U.S. STUDY: 85 Percent of U.S. and UK businesses forced to adopt new cybersecurity protocols and tools as a result of COVID-19
10 Nov, 2021
4 min read
SecureAge Technology
New research from SecureAge details key trends in cybersecurity prevention and responses during the COVID-19 pandemic among US and UK businesses
SecureAge Technology, a leading global data and endpoint protection company, today announced the release of new research as part of its 2021 COVID & Cybersecurity Study. Polling 600 employers from around the U.S. and UK, during Q3 2021, the study delved into the most pressing cybersecurity issues, concerns and trends brought on by the COVID-19 pandemic and the remote work revolution.
“The COVID-19 pandemic fundamentally changed the way that we work today,” said Jerry Ray, COO, SecureAge Technology. “And while many businesses have done well to adapt to remote work environments, unfortunately, many are still grappling with the learning curve and nuances of how to effectively secure them. This research aims to shine a light on how employers are tackling some of these emerging cybersecurity challenges, as well as on the pain points and hurdles that remain in their way.”
Below is an overview of the study’s key findings:
85% of Businesses Forced to Revamp Their Cybersecurity
Research finds, 85% of US and UK employers have responded that they were forced to adopt new cybersecurity measures as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic and the shift to remote work.
“These findings show how jarring the move to remote work was for everyone in the business world,” said Ray. “Moreover, these findings illustrate just how narrow and limited the cybersecurity strategies being deployed by many businesses before the pandemic truly were. Building effective cybersecurity defenses requires a robust, forward-thinking strategy that gives businesses the peace of mind that they are ready for whatever threats may lay ahead. From these findings, many businesses clearly did not feel they had these kinds of defenses in place before the pandemic hit and were forced to scramble.”
Technical Implementation Challenges Stunt Cyberdefense Adoption
According to the research, of the respondents who claimed that they adopted new cybersecurity defenses, both U.S. (41%) and UK (38%) businesses noted that “technical implementation challenges” were the primary hurdle in getting their new COVID-driven cybersecurity protocols and strategies in place.
“Tools have been proven to be incredibly effective in defending against cybercrime. However, it's clear that technical challenges related to installing and configuring them properly are holding back success,” said Ray. “Of course, cybersecurity is a complex business and, as an industry, we need to find ways to make the onboarding process easier for everyone.”
Businesses Lean on Cloud and Encryption for Security
Per the study’s results, when asked what types of tools they had implemented as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic, 60% of U.S. and UK business said that they had adopted cloud-based cybersecurity solutions, while 45% said they had embraced file level encryption and 41% said that they had installed full disk encryption as a way to bolster their cybersecurity infrastructure.
“Modern cybersecurity depends on agility and sophisticated tech,” said Ray. “Therefore, it’s no surprise that businesses are adopting tools that equip them with the ability to both respond to new threats on the fly and to lock down all the sensitive data they have. After all, nothing frustrates a cybercriminal more than agile cyberdefenses and useless, encrypted data they might have accessed.”
Please visit 2021 COVID & Cybersecurity Study for more information or visit SecureAge Technology to learn more about us.
SecureAge Technology, a leading global data and endpoint protection company, today announced the release of new research as part of its 2021 COVID & Cybersecurity Study. Polling 600 employers from around the U.S. and UK, during Q3 2021, the study delved into the most pressing cybersecurity issues, concerns and trends brought on by the COVID-19 pandemic and the remote work revolution.
“The COVID-19 pandemic fundamentally changed the way that we work today,” said Jerry Ray, COO, SecureAge Technology. “And while many businesses have done well to adapt to remote work environments, unfortunately, many are still grappling with the learning curve and nuances of how to effectively secure them. This research aims to shine a light on how employers are tackling some of these emerging cybersecurity challenges, as well as on the pain points and hurdles that remain in their way.”
Below is an overview of the study’s key findings:
85% of Businesses Forced to Revamp Their Cybersecurity
Research finds, 85% of US and UK employers have responded that they were forced to adopt new cybersecurity measures as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic and the shift to remote work.
“These findings show how jarring the move to remote work was for everyone in the business world,” said Ray. “Moreover, these findings illustrate just how narrow and limited the cybersecurity strategies being deployed by many businesses before the pandemic truly were. Building effective cybersecurity defenses requires a robust, forward-thinking strategy that gives businesses the peace of mind that they are ready for whatever threats may lay ahead. From these findings, many businesses clearly did not feel they had these kinds of defenses in place before the pandemic hit and were forced to scramble.”
Technical Implementation Challenges Stunt Cyberdefense Adoption
According to the research, of the respondents who claimed that they adopted new cybersecurity defenses, both U.S. (41%) and UK (38%) businesses noted that “technical implementation challenges” were the primary hurdle in getting their new COVID-driven cybersecurity protocols and strategies in place.
“Tools have been proven to be incredibly effective in defending against cybercrime. However, it's clear that technical challenges related to installing and configuring them properly are holding back success,” said Ray. “Of course, cybersecurity is a complex business and, as an industry, we need to find ways to make the onboarding process easier for everyone.”
Businesses Lean on Cloud and Encryption for Security
Per the study’s results, when asked what types of tools they had implemented as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic, 60% of U.S. and UK business said that they had adopted cloud-based cybersecurity solutions, while 45% said they had embraced file level encryption and 41% said that they had installed full disk encryption as a way to bolster their cybersecurity infrastructure.
“Modern cybersecurity depends on agility and sophisticated tech,” said Ray. “Therefore, it’s no surprise that businesses are adopting tools that equip them with the ability to both respond to new threats on the fly and to lock down all the sensitive data they have. After all, nothing frustrates a cybercriminal more than agile cyberdefenses and useless, encrypted data they might have accessed.”
Please visit 2021 COVID & Cybersecurity Study for more information or visit SecureAge Technology to learn more about us.
About SecureAge Technology
SecureAge Technology is a rapidly growing data security company that places security and usability on equal footing. Headquartered in Singapore, we are trusted by governments, research institutes, and forward-thinking organizations to protect them from the most advanced and persistent cyber threats in the world. What makes SecureAge different, is we have built a reputation for data-centric and intuitive security solutions that protect data not only when it is stored, but also when it is in use, and in transit. We’ve achieved this by holding strong reign on our belief that users shouldn’t have to become cybersecurity experts to escape data liabilities. Instead, encryption should be inherent, invisible, and instinctive. To protect data when it is most vulnerable, security must take place at the file-level, operate silently in the background, and support the way in which people collaborate. That’s why our users can divert their resources to focus on other challenges – SecureAge users enjoy 100% file-level security, every file, every place, and every time. For more information visit www.secureage.com and follow us on LinkedIn and Twitter.
SecureAge Technology is a rapidly growing data security company that places security and usability on equal footing. Headquartered in Singapore, we are trusted by governments, research institutes, and forward-thinking organizations to protect them from the most advanced and persistent cyber threats in the world. What makes SecureAge different, is we have built a reputation for data-centric and intuitive security solutions that protect data not only when it is stored, but also when it is in use, and in transit. We’ve achieved this by holding strong reign on our belief that users shouldn’t have to become cybersecurity experts to escape data liabilities. Instead, encryption should be inherent, invisible, and instinctive. To protect data when it is most vulnerable, security must take place at the file-level, operate silently in the background, and support the way in which people collaborate. That’s why our users can divert their resources to focus on other challenges – SecureAge users enjoy 100% file-level security, every file, every place, and every time. For more information visit www.secureage.com and follow us on LinkedIn and Twitter.
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