12.22.2015
A new Spiceworks survey of IT professionals shows that internal end users are considered the greatest security threats heading into 2016, a growing trend that is helping to drive the adoption of solutions from Varonis Systems, Inc. (NASDAQ:VRNS), the leading provider of software solutions for unstructured, human-generated enterprise data.
The study found that, although 80% of organizations experienced a security incident in 2015, 71% expect to be more secure in 2016 and 84% expect security investments to increase.
Key findings from “Battling the Big Hack,” a survey of almost 200 IT professionals conducted in October, reveal that the three greatest areas of concern regarding threats and breaches in 2016 are all directly related to end users’ lack of awareness and vigilance: 54% are very or extremely concerned about Malware, 53% are very or extremely concerned about Ransomware, and 46% are very or extremely concerned about Phishing.
David Gibson, Varonis Vice President of Strategy and Market Development, said, “The severity and frequency of damaging data breaches keep rising, and the lack of awareness that organizations and their users have about protecting sensitive data is becoming a crisis. Companies now realize that their investments in perimeter security alone aren’t preventing attacks and data leaks. After more than a decade of collecting and analyzing metadata from thousands of organizations on the access to, and use of, valuable and sensitive data, our solutions have made Varonis one of the leaders in a new era of inside-out security.”
Other telling findings from the Spiceworks report include:
• Only 18% experienced no threats or attacks in 2015.
• Among perceived sources of IT security threats, more cite “rogue employees” (36%) than organized crime groups (25%), cyber terrorist groups (12%) or nation/state-sponsored hackers (12%).
• The most common actions being taken to protect against threats are updating hardware/software (76%), enforcing end-user policies (73%), and educating end users (72%).
• The top IT security challenges are limited end-user knowledge regarding risks and security (69%) and end-user resistance (57%).
• 52% believe that “shadow IT” poses a security threat to the organization.
“Is your organization ready to sting like a bee against a growing and evolving field of security threats?” the report asks. “Are you up against the ropes, relying on antivirus software and ‘security through obscurity’ – or are you taking advantage of more advanced technologies? Do employees just want to ignore the issue, or are they actively involved in security?”
spiceworks.com
