Despite organisations employing more IT security personnel than they ever have in the past, a new survey from Lieberman Software Corporation reveals that a third of companies do not feel this is making them more secure because cyber attacks are evolving at too fast a pace for them to keep up with.
The survey, which was carried out at RSA Conference 2015, studied the attitudes of nearly 200 IT security professionals and it revealed that 67 percent of organisations are now employing more IT security staff than they ever have in the past. However, 76 percent of respondents still believe that cyber attacks are evolving at too fast a pace for their IT security personnel to keep up with.
“These survey results show that it doesn’t matter how many people you have guarding your network, persistent hackers will always find a way. Today companies need to stop thinking about whether they will be attacked and start thinking about what to do when they are attacked. An organisation can significantly reduce the damage caused by a security breach by having a good response plan in place. The truth is, it doesn’t matter how many people you have defending your network, determined hackers will always find a way in,” said Philip Lieberman, CEO and President of Lieberman Software.
Other findings from the study reveal that a staggering 85 percent of organisations find it a struggle to find really good IT security personnel who are capable at combating today’s cyber attacks. This skills gap could be putting a number of organisations at risk as it could make it easier for cyber criminals to gain access to companies’ networks. Such organizations may not have a proper understanding of cyber security threats or have policies in place which prevent staff from carrying out tasks which put their company network at risk.
“The dramatic increase in data breaches over the last few years has led to a demand within organisations to employ skilled IT security staff. However many companies have struggled to find staff who are competent enough to defend against the type of sophisticated cyber attacks we are frequently seeing today,” continued Lieberman.
