Survey reveals lack of staff awareness as one of the biggest security threats

Thursday 13 December 2018

The findings of a global survey of IT leaders has reported that 56% of those surveyed identified lack of staff awareness and mistakes as a major security threat for their firm.

The inadvertent threat posed by staff is second only on the list to malware and ransomware which was cited as a major issue by 68% of CIOs.

The results are from the Logicalis Global CIO survey, the company’s sixth study which canvassed over 800 chief information officers. The survey provides of industry-specific information about how the role of CIOs and IT departments is evolving and as a result gives information which allows other industries and observers to get a wider picture of how the use of technology has changed.

Tom Bale, Business Development and Technical Director at Logicalis CI said the statistics were an interesting insight into the change in focus for IT professionals and security experts. “The findings closely reflect the conversations that we have had and the work we have done with our Channel Islands’ customers to improve their resilience and security. The focus on human error means that we know that investment in training and helping staff to become a strength in your defence rather than a weakness is vital, especially as more and more businesses are using cloud-based solutions which drive efficiency but can also make your system vulnerable to attack.

“Locking the door on attacks is virtually impossible and so investment in breach management, continuity and recovery support and solutions is also a sensible precaution. What we do know is that the profile of attackers has changed enormously and procuring data is now a massive criminal enterprise rather than a malicious one, we might not be able shut them all out but just closing a couple of doors to can save you a huge headache – as can knowing what to do when you can’t.”

The survey also covers a range of areas from business intelligence and its use in various industry sectors to GDPR action and reaction. In the main, most respondents reported that implementation of GDPR had been successful with a good level of investment.

Pictured: Lack of staff awareness is seen as a key security threat.