Why Security Pros Are Always Under Pressure

Why Security Pros Are Always Under Pressure

When a security professional’s mission it is to identify, protect, detect and respond to digital harms, it’s little wonder the pressure is always high.

63% of respondents felt more pressure to secure their organizations last year than the year before (54%). 65% this year, compared to 57% last year, expect to feel additional pressure in 2016.

40% of respondents feel the most pressure regarding security either directly before or after a company board meeting— 1% more pressure than they experience after learning of a major data breach in the news.

The largest security responsibilities 54% of respondents face are related to detecting vulnerabilities, malware and compromised systems.

The number of respondents who either already partner or plan to partner with a managed security services provider climbed to 86%, from 78% last year.

77% of respondents feel pressure to unveil IT projects that are not yet secure. The percentage was the same last year.

Pressure to select the latest security technologies jumped from 67% to 74%, but resources to implement them fell from 71% to 69%.

After the cloud, respondents feel the most pressure to adopt or deploy the Internet of things. The IoT is the second-riskiest technology— second only to the cloud.

The theft of customer data and intellectual property are the top two outcomes causing worry after an attack or data breach. Disabled corporate Websites, usually inflicted by DDoS attacks, rose the most from 7 to 13% year-to-year.

Respondents who wish to quadruple their staff have risen from 24% to 29% for 2014 and 2015, respectively.

Job loss continues to be the third-highest fear following a breach, having grown from 8% to 11%. Reputation and financial damage are the first two fears.