Aussie companies make security top priority: IDC
Australia continues to represent a prime target for cyber-attacks, and C-level executives are increasingly sitting up and taking note, according to independent analyst firm, IDC.
Its latest study, the Australia Security Heatmap, 2015, identified that Australian CIOs have, for the first time, cited security as their top concern across all areas of IDC’s 3rd platform technology pillars: Big Data, mobility, Cloud and social for business.
IDC software and security market analyst, Lydie Virollet, said with a fast-evolving threat landscape and Australia being one of the top target countries for attackers, Australian companies must invest in security to protect their intellectual property and other assets.
“This investment needs be strategic and will primarily be targeted at protecting the network and sensitive data through a combination of integrated solutions”, she said.
Virollet also mentioned that security needs to be a boardroom discussion if it isn’t already as a plethora of recent high profile global security breaches has raised the stakes, causing Australian executives to reconsider the exposure and risk associated with corporate assets.
“In parallel CIO’s are reassessing security requirements across technology, people and process - to meet the needs of a borderless enterprise and the increasing value placed on data,” she claimed.
In addition, IDC suggested three steps businesses should take in controlling its IT security. They are:
- Make an assessment of the security solutions already in place in an organisation as most companies have contracts with an average of 40 security vendors. Establish an action plan based on the attack surface.
- Establish and anchor a security budget that includes contingency funds as part of the IT strategy, selling it to executives as an ongoing risk management initiative. Risks must be prioritised to adequately address the organisation’s risk profile.
- Choose a security vendor or a security services supplier based on both its track record in the country within the same industry and its risk management expertise.
