What are CISOs’ motivations behind threat detection investment

 

Increased use of both mobile devices and cloud-based services are the greatest drivers of threat detection investment according to research sponsored by cyber security firm Cyber adAPT, and conducted by Aberdeen. Insight gathered from 163 senior IT professionals* globally, cites the top four reasons behind increased detection investment as: the growth of mobile usage (41%), greater cloud service use (41%), the risk of a data breach (40%), and the introduction of connected devices and IoT (37%).

The research shows that more than three quarters (78%) of large organisations experienced at least one security-related incident over the past year and nearly a quarter of respondents (23%) plan to implement detection technology soon.

>See also: Plain sailing: a smooth journey for the CISO towards GDPR compliance

Respondents also shared their greatest inhibitors to such an investment; over two-fifths (41%) citing the overwhelming complexity of the environment and 37% blaming the sheer volume of data to ingest and analyse. A shortfall of resources also poses an issue – with the bandwidth of existing technical staff (33%) and the lack of specialised expertise (26%) being recognised.

When looking at large organisations specifically (>$1 billion in annual revenue), key projections over the next 12-24 months revealed that cyber security budgets are projected to be up across the board over the next two years, with the biggest increase in the category of “Detection” (68%).

Two-fifths (41%) estimate a rise in the number of users accessing cloud-based apps, while three-fifths (61%) anticipate a rise in the total number of native-mobile apps in use.

Over half (52%) predict a rise in the total number of connected devices with access to enterprise resources, while nearly half (44%) of respondents project growth in the frequency at which sensitive data is accessed from outside the traditional network perimeter.

>See also: Majority of CISO’s begin prioritising GDPR compliance

A quarter (25%) anticipate an increase in full time security staff, while 23% project an increased use of managed security services

Kirsten Bay, president and CEO of Cyber adAPT commented on the findings: “With breaches and their devastating impact on the rise, it is no surprise to see an increased focus on threat detection investment. Considering the potential business consequences of data breaches, it is reassuring that businesses recognise the importance of detection technology to tackle the relentless threats and new risk vectors both inside and out of the traditional perimeter.”

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Nick Ismail

Nick Ismail is a former editor for Information Age (from 2018 to 2022) before moving on to become Global Head of Brand Journalism at HCLTech. He has a particular interest in smart technologies, AI and...

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