Lack of staff awareness is key security threat, IT firm says

Wednesday 05 December 2018

Human error and lack of staff awareness are among the biggest cybersecurity threats to businesses, a local IT firm has said.

A global survey conducted by Logicalis showed that 56% of digital business leaders believe this to be the case - and the Channel Islands' branch of the firm says that the findings mirror the situation locally.

The inadvertent threat posed by staff comes second behind malware and ransomware, which were cited as a major issue by 68% of Chief Information Officers (CIOs) surveyed.

Tom Bale, Logicalis CI's Business Development and Technical Director, said the statistics were an interesting insight into the change in focus for IT professionals and security experts.

Pictured: Tom Bale, Business Development and Technical Director at Logicalis.

Mr Bale said one of the most important aspects of the Logicalis CIO Global Survey Report was not the findings but the solutions those surveyed suggested.

“The focus on human error here means that we know that investment in training and helping staff to become a strength in your defence rather than a weakness is vital, especially as more and more businesses are using cloud-based solutions which drive efficiency but can also make your system vulnerable to attack," he explained.

“Locking the door on attacks is virtually impossible and so investment in breach management, continuity and recovery support and solutions is also a sensible precaution. What we do know is that the profile of attackers has changed enormously and procuring data is now a massive criminal enterprise rather than a malicious one, we might not be able shut them all out but just closing a couple of doors to can save you a huge headache – as can knowing what to do when you can’t."