much-needed dialogue on the ethics of facial recognition […]

Our analysts address the five most pressing questions in the facial recognition debate.

Our security analysts provide guidance for managing security and risk during the coronavirus pandemic.

In this new era of social distancing, the physical security world may seem less relevant. But the digital and physical worlds are converging. These dependent systems are increasingly tested to manage a diverse range of incidents ranging from extreme weather, malicious cyberattacks, terrorist attacks, and more. Emerging technologies like drones, antidetection systems, and 3D printing […]

In prior years, the RSA Conference focused on themes such as Zero Trust, geopolitical risk, and automation. While those themes were still present at this year’s conference, it was harder to discern one dominant central theme for the conference. I inferred that “no new buzzwords” exemplifies the theme. This year’s RSA Conference suggested that the […]

From the Intel-McAfee deal to the Sony Pictures breach, VP and Principal Analyst Jeff Pollard reviews the past decade’s cybersecurity highlights and lowlights.