Nearly half of the companies interviewed in the global survey say they have been hit by a ransomware attack in the last six months
New research commissioned by Cohesity, a leader in innovative data management, reveals that while most IT and Security Operations (SecOps) leaders believe they should jointly share responsibility for their organization's data security strategy, many of these teams are not collaborating as effectively as possible to address growing cyber threats. The survey also shows that, among those interviewed who believe that collaboration between IT and security is poor, almost half are convinced that their organization is inevitably more exposed to cyber threats, with consequences that could prove catastrophic for companies.
The research is based on a survey carried out in April 2022, conducted by Censuswide, on over 2,000 IT decision makers and Security Operation (SecOps) professionals - split almost 50% between the two groups - belonging to companies in the United States, United Kingdom and Australia, all with a role in IT or security decision-making.
Nearly three-quarters of respondents (74%) believe the threat of ransomware attacks in their industry has increased in the past year, and nearly half of respondents (47%) say their organization has been the victim of a ransomware attack in the past six months. The survey highlighted the following results globally:
- Security should be a shared responsibility: More than four in five respondents (or 81% of all respondents, 86% of IT leaders, and 76% of SecOps) somewhat or strongly agree that IT and SecOps should share responsibility for their organization's data security strategy.
- However, as a rule, effective collaboration between IT and security teams does not occur: Nearly a third of SecOps respondents (31%) believe collaboration with IT is not effective, with 9% calling it “weak.” Among IT decision makers, more than one in 10 (13%) believe collaboration is not strong. In total, nearly a quarter (22%) of IT and SecOps respondents believe collaboration between the two groups is not effective[1].
- In many cases, even as the threat of cyberattacks has increased, the level of collaboration between IT and SecOps has remained constant or decreased: 40% of all respondents said that collaboration between the two groups remained unchanged even in light of the increase in cyber attacks. 12% of all respondents said collaboration has actually decreased. While just 5% of IT leaders said collaboration has reduced, nearly one in five (18%) of SecOps respondents believe this is the case, underscoring the diversity of views between the two groups.
- The current shortage of tech talent is making the situation worse: When asked about the possible impact of the talent shortage on collaboration between IT and security teams, 78% of respondents (77% of IT managers and 78% of SecOps) responded affirmatively, confirming that the lack of specialized profiles is having an impact.
- As a result of this lack of collaboration between IT and SecOps, many respondents believe their organization is more exposed to cyber threats: Among respondents who believe collaboration between IT and SecOps is poor, 42% believe their organization is more exposed (28%) or much more exposed (14%) to cyber threats.
- The consequences of this exposure could be devastating for businesses and career prospects: When asked what the biggest fear is related to the lack of collaboration between security and IT in the event of an attack, 42% of all IT and SecOps respondents fear data loss, 42% fear business interruption, 40% are worried that customers will go elsewhere, 35% fear that their team will be blamed in case of errors, 32% fear paying for ransomware and 30% believe that people both teams (IT and SecOps) will be laid off.
“The research highlights the lack of collaboration between IT and security teams found in many organizations today, a communication gap that must be filled if cyber threats and ransomware are to be effectively addressed,” he explained Albert Zammar, Regional Director Southern Europe di Cohesity. "For too long, many security teams have focused primarily on preventing cyberattacks, while IT teams have focused on protecting data, including backup and recovery. A comprehensive data security strategy must bring together these two worlds, which in many cases remain separate today. Lack of collaboration often gives cybercriminals the space to launch successful attacks that put companies at their mercy."
To further highlight this point, when respondents were asked how their company prioritizes data backup and protection as part of the organization's security posture or response to a cyber attack, 54% of IT leaders said it is a top priority and critical capability, while only 38% of SecOps respondents said the same.
“If SecOps teams aren't thinking about backup and recovery and don't have innovative data management capabilities as part of an overall security strategy, there's a problem,” Zammar emphasized. "IT and SecOps teams must collaborate before an attack occurs, looking holistically at the situation and using the NIST Cyber Security Framework, which includes five core capabilities: identify, protect, detect, respond and recover. If they wait until a data breach occurs to collaborate, it is too late and the results could be catastrophic for companies."
83% of all respondents (84% of IT leaders and 81% of SecOps respondents) somewhat or strongly agree that their organization would be better prepared to recover from cyber threats, including ransomware attacks, if security and IT worked together more closely. Additionally, when respondents were asked what would make their organization more confident in being able to quickly restore business systems in the event of a ransomware attack, 44% of all respondents (49% of IT managers and 39% of SecOps respondents) said greater communication and collaboration between IT and security would be critical.
[1] 'Not strong' refers to the reverse percentage of respondents who selected 'strong' or 'very strong' when asked: “How well do you feel your organization's security and IT teams are working together to address growing cybersecurity threats, including ransomware attacks?”For further information:
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[1] 'Not strong' refers to the reverse percentage of respondents who selected 'strong' or 'very strong' when asked: How well do you believe your organization's security and IT teams are working together to address growing cybersecurity threats, including ransomware attacks?
