San Mateo, Calif., – Kiteworks, which delivers data privacy and compliance for sensitive content communications through its Private Content Network (PCN), released today its 2024 Forecast for Managing Private Content Exposure Risk Report. The report outlines 12 predictions and strategies to help IT, security, risk management, and compliance leaders tackle data privacy and cyber-risk challenges for the coming year. 

The extensive report maps out 12 specific predictions based on current trends and expert assessments of the road ahead. Key areas of concern include the proliferation of AI technologies like chatbots that could enable new data breaches, growth in data privacy laws globally with harsher penalties, the rising importance of data localization and sovereignty frameworks, and the urgent need to modernize fragmented legacy communication systems. 

To address these issues, Kiteworks anticipates organizations will shift toward consolidating sensitive content tools into unified platforms governed by zero-trust principles. This centralized approach can enhance compliance, bring together fragmented communication channels, and allow robust and consistent content security policies to be applied. 

Considering the above, Kiteworks predicts that organizations will increasingly look for technology solutions that comply with security standards such as FedRAMP Authorized, SOC 2 Type II, ISO 27001, 27017, and 27018, Cyber Essentials Plus, and various others. New regulations such as the EU’s AI Act will mandate organizational AI practices, while the NIST Privacy Framework and NIST Cybersecurity Framework (CSF) will drive more continuous risk assessments and auditing. 

“As cyber threats become more advanced through AI and supply chain exploits continue to increase, we foresee organizations urgently rethinking their approach to securing sensitive data sent and shared through email, file sharing, managed file transfer (MFT), SFTP, and web forms,” said Tim Freestone, CMO at Kiteworks. “The evolution and growth in compliance will become increasingly important. We believe zero-trust policy management through the Kiteworks-enabled Private Content Network enables private and public sector organizations to overcome these security and compliance challenges in 2024.”

The 2024 Forecast Report provides concrete strategies and solutions to equip organizations with an actionable plan as they navigate the turbulent landscape ahead. Get the full report here.

Tune into our upcoming webinar panel discussion with subject-matter experts who will delve into detail on the 12 predictions contained in the 2024 Forecast Report. Register now.