Securing the future: Cyber security readiness report
Chapter 1: Introduction
Across industries, Chief Information Security Officers (CISOs) face a challenging and continuously evolving cyber security threat landscape. While they must defend their companies against more and different types of threats, they must also support new ways of working that present additional layers of complexity. It might be tempting to buy more of the types of security tools they have used in the past. But, the strategies and solutions that worked before are no longer adequate in addressing all of today’s threats.
We recently surveyed more than 4,000 security leaders from small, medium-sized, and large organizations across 14 industries. Some clear overarching trends emerged:
First and foremost, cyber threats are on the rise. More than three quarters (78%) of respondents experienced a cyber attack in the past year — and most experienced multiple attacks. At the same time, the number of threat vectors has expanded. As many organizations continue to support hybrid work, CISOs and their teams have had to find better ways of protecting data, applications, and users.
CISOs are determined to step up their preparedness for cyber attacks. But they have some critical gaps to close. Even those that are embracing modern solutions to protect against some threats are leaving other areas exposed. For example, while many CISOs are moving forward with secure access service edge (SASE) and Zero Trust solutions, relatively few have sufficient authentication, cloud security, or browser isolation solutions in place.
Adding more solutions is not the answer. Too many organizations are overly burdened with the complexities of managing numerous point products. In fact, while most respondents reported between six and 15 products in their architecture—large organizations often have more than 20. Accumulating a disconnected patchwork of solutions is often costly and still leaves security gaps.
Many CISOs have resolved to invest in new solutions and hire more personnel. But they still must make the case for increased spending on security. That case cannot focus on more of the same: CISOs must move forward with a new strategic approach to security.
As CISOs revamp security strategies, they must also work to change corporate culture. As our survey respondents acknowledged, better educating employees about preventing breaches will help organizations respond faster to incidents when they occur.
If there is one overall message from our survey results, it is the need for change. With cyber attacks continuing to rise, organizations of all sizes, in all industries, must break free of the status quo.
This article is part of a series on the latest trends and topics impacting today’s technology decision-makers.
Key takeaways
After reading this article you will be able to understand:
Survey results from over 4,000 cyber security professionals
New findings on security incidents, preparedness, and outcomes
Considerations for CISOs to secure the future and achieve better outcomes for their organization