Cybersecurity

In a previous post, we discussed five important cybersecurity lessons we learned in 2021. Growing numbers of endpoints used outside the security perimeter have created significant new risks. Cloud misconfigurations are also a leading source of security threats, and protecting data across the extended environment is increasingly difficult. Users need more effective training so that they understand their cybersecurity responsibilities, and organizations are struggling to hire enough security experts to meet their needs.

Despite record levels of cybersecurity spending in 2021, senior IT leaders remain pessimistic about their organizations’ overall security posture. Nearly 80 percent of those polled recently by IDG said their organizations aren’t adequately protected against increasingly sophisticated cyber threats.

With the shift to remote and hybrid workstyles, organizations are relying on technology more heavily than ever to link users, applications and data. This has given malicious actors new ways to gain unauthorized access to the network.

Ransomware attacks have skyrocketed. An IDC study found that approximately 37 percent of organizations have fallen victim to some form of ransomware. Phishing, denial of service attacks and cryptojacking are also on the rise, with damages related to cybercrime expected to exceed $6 trillion globally in 2021.