As Employees Work From Home, CSOs Go Shopping for Security Solutions

Chief security officers (CSOs) are hunting for sophisticated security solutions to protect their IT networks, as they are increasingly concerned that their teleworking staff could become easy prey for cybercriminals.

In a survey conducted by IDG, 22% of security leader respondents admitted that they were out shopping for new security solutions/services to address the new work dynamic, while 61% of organizations expressed fear about potential cyber-attacks.

As nations after nations went under lockdown following the outbreak of the coronavirus pandemic, many organizations almost easily transitioned to a work-at-home environment.

In January, the month before the pandemic hit the Western world, barely 16.5 percent of employees worked from home. By late March, that number leapfrogged to 77.7%, almost 5 fold increase, according to the report.

In the high tech industry, more than 90% of employees began operating from home. Moreover, employees are pleased with the new work dynamic.

Considering the report, there has been a 26% increase in cyber attacks since March 12, with financial services providers being the worst hit. “The increase in attacks has been fairly consistent regardless of company size,” says the report.

Small and medium enterprises are more vulnerable to cyberattacks, but they lack the financial muscle to invest heavily in cybersecurity.

Another report from IDG says more than 44% of organizations will need to acquire new technology solutions/services to protect their teleworking employees.