Auxilion research reveals access from the dark web is a cloud concern for almost a third of IT leaders in Ireland

Auxilion has announced the findings of its new cloud study – carried out by Censuswide and involving more than 200 IT decision makers in large enterprises across Ireland – which found that access from the dark web is a concern for almost a third (32%) of IT leaders in enterprises across Ireland.

The research revealed what IT leaders view as the security risks associated with cloud computing, with the top five being ransomware/malware (33%), data loss/theft (33%), access from the dark web (32%), account hijacking (31%), and phishing/social engineering attacks (29%).

Over a quarter (27%) see lack of staff awareness as a cybersecurity risk associated with cloud computing and a similar proportion (26%) cited human error. Some 23% also said malicious insiders.

The study revealed that configuring cloud properly and securely is proving to be a challenge for 40% of enterprises, with almost half (47%) of respondents admitting that IT security risks are a main concern around cloud adoption and management. Furthermore, some 29% said they have limited or no visibility of their workloads in the cloud.

On the other hand, more than a quarter (27%) of IT leaders say they are using cloud computing to enhance their organisation’s security standing. Moreover, some 24% have documented workflows so cloud security incidents are responded to consistently and a similar proportion (22%) have a standardised and automated incident response strategy in place for same.

However, in-house skills do appear to be a weak spot with less than a fifth (18%) of enterprises having experienced individuals in their team who know what to do in terms of cloud security incidents and one in ten (11%) outsourcing this part of their IT as they lack the in-house skills.

In keeping with this, the study found that 31% of IT leaders are concerned about the lack of in-house skills when it comes to the adoption and management of cloud computing, with almost half identifying cloud and cybersecurity as the two areas where in-house staff most need to be upskilled (48% respectively).

Donal Sullivan, Chief Technology Officer, Auxilion, said: “Cloud has the potential to transform how a business operates, while also benefitting productivity, security and growth. However, the IT foundations and skills need to be in place for organisations to realise and capitalise on the potential of cloud. If they are not, businesses will lose out on the value of cloud and also leave themselves open to risk.

“The threat landscape is more sophisticated and relentless than ever, with attacks coming from various directions and through different channels. Combined with a hybrid workforce, companies need to ensure their IT infrastructure and strategy is resilient.

“For some, that means establishing a more coherent cloud security incident response strategy. For others, it means outsourcing to an expert partner. Companies must therefore identify not only the cloud infrastructure and approach that works for them but also any skills gaps or additional solutions they need. In turn, they can make a success of – and drive success with – cloud.”

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