Survey Reveals Irish IT Decision-Makers’ Cyber Worries

New research has suggested that a majority of senior IT decision-makers consider human error to be the greatest cyber threat facing Irish businesses. 60 per cent of the 111 Irish IT decision-makers responding to the DataSolutions-commissioned survey pointed towards human error as the predominant cyber threat, with 93 per cent claiming that their organisations now have a formal cyber defence strategy.

The survey also showed that 63 per cent of respondents feel that their organisations are not equipped to deal with all emerging threats. 76 per cent expect to increase their cybersecurity spend in 2018, with 30 per cent indicating a rise in spend of over one quarter. However, while security spend is due to increase this year, 51 per cent indicated that there is insufficient budget in their organisation for investing in new security infrastructure, suggesting many still have steps to take to fully protect their business.

The survey found that 57 per cent of respondents considered phishing attacks, which target employee negligence through disguised malicious emails, to be a serious security threat. This was followed by malware, at 54 per cent, and ransomware, at 52 per cent.

Commenting on the survey findings, David Keating, a security specialist at DataSolutions, said: “It is really encouraging to see companies investing more in their cybersecurity strategy. This is needed in an ever-evolving and increasingly sophisticated threat environment. Of those surveyed, 70 per cent recognise the highly complex nature of modern cyber threats as the leading reason why security teams are not fully prepared to face today’s challenges.”

Pictured above: Susan Cahalane, Account Manager, Check Point Software Technologies, Ltd; Michael O’Hara, Group Managing Director, DataSolutions; and David Keating, Group Security Sales Director, DataSolutions

Photo by: John Ohle