The start of a new year is always a great time for reflection—to be grateful for all we have and the progress security teams have made as well as look ahead to how we can reshape the security landscape. I use this time to think about goals for the future, and to reflect on the highlights, achievements, and growth of the previous year, both personally and professionally. I want to take some time to reflect upon the progress we made in 2022 as part of our journey toward making the world a safer place for all.
Looking at the steady rise in cybercrime, it can feel like there are only gray skies on the horizon. Since September 2021 we saw the number of password attacks rise from 5791 to 1,2872 per second. That’s a staggering increase. But at Microsoft, we’re moving into the new year full of hope and resolution. We center our actions around the belief that cybersecurity is about people—to protect, involve, and empower everyone.
We’re committed to innovating against the threats of today and tomorrow by harnessing AI, machine learning, and cloud technologies all brought together in an end-to-end security cloud. Since July 2022, Microsoft Security has delivered more than 300 product innovations—from minor updates to major launches like Microsoft Entra Workload Identities (November 2022). In addition, we now have more than 15,000 partners integrated across our security ecosystem so customers have the power to choose what works best for them. In a time when security professionals are being asked to do more with less—fewer people, scant resources, and less time—Microsoft has responded with a simplified, comprehensive security approach that protects your entire multicloud, multiplatform digital estate. And we continue to foster a diverse, inclusive new generation of cyber defenders who will keep us all moving ahead—fearlessly. Here’s a look at some of our newest innovations to help you move into the new year with confidence.
According to Microsoft research, 72 percent of chief information security officers (CISOs) and other C-level security professionals say that it’s very important for a technology vendor to offer a comprehensive set of products across security, compliance, and identity.3 We continue to respond to this need, and over the past year, we’ve streamlined and simplified our security solutions into six integrated product families designed to decrease your costs and enable growth. This simplification makes it easier for you to anticipate vulnerabilities, manage risks, and navigate a rapidly evolving threat landscape and regulatory environment. This comprehensive solution with interconnected product families cover extended detection and response (XDR), security information and event management (SIEM), threat intelligence, identity and access management (IAM), endpoint management, cloud security, and data protection, compliance, and privacy. For organizations that want to extend their ability to defend and manage threats, we’ve added a new line of managed services—Microsoft Security Experts.
As cyberattacks become more sophisticated, Microsoft continues to keep pace. We’re always pushing our limits and improving our products to help you eliminate security gaps and protect more with less. During the latter half of 2022, we extended our vision of simplified, unified protection—delivering hundreds of innovations to help protect your entire digital estate. Some of our notable launches over the past six months include:
A recent industry study found that phishing, password spray, multifactor authentication fatigue, and other identity-driven attacks now account for 61 percent of breaches.7 And during the third quarter of 2022, approximately 15 million data records were breached worldwide—a 37 percent increase over the previous quarter.8 Because our adversaries aren’t slowing their attacks, we’ve continued to innovate and expand capabilities for Microsoft Entra, Microsoft Intune, and Microsoft Purview to help your team protect user identities, their endpoints, and the precious data that keep your business going.
Looking back, I am appreciative for all we’ve accomplished. These innovations across the Microsoft Security comprehensive solution empower your team to move into this year with confidence—six integrated product families to help you protect what matters most.
Creating a safer world for all is our north star; it’s what drives us toward relentless innovation. We hope you will join us in this goal and discover new ways to stay ahead of the bad actors. Today, Microsoft Security helps to protect billions of people around the globe. Our ability to process trillions of signals daily gives us a unique vantage point to scan the threat landscape and help protect against sophisticated new attacks. As proof, the number of Microsoft Security customers almost doubled in the last year to more than 860,000 worldwide. That’s why Microsoft is driving the future of cybersecurity by continuing to invest in AI, machine learning, and cloud technologies.
Be among the first to hear important security announcements from Microsoft leaders and learn how your organization can eliminate security gaps and cut costs with simplified, comprehensive protection for the new year at Microsoft Secure on March 28, 2023. This new digital event will bring our customers, partners, and the defender community together to share perspectives on navigating the security landscape and to build on real-world experience. Register today!
To learn more about Microsoft Security solutions, visit our website. Bookmark the Security blog to keep up with our expert coverage on security matters. Also, follow us at @MSFTSecurity for the latest news and updates on cybersecurity.
1The passwordless future is here for your Microsoft account, Vasu Jakkal. September 15, 2021.
2Microsoft Entra: 5 identity priorities for 2023, Joy Chik. January 9, 2023.
3Microsoft Security audience tracking research, November 2022.
4Introducing security for unmanaged devices in the Enterprise network with Microsoft Defender for IoT, Michal Braverman-Blumenstyk and Nir Giller. July 11, 2022.
5Microsoft announces new solutions for threat intelligence and attack surface management, Vasu Jakkal. August 2, 2022.
6Microsoft Defender Experts for Hunting proactively hunts threats, Microsoft Security Experts. August 3, 2022.
750 Identity And Access Security Stats You Should Know In 2022, Caitlin Jones. January 6, 2023.
8Number of data records exposed worldwide from 1st quarter 2020 to 3rd quarter 2022, Statista. November 29, 2022.
9Microsoft Entra Permissions Management is now generally available, Alex Simons. July 7, 2022.
10Microsoft Entra Verified ID now generally available, Ankur Patel. August 8, 2022.
11New capabilities that help proactively secure data with Microsoft Purview Data Loss Prevention, Shilpa Bothra. October 12, 2022.
12Detecting and investigating security risks with new capabilities from Insider Risk Management, Talhah Mir. October 12, 2022.
13Microsoft publishes new report on holistic insider risk management, Bret Arsenault. October 6, 2022.
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