GEC NEWS WIREDespite 95 percent of CIOs expecting cyberthreats to increase over the next three years, only 65 percent of their organizations currently have a cybersecurity expert, according to a survey from Gartner. The survey also reveals that skills challenges continue to plague organizations that undergo digitalization, with digital security staffing shortages considered a top inhibitor to innovation.
Gartner’s 2018 CIO Agenda Survey gathered data from 3,160 CIO respondents in 98 countries and across major industries, representing approximately $13 trillion in revenue/public sector budgets and $277 billion in IT spending.
The survey indicates that cybersecurity remains a source of deep concern for organizations. Many cybercriminals not only operate in ways that organizations struggle to anticipate, but also demonstrate a readiness to adapt to changing environments, according to Rob McMillan, research director at Gartner.
“In a twisted way, many cybercriminals are digital pioneers, finding ways to leverage big data and web-scale techniques to stage attacks and steal data,” said Mr. McMillan. “CIOs can’t protect their organizations from everything, so they need to create a sustainable set of controls that balances their need to protect their business with their need to run it.”
Thirty-five percent of survey respondents indicate that their organization has already invested in and deployed some aspect of digital security, while an additional 36 percent are actively experimenting or planning to implement in the short term. Gartner predicts that 60 percent of security budgets will be in support of detection and response capabilities by 2020.
“Taking a risk-based approach is imperative to set a target level of cybersecurity readiness,” Mr. McMillan said. “Raising budgets alone doesn’t create an improved risk posture. Security investments must be prioritized by business outcomes to ensure the right amount is spent on the right things.”
