The future of security: how firm are your foundations?

Imagine a future where your security is an invisible, adaptive force that’s always one step ahead. This describes the transformative potential of “accelerated security fusion”, an emerging business strategy identified as a key theme in the NTT DATA Technology Foresight 2025 report. Published annually, the report acts as a compass, pointing to the latest technological trends researched by NTT DATA.

Accelerated security fusion is a pivotal way of defending against increasingly complex and sophisticated threats. By integrating advanced technologies such as threat intelligence, machine learning and advanced real-time analytics across security domains, you can create a unified defense system that helps you to identify vulnerabilities proactively, streamline your responses and strengthen your security posture in a range of operating environments.

Technological advances to watch

According to the report, business and IT leaders should closely follow the development of leading technologies that include the following: 

• Zero trust architecture implements a security model that strictly verifies every user and device trying to access resources, regardless of their location. It enforces the principle of least privilege and continuously validates identities to prevent unauthorized access. By assuming threats exist both inside and outside the network, zero trust architecture effectively mitigates risk.
• Behavioral analytics uses AI to establish a baseline of “normal” user behavior to enable the detection of anomalies that may reveal insider threats or compromised accounts. It improves security by identifying unusual activities that traditional methods might overlook. Behavioral baselines can be used to detect zero-day attacks — which exploit software or hardware vulnerabilities unknown to the vendor — in software supply chains and cloud-native environments, thereby protecting modern applications.
• Cyber fusion centers are centralized hubs that integrate threat intelligence, incident response and risk management to provide a unified and proactive cybersecurity strategy. Using technologies such as advanced threat protection, automation and real-time analytics, these centers enable the rapid detection and mitigation of security incidents. By fostering collaboration among cybersecurity functions and adopting a holistic approach, they improve your organization’s ability to anticipate, respond to and counteract sophisticated cyberthreats. \
• Encryption technologies are a core part of cybersecurity and an active field of research. For example, NTT Group is pioneering research into fully homomorphic encryption, which focuses on enabling computations on encrypted data without the need for decryption — a powerful mechanism for processing sensitive information securely.

Four strategies for success

The report identifies four core strategies to unlock the full spectrum of security capabilities introduced by this trend.

1. Advanced threat detection and response This involves integrating organizational strategies, new technologies and user engagement to address cyber risks proactively. By fostering a culture of preparedness and continuous monitoring, you improve your organization’s ability to detect and mitigate threats swiftly. AI-powered tools elevate these defenses, helping you to tackle both known and emerging challenges.
2. Fortifying digital identities Digital identity fortification is critical in safeguarding sensitive data and securing access to digital platforms. By improving identity and access management in your organization, you protect your systems against breaches while creating a seamless user experience that can boost customer loyalty. AI tools play a central role in this transformation, as they enable the real-time detection of anomalies and deliver frictionless authentication.
3. Information safeguarding This involves applying measures to protect personal and organizational sensitive data from unauthorized access and breaches. Organizations that prioritize data security can attract customers by demonstrating their commitment to privacy, fostering trust and loyalty in a data-aware marketplace. Enabling continuous monitoring and management further strengthens this framework.
4. Managing cyber risks Cyber risk management provides you with a structured approach to identifying, assessing and mitigating risks in a complex threat environment. AI integration streamlines these processes, enabling you to stay ahead of emerging vulnerabilities while maintaining stakeholder confidence.

Navigating the risks and blind spots

Like almost every technological breakthrough, the pursuit of accelerated security fusion comes with uncertainties.

The effectiveness of GenAI in threat simulation

Yes, GenAI is the ultimate defense mechanism, but it’s also a double-edged sword. As it evolves into a powerful tool for simulating and preempting cyberthreats, it makes your defenses more adaptive than ever. However, it can also help malicious actors to design more complex attacks, creating a constant race between innovation in defense and exploitation.

Beyond providing protection, the efficiency gains from using AI in cybersecurity will allow you to redirect your organization’s resources to innovation, boosting overall productivity and the pace of technological development.

Post-quantum cryptography readiness

Post-quantum cryptography refers to cryptographic algorithms designed to deflect attacks from both classical and quantum computers. This new approach is needed because powerful quantum computers have the potential to break many current cryptographic systems. But even as early adopters of post-quantum cryptography secure their critical systems, the laggards face heightened risks — which creates a global digital divide.

This is likely to spur rapid advances in encryption and decentralization technologies, enabling niche industries and robust local solutions to thrive. The race for quantum resilience may also fuel a renaissance in science, engineering, technology and mathematics education and workforce development, creating a generation of quantum-savvy professionals.

What comes next?

As the volume and severity of cyberthreats escalate, you need to double down on identifying and prioritizing weaknesses in your organization’s security, with a focus on detection and response, identity management and data privacy. Also, intensify your efforts to systematically analyze vulnerabilities, including cryptographic standards, to safeguard against new risks. With automation reshaping security paradigms, streamlined incident-response workflows can significantly reduce operational bottlenecks and improve agility in addressing threats. Automation is now a must-have for improving speed, accuracy and scalability in the management of cyberincidents. AI-driven threat intelligence programs unlock value by fostering cross-departmental alignment and streamlining information sharing and decision-making. Organizations must ensure integration between teams and technologies to establish a cohesive and proactive defense strategy.

To explore the potential of accelerated security fusion in your organization, using GenAI-powered personas or avatars to analyze different scenarios for the future of your organization has proved to be a powerful approach. These personas — which are created with technologies like computer-generated image rendering, natural language processing and emotion AI — will facilitate more immersive and interactive ways of simulating business environments, helping you mitigate risk through scenario-based planning. While some uncertainty will remain, exploring these scenarios will reduce the risk of blind spots down the road.

Read the NTT DATA Technology Foresight 2025 report, infographic and trend to uncover more strategies for navigating the next wave of technological change.