In Search of a Context-Aware Security Strategy
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In Search of a Context-Aware Security Strategy
Seeking to strike a balance between security and end-user productivity, many firms are looking for some form of context-aware security, which prioritizes threats. -
IT Security Priorities
IT pros (87%) and business execs (86%) agree that IT security is a much higher priority than end-user convenience. -
IT Security's Impact on Productivity
91% of business users report IT security has an impact on their productivity, while 53% say that impact has been greater in the last 18 months. -
The Password Paradox
A vast majority of business users (85%) report they have to keep track of multiple passwords and 29% report having to keep track of six or more. -
Mobile Device Use
46% of business users own their own mobile devices, and 51% report they manage their devices on their own. Only 53% of the companies that own the devices actually manage them. -
Access to Corporate Data
95% use their mobile devices to access corporate data, and 83% report they do so daily. -
Remote Access Security
58% say they use their mobile devices to access corporate data remotely, with 82% of those respondents saying their companies have adopted some form of remote access security. A full 92% say they have been negatively impacted by remote access security technologies. -
Cloud Application Security Issues
While 77% of IT respondents say cloud applications increase productivity, 74% say security issues prevent wider adoption of those applications. -
BYOD Security Issues
61% of the IT pros polled indicate that BYOD policies increase productivity, but 72% also say security prevents further adoption. -
Top IT Security Risks
Employee workarounds to IT security (69%), BYOD practices (64%), and remote access and compromised credentials (both at 63%) top the list of risks. -
Context-Aware Security
Just over a quarter (28%) report they have implemented context-aware security, while 48% say they have in some areas but not all. -
Benefits of Context-Aware Security
The ability to prioritize threats (55%), followed by greater visibility and the capability to identify threats in real time, both at 47%, are the top benefits. -
Top IT Security Challenges
Difficulty addressing changing security needs (53%), followed by manual IT intervention (47%) and employee productivity (36%) are the top security issues.
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Why Metrics Matter to the Channel The trouble with IT security is that it's an undervalued field until something goes horribly awry. IT security is often considered an inconvenience that gets in the way of end users, and shadow IT has come into existence as end users try to circumvent cumbersome security controls. This has led many IT organizations to re-evaluate their approach to IT security. In fact, a survey of 460 IT professionals and 301 business users conducted by Dimensional Reseach on behalf of Dell finds that seven in 10 respondents cited employee workarounds as the greatest security risk to the IT organization. What most organizations want to achieve, however, is some form of context-aware security, which prioritizes threats based on how lethal a given piece of malware is in real time. Of course, this has to be accomplished so that end users' productivity isn't compromised. While solution providers are still a long way from being able to execute on that IT security dream, it is clear that end users and IT professionals alike are frustrated at static approaches to IT security.