Page 63 - Cyber Defense eMagazine December 2023

These platforms are equipped with automatic updates and are backed by a team of security experts from
the provider, ensuring that the system is always up to date with the latest security standards and
protocols. This not only alleviates the pressure on mid-market firms to compete for cybersecurity talent
but also mitigates the risks associated with human error and insufficient in-house expertise.

The Digital Footprint

Two trends dominate in the digital evolution of the mid-market. In food and pharmaceutical distribution,
for example, there’s a push for traceability across the entire supply chain, from raw materials to the
consumer and from farm to table. Technologies like blockchain and IoT are helping to meet those
requirements. Among distributors of non-perishable hardgoods, the need for superb customer service
amid competition from bigger, resource-rich competitors are pushing mobile technologies into the mix to
streamline ordering and logistics processes.

All these digital tools can be a target-rich threat environment.

Cloud ERP is a reliable and resilient component of many mid-market business architectures because
they help to integrate this expanding digital footprint into a single, comprehensive system. This
centralized approach not only counters the skills gap in cybersecurity expertise but also provides a
proactive defense mechanism against the ever-evolving threat landscape.

About the Author

As CIO of VAI, Kevin Beasley oversees both the corporation’s
technology strategy in conjunction with product development and the
internal information technology initiatives that support the goals of the
company. He has decades of ERP, SCM, and WMS consulting
experience and extensive experience in the IT space. For more on VAI,
please visit vai.net.

Cyber Defense eMagazine – December 2023 Edition 63
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