Covering Disruptive Technology Powering Business in The Digital Age

Written by: Khairul Haqeem, Journalist, AOPG.

As an old adage says, change is the only constant in life, and this certainly applies to the rapidly evolving world of IT management. In recent years, this industry has experienced a shift from traditional on-premises solutions to cloud-based systems, and with it, a surge in the need for advanced cybersecurity measures. Standing on the frontline of this transformation is ManageEngine, the enterprise IT management division of Zoho Corporation, with its strategic mission to strengthen its presence in Southeast Asia and, in particular, Malaysia.

In an exclusive conversation during the ManageEngine Media Hospitality event at St. Regis Hotel Kuala Lumpur, Arun Kumar, the Regional Director for Asia Pacific at ManageEngine, shared valuable insights about the company’s growth strategy, its novel IT solutions, and the impact of emerging technologies on businesses.

I couldn’t help but notice the confluence of ambition, innovation, and vision in Arun’s words, which resonated with the technology-orientated ethos of the company. From the conversation, it was clear that ManageEngine, having a robust presence in the on-premises IT management space, has kept pace with the industry’s shift to hybrid and fully cloud-based solutions.

Multi-Factor Authentication: A Must-Have in Cybersecurity

The increasing complexity of our digital interactions demands solutions like Multi-Factor Authentication (MFA), an essential tool that adds an extra layer of security to the digital login process.

Arun points to the introduction of the industry’s first on-premises solution to offer endpoint MFA for all major operating systems as a significant milestone. The comprehensive protection this system provides extends to cloud applications and on-premises applications, including endpoint identity. This integrated approach ensures that MFA functions as a broad cybersecurity safety net, closing not only identity gaps but a host of other potential security loopholes.

Approximately 70% of breaches originate at endpoints. MFA at endpoints can play a significant role here. By requiring users to prove their identity through additional authentication methods like biometrics during workstation, server, VPN, and OWA logins, Endpoint MFA reduces the risk of sensitive data exposure. This measure is effective even in instances where passwords are compromised due to poor password hygiene.

Misconceptions about MFA abound, such as the notion that it always requires external hardware devices or that it could negatively impact user productivity. This is not true. There are many different ways to implement MFA, and not all of them require external hardware devices. For example:

1. Fingerprint
2. Face ID
3. Duo Security
4. Microsoft Authenticator
5. Google Authenticator
6. YubiKey Authenticator
7. Email verification
8. SMS verification

And the ManageEngine solution supports a bunch more authenticators listed here.

AI and ML: Enhancing Proactivity and Preparedness

Artificial Intelligence (AI) and Machine-Learning (ML) have come to the fore as driving forces in the IT landscape. Arun himself reiterated, “AI and ML will continue to grow. They have already started in terms of production, and that is bound to grow.” These advancements have transformed the digital landscape, morphing from traditional applications of automation and predictive analysis into proactive network monitoring and threat mitigation, and becoming crucial aids in business decision-making stages.

An overwhelming 72% of business executives view AI as a crucial business advantage, according to a PwC survey. As businesses move away from manual, labour-intensive processes, AI has emerged as a tool to streamline operations. AI capabilities have developed rapidly in recent years, with applications ranging from forecast engines to conversational assistants and anomaly detection to behaviour analysis.

Strategically applied AI has the potential to significantly improve day-to-day IT operations. Some anticipated use cases include enabling process automation to eliminate mundane tasks, performing data-driven actions based on smart insights, and speeding up responses to stakeholder queries.

Two aspects, in particular, will play significant roles in further boosting AI’s appeal:

• Explainable AI
  Explainable AI technologies offer value by providing reasons for the AI system’s actions and decisions. IT teams can review and correct the AI system in real-time, ensuring greater control and transparency.
• AI-Powered Security
  AI’s role in cybersecurity is set to become increasingly significant, improving threat detection accuracy, performing preliminary inquiries on detected threats, and responding to potential cyber threats.

In an enterprise IT context, AI-enabled solutions offer invaluable benefits. They automate help desk operations, provide real-time insights on potential security incidents, offer conversational assistance, and proactively address customer issues with predictive analysis.

These AI-based solutions provide actionable insights, automate routine tasks, reduce error margins, engage clients, and maximise employee productivity – all while considering the business value and end-user experience.

By deploying solutions that harness the power of machine-learning and data analytics, IT teams can unlock a suite of advantages. These include improved capacity planning, better resource utilisation, enhanced predictive analytics, and optimised IT service management, to name a few. Monitoring user behaviour anomalies, conducting root cause analysis of issues, and performing behaviour analysis for users and entities also become more manageable and efficient.

Low Code, No Code: Aiding Agility and Adaptability

In today’s scenario, every business leader grapples with the challenge of digitally transforming their organisation. Digital lean organisations are often associated with higher productivity and better profits. Thus, leaders are compelled to update archaic business processes and collaborate with IT teams to either implement new software or upgrade existing software in support of new processes.

However, “hiring digital-first talent isn’t a walk in the park,” Arun remarked. The talent pool faces a dearth of skilled coders, posing challenges for businesses. This is where low-code platforms offer a significant advantage over traditional development methods. Developing low-code solutions necessitates less technical effort, allowing IT teams to invest less time in creating transactional apps and more resources in solving critical business challenges.

A low-code platform provides several benefits that make it a potent tool for organisations:

1. Accelerating App Development: With the help of drag-and-drop builders, prebuilt UI templates, and data models, a low-code platform significantly reduces the time required for app development.
2. Streamlining Business Processes and Automating Workflows: Using custom scripting language and workflow builders, you can streamline business processes and automate workflows.
3. Reducing the Total Cost of Ownership: With a low-code platform, you enjoy abstracted drag-and-drop-based development, minimal maintenance, and minimal testing, which significantly reduces the total cost of ownership.
4. Enhancing Customer and Partner Experience: By enabling them to interact with your organisation’s data through online portals and mobile apps, you can improve the customer and partner experience.
5. Safeguarding User Data and Ensuring Compliance: Low-code platforms allow you to define and manage user access, identities, and permissions, which protects your company’s user data and helps you stay compliant with organisational policies.
6. Creating a Single Source of Information: A low-code platform enables you to collate, analyse, and manage data from multiple sources, providing a single source of information via a dashboard.

Charting the Path for Digital Transformation

“Over a period of time, all the products we built at ManageEngine on-premises are also supported in the cloud. We cover close to 45 plus products, all of which have the option for customers to choose between on-premises and cloud,” Arun revealed. This adaptability reflects a deep understanding of changing customer needs and a willingness to invest in both the present and the future. It’s a blend of stability and innovation.

The journey towards digital transformation is a complex process, often filled with hurdles and challenges. However, businesses can better prepare for the journey by including everyone at the stakeholder level and fostering awareness among employees. And as Arun suggested, having a clear end goal for the transformation journey, with well-defined stages and an inclusive approach, can ensure a smoother journey to digital transformation.

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