Fortifying enterprise security in age of IoT, AI, and cloud: Happiest Minds

In the gruelling world of today, the enterprises integrating IoT, AI, and cloud face expanded attack surfaces, vulnerable device ecosystems, misconfigurations, and evolving threat vectors.

Kannan Srinivasan, Head of Security Practice and Delivery, Happiest Minds Technologies, tells us more about how they can avoid such attacks. Excerpts from an interview: 

DQ: What are the most significant security challenges enterprises face today as they integrate IoT, AI, and cloud, and how is Happiest Minds proactively addressing these risks?

Kannan Srinivasan: Enterprises integrating IoT, AI, and cloud face expanded attack surfaces, vulnerable device ecosystems, misconfigurations, and evolving threat vectors.

We address these challenges through:
IoT security: Full-stack IoT services from design to deployment and operations, enabling secure, scalable integration of sensors and devices, backed by anomaly detection, gateway frameworks, and the MIDAS platform.
Cloud security: Layered, proactive cloud protection including Cloud Security Assessments, CloudSecOps, CSPM, CIEM, workload protection, and Shift Left strategies in DevSecOps to unearth misconfigurations early.
Managed security and risk management: Managed detection and response (MDR/XDR), security automation, Cyber Threat Intelligence (CTI), CRPP, and virtual CISO offerings, alongside identity, access, threat, data protection, OT/IoT security, and risk & compliance frameworks.

DQ: How does Happiest Minds balance the need for rapid digital innovation with the imperative to maintain robust security and compliance standards?

Kannan Srinivasan: Innovation and security move together. Security-by-design principles, including DevSecOps and Shift Left practices, are embedded into every stage of development and deployment.

Compliance is ensured through IT security and governance services covering ISO 27001, PCI-DSS, NIST, GDPR, and more. This includes risk-driven consulting, ZTA readiness assessments, v-CISO services, control automation, and attack simulation .

DQ: In what ways is Happiest Minds utilizing AI and machine learning to enhance threat detection, incident response, and overall enterprise cyber resilience?

Kannan Srinivasan: AI underpins multiple security capabilities. These are:

* CloudSecOps applies machine learning–based anomaly detection with built-in rules to flag unusual behaviors and misconfigurations in cloud environments.

* Security Automation Services power automated response workflows, enabling rapid triage and remediation across MDR and XDR services.

* Next-Gen Cyber Risk Protection Platform (CRPP) and CTI services strengthen enterprise resilience through intelligence-driven defense.

DQ: What best practices do you recommend for organizations looking to secure their expanding digital ecosystems, especially with the convergence of IoT, AI, and multi-cloud environments?

Kannan Srinivasan: There are many. 

* Adopt Zero Trust with continuous verification of users, devices, and workloads.
* Secure IoT end-to-end using anomaly detection, secure gateways, and scalable IoT platforms like MIDAS.
* Layer cloud protection through regular cloud security assessments, CSPM/CIEM, workload protection, and automated remediation using Shift Left and CloudSecOps.
* Adopt comprehensive managed security by implementing MDR/XDR, CTI, virtual CISO, identity management, threat management, and OT/IoT security.
* Integrate AI-driven detection and automation to reduce false positives and accelerate incident response.
* Strengthen governance and compliance through virtual CISO, policy frameworks, attack simulations, and proactive risk assessments.

DQ: How does Happiest Minds help its clients stay ahead of emerging threats, such as AI-driven cyberattacks or vulnerabilities unique to IoT devices?

Kannan Srinivasan: Clients can stay ahead of emerging threats through:

• Advanced Threat Intelligence and MDR/XDR including real-time CTI and CRPP for swift detection and response.
• IoT security frameworks with anomaly detection, secure gateways, and scalable platforms like MIDAS that address device-level vulnerabilities.
• Proactive assessments and automation in cloud, risk, and compliance services to eliminate blindspots and predict exposures before they materialize.