Security | Threat Detection | Cyberattacks | DevSecOps | Compliance

The technology industry is very comfortable talking about the future. We talk about AI, automation, cyber resilience and digital transformation as though the next decade is something we can design, optimise and secure. But there is a more basic question the sector needs to confront. Who gets to be part of it?

In a perfect world, every business would design its network from day one with the need for scalability, connectivity from anywhere and zero-trust security in mind. In the real world, of course, few organisations have this luxury. Most have entrenched technology investments in place, and overhauling them to conform with modern network access and security paradigms isn't always feasible.

Most people have accepted a LinkedIn request from someone they don't know. The profile looks credible. Professional photo, solid work history, a few mutual connections. Their job title says recruiter and you accepted it without thinking twice. That's the point.

Financial institutions are spending more on security than they were five years ago. They have more security tools, invest more in training, have more policies in place and report on security more regularly. That sounds positive, but it does not automatically make them more secure. One of the biggest challenges for security leaders is deciding where to focus. New vulnerabilities, threat reports and regulatory requirements appear all the time. With so much competing for attention, it can be difficult to separate genuine priorities from the latest headline.

The reports surrounding Anthropic's Mythos 5 and Fable 5 have generated the usual reactions. Some see a necessary security measure and others see government overreach. Anthropic has disputed portions of the reporting and pushed back that the models represent an extraordinary threat. And now we're in a familiar grey area that is Anthropic models.

As enterprises accelerate digital transformation, networking has become essential to business resilience, agility, and trust. Previously considered background infrastructure, it now informs every strategic discussion on risk, performance, and growth.

In recent months, there has been plenty of speculation about whether the industry is in the middle of an "AI bubble," often fuelled by questions about whether massive infrastructure investments are matched by real demand. Yet current developments suggest this is not the case: the ecosystem around AI continues to expand at a pace that indicates longterm structural change rather than shortterm hype.

For decades, highly regulated sectors have taken a cautious approach to cybersecurity, and for organisations in industries such as banking and finance, healthcare, insurance and critical national infrastructure, the instinct has been to retain ownership of security operations. That model is now under strain. Escalating cyber threats, regulatory scrutiny, and a growing skills shortage are exposing the limits of traditional Security Operations Centres (SOCs). At the same time, AI-driven technologies are maturing rapidly and forcing a strategic rethink.