Editorial

Data security top priority for public sector

Public sector focusing on data security but scaling back on operational projects and cloud migration

Posted 7 August 2020 by Christine Horton


Data security is the top IT task for more than eight out of 10 public sector agencies, according to new research into organisations’ IT priorities from Netwrix.

Ilia Sotnikov, VP of product management at Netwrix says this figure reflects a general global trend.

“As data protection regulations are strengthening around the world, government agencies face the need to be a model of establishing a proper data security strategy for other businesses who make up a large part of electorate and taxpayers.

“Public sector organisations understand that if they do not prioritise data security, they will inevitably suffer from breaches while the government continues imposing tough requirements on businesses. Ultimately, they will lose people’s trust and might face funding problems.”

Sotnikov adds that it is therefore no surprise that they are prioritising data security given there is an escalating ‘cyber-pandemic’ going on.

“With the transition to remote working, public sector bodies are now more reliant than ever on digital processes, which is reflected in the fact organisations now prioritise IT staff education more than ever before,” he said.

Pull back on other projects

Elsewhere, the survey revealed that the work-from-home situation and upended business processes caused by the pandemic increased the push for digital transformation in the public sector. In fact, interest in this project grew by a record 30 percentage points.

Interest in investing in the education of IT personnel almost doubled from 26 percent pre-pandemic to 56 percent now as well.

In addition, 38 percent of government organisations now plan to prioritise IT staff education. Pre-pandemic, it was a priority for 20 percent of respondents.

With security and innovation so critical right now, operational projects, such as automation of manual processes, cloud migration and integration of existing solutions, will take a back seat for a while. Focus on cloud migration has plummeted from 46 percent pre-pandemic to 25 percent now.