Cyberattacks is becoming a threatening concern in today’s society. Many of us should be aware of the constant cyberattack news spreading around the world with the rising tensions between Russia and Ukraine. Big technology companies such as Google, one of the most popular search engines around the world is making a big investment into the cybersecurity sector. The trillion dollar company has now agreed to purchase the cybersecurity firm Mandiant in an all-cash deal valued at approximately $5.4 billion. Google’s second biggest purchase ever reveals their commitment to investing in the development of cyber security to protect the company and users/consumers from dangerous online threats while using Google Cloud.
Why is Cybersecurity so Important for Companies?
- Cybersecurity is of utmost importance to companies because it allows for private information/data to remain private. Stolen data can lead to lawsuits and a hefty ransom.
- As a company the main goal is to generate income when cyberattacks occur there can be large financial costs that can truly damage a company’s finances. If a company producing products gets cyberattacked that can lead to supply chain interferences digging a deeper hole for the company.
- Lastly, the business model around companies is to provide excellent services to the consumer/user. A companies reputation plays a big role in the ability to draw in consumers. A loss of confidence in the company from consumers would be detrimental to any company. Cybersecurity protects individuals/businesses from private information being accessed, financial bleeding, and loss of consumer trust.
Who is Mandiant and What do they do?
- Mandiant is a cybersecurity firm most known for their efforts in revealing the devastating SolarWinds attack that decimated computers across the United States federal government.
- In Google’s case Mandiant’s operations will require the work of 600+ security consultants and 300+ intelligence analysts on the Google Cloud to create a forcefield security operations suite.
- Services ranging from consulting on cybersecurity to identifying upcoming/potential threats and testing company’s ability to digitally defend.
- Mandiant will help reinforce the dangers foreseen in the cyber security sector following the wave of cyberattacks from Russia and others as the geopolitical tensions rise.
Outlook of Cyber Security for the Future
As mentioned by Mandiant CEO Kevin Mandia in a press statement “There has never been a more critical time in cybersecurity. Since our founding in 2004, Mandiant’s mission has been to combat cyber attacks and protect our customers from the latest threats”. Cybersecurity could be the difference maker where a consumer must choose between two companies that offer a cloud service. Cybersecurity companies such as Mandiant will be looking to “deliver expertise and intelligence at a scale, changing the security industry.”(Kevin Mandia). However, this deal is not set in stone yet as there are antitrust enforcers that could potentially block this deal from concluding. Ultimately cyber security will continue trending upwards as our world continues to be driven by new technologies requiring protection from potential dangers in the world of technology.
References
Grant, Nico. (2022, March 8) Google to Buy Cybersecurity Firm Mandiant for $5.4 Billion. Yahoo Finance. Retrieved from https://finance.yahoo.com/news/google-buy-cybersecurity-firm-mandiant-113342878.html
Ott, Matt. (2022, March 8) Beefing up its cybersecurity, Google buys Mandiant for $5.4B. abc News. Retrieved from https://abcnews.go.com/Business/wireStory/beefing-security-google-buys-mandiant-54-billion-83315471
Vincent, James (2022, March 8) Google is buying the cybersecurity company that uncovered the SolarWinds hack. The Verge. Retrieved from https://www.theverge.com/2022/3/8/22966907/google-buying-mandiant-cybersecurity-outfit-5-4-billion
Wow, that sounds like a huge deal for Mandiant! Taking charge of Google’s cybersecurity! As a user of Google’s many platforms, I feel reassured that they are pro-actively seeking measures to improve their cybersecurity. I hadn’t previously been concerned about an increased risk of a cyberattack because of the Russian-Ukrainian war, but it does make sense that big American companies could be the target of a Russian cyberattack.
This is really interesting! It’s good to see that information security is being taken seriously, and that large companies such as Google are investing lots of money into it. With the massive rise in popularity of the digital Cloud, it makes sense that Google would be willing to spend so much to get the best protection for it. As many tech people would tell you, the digital Cloud is currently the “big thing” and will be for the next few years, so Google made a really good investment getting security for their Google Cloud. Thanks for informing us about this new deal in cyber security!
This is interesting, and certainly reassuring. Cybersecurity is a growing field that requires more professionals. It certainly shows how much it is valued when a large firm invests in it. Having cybersecurity professionals work on the Google cloud storage is much needed at this time. It’s reassuring to see them take measures towards improving their security systems as the Russian-Ukrainian war worsens.
Great post! It is nice to see that Google, the company that has its fingers everywhere on the internet, is so committed to cybersecurity. I do agree with Mandiant’s CEO in that now is the most critical time for cybersecurity. A lot of what we consume these days is through the internet and it is key to make sure that our personal information is protected. Additionally, it is also critical to make sure what we see through the internet has not been pushed to us by an ill-intentioned third party.
Great post! It is nice to see that Google, the company that has its fingers everywhere on the internet, is so committed to cybersecurity. I do agree with Mandiant’s CEO in that now is the most critical time for cybersecurity. A lot of what we consume these days is through the internet and it is key to make sure that our personal information is protected. Additionally, it is also critical to make sure what we see through the internet has not been pushed to us by an ill-intentioned third party.
This is interesting! Last time i read article about this where They’re announcing a $10 billion investment in cybersecurity over the next five years, with plans to extend zero-trust initiatives, assist safeguard the software supply chain, and improve open-source security. They’re also promising to teach 100,000 Americans in industries like IT support and data analytics, as well as acquire in-demand skills like data privacy and security, through the Google Career Certificate programme.
Amazing Post! It’s happy to see that google is investing in cybersecurity so we could have enhanced protection on our data because in this world as soon as we have an online presence we are vulnerable to technology and all of our data are in the cloud and can be easily accessed so seeing a huge company investing on cybersecurity is a big deal which would help to secure our data.
This is quite a read! Its nice to know that the most popular search engine is investing into cybersecurity, especially since the internet will just keep finding new ways to hack people/steal their data. With the Ukraine-Russia conflict, I’m glad that this helped open their eyes to why its so important for the cybersecurity market to grow in general.
Good post! It’s good to see that a lot of the bigger tech companies are taking their security measures seriously, even if only by a profit driven motive. Hopefully with deals like this for security oriented companies, those of us taking this course looking for a job in cybersecurity are up for a larger pool of well paying employment opportunities! It would be good to see other companies follow suit and upgrade their security, maybe reducing the severity of cyberattacks over the next decade by making it much harder in general for hackers to breach into any given system.
It’s great to see companies like Mandiant fighting for our protection. As a regular google user, this is definitely a big relief. I cant imaging the challenges that these security consultants and intelligence analysts are gonna have to overcome, but I’m sure they’re smart enough to get the job done! I also cannot stress how much Kevin Mandia is preaching when he says that “There has never been a more critical time in cybersecurity”, with more and more data being given to these big companies like google, I definitely advise more businesses to go for cybersecurity firms to protect their databases for the benefit of everyone
Ironic that Google is the one investing in cybersecurity as I’ve found the most trackers to come from their search engine, however for the reasons listed above I can see why they would. If Google cloud, or Google accounts were to be compromised would be quite difficult to continue to trust in them. Also, as the complexity of cybersecurity attacks increase with things like double/triple extortion attacks it is comforting knowing that Google is doing something to keep updating their own security (in this case buying Mandiant).
It is really fascinating to see that people are more concerned about cybersecurity than ever before. To put icing on the cake, Google is spending a lot ton of money on cyber-security shows how much a company understands the need of a better security system for everyone. Even though a 10 billion dollar investment seems like a lot, if we see how many companies have been financially affected through cyber crimes, 10 billion is nothing. On a personal belief, I think that google is doing it because of the number of customers shifting to safari from chrome due to security concerns. Last but not the least, google employing thousands of employee means we CS students and our computer science TA’s might land a job there.
This is the first blog post I have read which shows that companies are learning from past cyberattacks. It is good to see google being one of them since it is one of the most commonly used search engine out there. This also means a huge amount of work for Mandiant. As the Mandiant CEO said that this is a good time to improve protection against cyber crime, mostly because of the increased amount of attacks due to the conflict between Russia and Ukraine. I think this step taken by Google will prove to be fruitful in the near future. Great Post!!
This is a very good post. Internet companies like Google really need to pay more attention to cyber security than other internet companies. On one hand in recent years many internet companies have been hacked by companies such as Nvidia, Samsung, Ubisoft and many more. These companies are already very famous in different fields, but they do not seem to reflect the importance of cybersecurity. I can’t imagine that if a hacker took control of my Google account, he could easily access 90% of my information and there would be nothing I could do about it. But going back to the hackers themselves, the hackers themselves are illegal, but because they act so stealthily it is very difficult to find them in person. This also leads to hackers being willing to take the risk of trying to steal other people’s information, because there is not much risk involved in the act. So instead of being reactive and building a defense shield that can never be breached, Internet companies need to think about how they can eliminate the danger at the source.
Great post. I think your post just gave me a new career foresight XD! Anyway, I always suspected a bright future for cybersecurity. Clearly, in light of recent events, we can see just how fragile some critical online infrastructure is. We see hacks being performed by the Russians and Anonymous and for the most part, are successful in executing these attacks. Therefore, I was not surprised when I read that Google is investing heavily in cybersecurity. I also learned a lot from your post on recent trends in cybersecurity and I would say that this is an amazing post overall.
Great post! I think this is a great step by Google towards cybersecurity. This will also increase the number of users using Google Cloud as it will be secure and people could trust it. This step could also help other cybersecurity firms to grow and focus on providing the best service. Also I think this will lead to other big companies to focus on their cybersecurity and start investing in it and this is great deal for Mandiant too.
From a student perspective, it’s interesting to see the increasing emphasis on cybersecurity in the recent years. Everyone knows that the amount of computer science graduates is increasing at such a fast pace every year that entry level software development jobs are becoming harder to come by. But with the cybersecurity industry expanding, and large companies like google promoting this through investment, it offers computer science students a different alternative to traditional development jobs.
Great post! I think it’s really great to see which way our digital world is moving towards. I wonder in which ways our technological world would advance if we didn’t have to constantly worry about having to protect data.
Great post! I think it’s really great to see which way our digital world is moving towards. I wonder in which ways our technological world would advance if we didn’t have to constantly worry about having to protect data.
Great post! I think it’s really great to see which way our digital world is moving towards. I wonder in which ways our technological world would advance if we didn’t have to constantly worry about having to protect data.
Great post! I think it’s really great to see which way our digital world is moving towards. I wonder in which ways our technological world would advance if we didn’t have to constantly worry about having to protect data.
Thanks for the informative post. Google made a smart decision to invest heavily in cybersecurity. As technology advances, we also need to find ways to protect ourselves from misuse of these new technologies. I believe that other companies should also take cybersecurity very seriously. Nowadays, I encounter so many news about cyber attacks on organizations and data leak. These issues are detrimental to any companies’ reputation. It is indeed the most critical time in cybersecurity as Kevin Mandia said. As technology advances, cyberattacks also advances.
This is undoubtedly big investment for Google in terms security. Most importantly a company like Mandiant which has gained loads of reputation over the years for their services in defending organizations against cyber crime for more than a decade. Hopefully for new innovations and technologies that are about to be introduced by Google, there would be an enhancement of security and trust.
Wow , investing money on cyber security is surely a great idea, as companies try to secure their data , and this is what makes them continue in the industry .
Great job!
Hey, that was an excellent post. Cybersecurity is at an all-time high right now, according to Mandiant’s CEO. Because we consume so much of our content online these days, it’s vital to safeguard our personal information. It’s encouraging to see Google invest in cybersecurity to ensure that our data is even more safeguarded. It’s fascinating to observe that the Ukraine-Russia conflict has helped to open their eyes to the importance of cybersecurity. It would be great to see more companies jump on board and improve their security, thereby lessening the severity of assaults over the next decade by making it much more difficult for hackers to access any particular system.
I find it very interesting to see how the increase in data driven and cloud applications that handle enormous amounts of data have at the same time increased the demand for cybersecurity. It does make sense, though, as big amounts of data in the wrong hands pose a lot of risks that should be avoided. And as pointed out in the article, a data leak usually entails expensive ransom or lawsuits, so having good cyber security does not only help gaining revenue by offering new products and winning customers by being trusted, it also prevents such law suits and ransom. Therefore all companies should be aware of this and work towards a good cyber security system.
Furthermore, this shows that cybersecurity is certainly a very interesting career path that everyone who is interested in it should perhaps keep looking into, as demand for skilled workers is likely to grow over the next years, if not decades.
Great post. It’s very reassuring to see that Google is taking appropriate steps to strengthen its cybersecurity. Seeing how technology is getting more advanced and more popular, there needs to be precautionary measures taken to make sure that this technology is kept safe and that we are protected. Cybersecurity is something that is very important right now and will continue to gain importance in the future as things get more digitalized, so companies such as Google strengthening their security is a very good thing.
I think you did a good job of summarizing why cybersecurity is so important. It may seem inherently obvious why it’s important, but I think it’s always a good practice to fully explore the motivations of every action. You bring up a good point – the overall goal of a company is to make money. Their overall goal is not to have good cybersecurity. The reason that they want good cybersecurity is it is a means of making more money. This is an interesting concept. As a user of this companies products, I think it is important to be wary of this concept. As long as you’re sure good cybersecurity is in the best interest of that company, it is safe to use that company’s services.
I think this is a step for the better as the funding from Google can revolutionize the industry. Additionally, Mandiant has also been a very reliable company since 2004 and they together can do wonders. I believe this was also a necessary step by Google as nowadays more and more big companies are getting attacked by these groups and Google is like a pot of gold for them considering how much personal information they can access and steal. If done properly, Google might even be able to monopolize the industry as even right now, the general public does not feel completely secure giving their personal information online to companies.
This is an interesting post! Although the deal has not yet been finalized, if it goes through, Mandiant will join Google’s cloud computing division, in an effort to enhance protection for its cloud customers. In my opinion, this acquisition is vital, as there has been an increase in the number of unprecedented cybersecurity threats and challenges against major technology companies. Such threats are not limited to companies, but have also targeted major governments. With cyberattacks becoming the norm and with cyber terror organizations arising around the world, it is imperative that companies such as Google secure their cyber security footprints. Furthermore, this deal is likely to reverberate across the cybersecurity space, as other cloud-pursuers such as Amazon and Microsoft, are also likely to get pressured into enhancing their respective cloud platforms.
Awesome Post!!
Nice to hear the Google is taking an extra precaution to enhance the safety and privacy of the company and its users, especially during this time where cyberattacks have increased massively. I agree that strong cyber security is extremely important for companies to have to ensure their users that their personal data is protected against cyber threats.
Nice post! With how widespread and important Google is to our day-to-day lives, it’s reassuring to know that Google is investing billions into cyber security. Especially with how much personal information Google holds, it’s a very attractive target to many hackers. I remember back in 2020, all Google services suddenly went out, and this caused millions of damages and lost productivity. This was apparently only due to some sort of bug in their software. Now if this were a cyber attack that could take down Google’s services for even a day, this would cause massive damages with how reliant our society is on Google.
It is crazy the amount of money Google is investing towards cybersecurity. It is also a huge deal for Mandiant, which has made its reputation defending against cyber attacks over the years. This is very rare that a company is pro-actively taking measure to stay up to date in terms of cyber security. It is the perfect time to invest in protection against cyber attacks because of the increased amount of attacks due to the Ukraine-Russia conflict.
Finally some good news regarding computer security. If there’s one system on earth that’d be unreasonably hard to get into, it’d be Google.
It’d be nice to see Google start to look to increasing global cybersecurity, instead of focusing on their own suite of products, and I can see that with a prevailing rise in cyber attacks, it very well might look to market high grade security products to website admins for reasonable costs. It’d also be a hopeful future if Google started working with computer providers such as Dell, Microsoft, Apple, etc. in order to integrate even better improvements to their built in security and antivirus software like Windows Defender (which has already seen colossal improvements over the last five years). Though all this security and prevention still wont stop some people from seeing the dancing pigs.
All in all, this is all just a complicated way of saying that I hope Google would look to expanding their reach regarding cybersecurity, and it’d be all the better if they can do it in a way where we don’t feel like its just being used as an excuse to slip spyware in our computers for better advertising.
Thanks for the post!
Good Post! I’ve never heard of Mandiant before, but it seems like they deserve all the respect that they are getting. The fact that Google themselves bought Mandiant for $5.4 billion dollars, paints them as leading experts within the field of cyber security. The company’s statement that you mentioned also paints them as quite a formidable force wanting to “deliver expertise and intelligence at a scale”. As other commenters have pointed out, 5.4 billion is a lot to invest in security, but with the recent surge in cyber and ransomware attacks, I think that the cost is very well justified. I think that this is going to be a very wise investment for Google, especially regarding the good things that you’ve mentioned about Mandiant.
Google deals with copious amounts of information on a regular basis. Around half the world’s population uses google’s services so it is nice to see they are investing in cyber security. The acquisition of Mandiant will be a huge asset to Google and will greatly help the company is it scales larger.
This is an interesting post! Now network security is a widely concerned issue, and the security level of software has also become an important reference for consumers when choosing the same type of software. An unsafe software will cause a lot of losses
Cybersecurity is an invaluable industry, and its rising value in the market only solidifies this claim. It’s most certainly a fact that the world has been and will continue to transition towards a more digital model. However, with this boom in developments, comes the potential risk of security breaches. Especially with the war, security should be an utmost priority and I believe this investment by Google is bound to be well worth it. But in time we shall see if this is true. Interesting post!
Considering the acquisition by google, in your opinion do you think that this was a valid purchase? A company as huge as google must already have significant security organs in place as it is, so is this really a necessary or wise purchase? Furthermore, in your opinion do you think that there are antitrust considerations truly at play here?
It is great to see that many companies are becoming more aware of cybersecurity issues in recent years. In addition, the ongoing cyber warfare associated with the Russia-Ukraine conflict has also brought awareness of information security to the public. As you mentioned in the blog, cybersecurity is one of the top considerations of customers nowadays. As a daily user of Google’s many products and services, I find the fact that they are investing in cybersecurity reassuring, and I hope to see the same from the other major players in the industry.
Its interesting to see how a lot of tech companies transition to investing in cyber security when they’re so large, a prime example is Microsoft which is pretty large in the cyber security business and had also tried to buy Mandiant. This I feel is great for privacy and protection of consumers data, So I hope that this deal isn’t blocked by anti-trust enforcement as I think this will improve the security of google services of which has a large portion of users myself included.
It actually surprised me because it took Google this long to take a big action towards cybersecurity. More and more internet users aware of the importance of security and privacy. Many people switched to DuckDuckGo because of the lack in privacy and security in Google. I personally believe moving towards a secured internet is a trending movement of world wide web. It is great that one of the biggest tech companies have taken actions.
Great post! It is reassuring to see that the most-used platform on the web is investing more into cybersecurity. With the ongoing scams, prospect of cyber wars, and attacks on different organizations by hackers, it is reassuring to know that they are funding more towards researching an ever-evolving topic which is cybersecurity.