Security remains biggest challenge for IT teams – research

Security concerns continue to top the list of concerns for IT teams. That’s according to new research by JumpCloud. The survey of 1200 SME IT decision-makers in the UK, US and India found that IT admins’ biggest challenge is security, cited by more than half of respondents globally (56 percent) and by 50 percent of UK respondents.

In the UK, network attacks topped the list (44.5 percent) followed by ransomware (35 percent), with software vulnerability exploits in third place (32 percent). In fact, ransomware is a bigger concern for UK organisations than the other countries surveyed (35 percent UK vs 32 percent USA vs 20 percent India).

Globally, biometrics adoption is up, though password-based systems are stubborn. While 83 percent of organisations use password-based authentication for some IT resources, 83 percent also require multi-factor authentication (MFA) and over two-thirds require biometrics (66 percent)—even though 67 percent of IT professionals agree that adding additional security measures means a more cumbersome experience. The average employee has three to five passwords to log into their IT resources, though 15 percent of employees average 10 passwords or more.

The biggest security threats remain the same over the past year. IT admins reported network attacks were their biggest challenge (40 percent), followed by software vulnerability exploits (34 percent) and ransomware (29 percent).

Security is a massive theme of this report,” Greg Keller, CTO, JumpCloud told Think Digital Partners.

“That ranges from everything from how to keep employees safe with a lack of budget, with no ability to buy tools or train them. We have a dearth of expertise in these organisations due to layoffs, etc. So they are looking for opportunities to solve those problems. They have to keep their company secure, they have to become more efficient.”

AI impacting identity management

The survey results also highlight how quickly AI has impacted identity management and highlights that IT professionals have both big hopes and big fears in their response to it.

With a strong majority of respondents both planning or actively implementing within the next year and advocating for AI investment, IT leaders clearly see potential benefits from deploying AI in their workplaces. But IT admins report notable concerns around their organisations’ current ability to secure against related threats—and personal concerns about AI’s impact on their career.

“While AI is the buzzword that grabs headlines, it’s security that remains a paramount concern for IT teams given the increasing sophistication of external threats and rising regulatory pressures,” said Rajat Bhargava, CEO, JumpCloud. “And it’s only getting worse. We found that 56 percent of admins agree that they’re more concerned about their organisation’s security posture now than they were six months ago.

“To reduce this complexity and anxiety, organizations should look toward solutions that offer a unified, open identity and IT management approach. This can enhance security, mitigate operational disruptions, and alleviate admin burnout.”

UK underprepared for cyberattacks

However, the survey found that UK respondents are less likely to offer formal cybersecurity training (62 percent UK, 72.5 percent USA and 74 percent in India), less likely to have an IT security expert on staff (78 percent v 87 percent v 94 percent), least financially prepared to recover from a cyberattack (65 percent v 75 percent v 80 percent), and least likely to have a cybersecurity plan (72 percent v 82 percent v 87.5 percent).

This lack of investment in planning, training, and resources could be budget-related. The UK reported the lowest overall budget increase (75 percent) and lowest percentage reporting “budgets up by more than 20 percent”, at 13 percent. UK budgets are more likely to be remaining flat than other countries.

Think Digital Partners is pleased to announce a new event for 2024. Think Digital Identity and Cybersecurity for Government takes place in London on May 8. Find out more and get your ticket here.