Reliance on IT Security Services on the Rise

A marked increase in the volume and complexity of IT security attacks appears finally to be pushing more organizations to rely on external IT security expertise. In a global survey of 200 IT professionals with responsibility for security, more than a third said they rely on third-party service providers to secure their IT environments. The study, conducted by The Economist Intelligence Unit on behalf of NEC, finds that while there are mixed opinions concerning how vulnerable their organizations are to major cyber-attacks, nearly three-fourths of those polled say they definitely will be a target of a serious cyber-attack or are likely to be targeted. For IT service providers across the channel, increased awareness of the challenges involving modern IT security is a double-edged sword. Although more awareness creates potential new opportunities, that increased awareness also means that the IT service provider is likely to be held most accountable in the almost inevitable event of a serious attack. Channel Insider examines key takeaways from the study.