Shavlik Survey: Year of breaches takes toll on IT professionals, 58% more concerned about system security than 12 months ago
86% of respondents report Microsoft patches are a consistent challenge, but concerns over mobile device security significantly down
London – February 29, 2016 — Shavlik, a global leader in IT management and innovative security systems, today announced its annual research into the key security challenges facing the IT industry. The study found that after a year of repeated security breaches and data losses, more than half (58 per cent) of IT professionals are more concerned about system security than they were 12 months ago.
Key findings from the research include:
• 86 per cent of respondents agree that Microsoft operating systems present the most consistent patching challenge to their organisations
• 41 per cent deem on-demand patching as a key pain point
• 58 per cent of respondents see Java as providing the biggest application patching worry
• 53 per cent of IT professionals expect to be more worried about system security one year from now
The research, found that 86 per cent of respondents agree that Microsoft operating systems present the most consistent patching challenge to their organisation. This highlights a 33 per cent spike in associated risk around Microsoft patch system updates compared to last year’s study. Although many have associated this spike with Microsoft updates on Windows 10, Shavlik research and experience points to a deeper and more pervasive trend, with Microsoft continually increasing the number of updates and each release resolving more vulnerabilities than ever before.
”The increase in Microsoft-associated risk may be a result of the poor level of Windows 10 updates for businesses, integrating a general feeling of lack of control and selection,” said Andy Baldin, VP of EMEA, Shavlik. “However, I believe that the spate of recent cyber-attacks has given organisations an indication of the sophistication and tenacity of hackers.’’
Based on the research, this is likely to increase over the next year, with 53 per cent of IT professionals admitting that they are concerned about their system security in 2016.The survey also indicated that although overall concern regarding security has increased, there has been a dramatic fall in concerns relating to patching mobile devices. The same study conducted in 2014 showed that 91 per cent of respondents felt that they were unable to cope with patching mobile devices once users take them out of the office. This included more than two-thirds (64 per cent) of respondents who admitted they did not understand how vulnerable mobile users were to current or existing risks. In comparison, in 2015 only 17 per cent of IT professionals associated mobile device patching as their main pain point.
“The seemingly decreased concern about patching risk for mobile devices may indicate that IT professionals have stopped siloing mobile devices and systems within their organisation,” continued Andy Baldin. “With the growing sophistication of mobile capabilities and the fact that mobile is now a staple across business functions at all levels, more organisations are moving toward IT strategies that cover all types of devices. Good security management solutions enable mobile devices to be considered alongside laptops and other corporate systems, which is a trend we are seeing customers readily embracing for 2016.”
With new vulnerabilities being discovered almost daily, IT professionals are acutely aware that security should be a key priority for 2016. For more information about how Shavlik Patch Management reduces risk and increases security, visit shavlik.com.
