As a recent study by Gigamon shows, two-thirds of the companies surveyed are planning.
Insecure end devices, phishing attacks and data breaches are increasing significantly. This is a result of the current study by Gigamon, one of the world’s leading providers of network transparency and analysis for hybrid cloud structures. Against the background of the current digital and economic situation, the study results show the future challenges that IT and security decision-makers will face, their priorities for the next twelve months and, in particular, their attitude towards Zero Trust.
Increase In Threats In 2021
A total of 84 percent of the 500 executives surveyed from Germany, the UK and France said they had seen an increase in threats since early 2021.
The main topics were:
- The higher risk from insecure end devices in the home office: 51 per cent
- Increase in phishing attacks: 41 per cent- increase in data breaches: 33 per cent
- Increase in insider attacks by released employees: 33 per cent
Internal IT And Security Challenges
In addition to the external threats, the respondents expect some internal IT and security challenges in the next twelve months to three years:
- Digital transformation: 50 per cent
- Shadow IT: 45 per cent
- Training of employees: 37 per cent
The growing amounts of data and the number of applications that have to be monitored and protected (36 per cent), and the management of a complex work landscape (35 per cent) were also mentioned. These are just a few operational issues that IT departments deal with daily.
Against the background of the constant further development of the network and the increasing load on the infrastructure, IT departments are looking for investment opportunities to make their company future-proof, despite lower budgets and the current uncertainty (36 per cent). This is also reflected in the statement by 44 per cent of those surveyed that securing and protecting developments in the cloud has a top priority for the rest of the year.
Zero Trust As A Strategy For Network Security
A total of 89 per cent of those surveyed were already familiar with the zero-trust approach. Sixty-seven per cent have already introduced Zero Trust or are planning to do so. The main reasons for implementing Zero Trust were:
- Increase network security and minimize risks: 54 per cent
- Increase data protection and simplify data management: 51 per cent
- Protection against system compromise by own employees: 49 per cent
More than three in five respondents (61 per cent) believe that Zero Trust improves their IT strategy. Another 30 per cent believe this approach underpins their strategy.
Corporate Culture Is An Essential Aspect Of Zero Trust
The survey shows that corporate culture and employee behaviour are both a reason and an obstacle to the introduction of Zero Trust. Shadow IT and employee training was cited as key challenges by respondents and showed that companies are adopting Zero Trust to minimize the threat from insiders. On the other hand, 65 percent of those surveyed who did not introduce this cited an unsuitable corporate culture as the main reason for this decision – at the same time, support from employees was cited as the essential prerequisite for the introduction (28 per cent).
Zero Trust Is Growing In Importance
“The study outlines the issues that IT and security experts are confronted with, the causes and the general conditions – all against the background that the way we work is changing massively around the world. Due to these rapid changes and a growing attack surface, IT and security departments are increasingly relying on a solid framework to address risks,”.
Also Read: Why IT Security Is A Driver Of Digitization
